Fences & Gates--Installing a Picket Fence



Fences & Gates--Installing a Picket Fence

Are you looking for contractors? ServiceMagic has prescreened over 30,000 licensed contractors & agents for all your home improvement & move-related needs.

This is a Free Service with No obligation.

Get 3 Contractors to compete for your project!!



How it works - A 3 Step Process

1. Find the right category for Fences & Gates--Installing a Picket Fence at Service Magic
Find the right category and describe your needs
· Select the category that most accurately describes your service need
· Describe your request thoroughly so ServiceMagic contractors will want to work for you
· Contractors will choose to accept your request based on your description & their availability


2. Let Service Magic match you to presecreened qualified service professionals
· Avoid playing phone tag. ServiceMagic will immediately contact their matching Pre-Screened Contractor
· Once their pros confirm their interest and availability, they'll let you know by e-mail
· Meanwhile, get prepared using their HomeFront Library and Homeowner's Toolbox


3. Select the professional for your Project
· Review detailed profiles from up to four prescreened member contractors
· Read Ratings & Reviews from previous customers to help you make the right decision




Related Articles

Fences, often taken for granted and unnoticed (until that gate won't close properly), actually perform many important functions on your property. Many factors must be taken into consideration when choosing to install a particular style of fence, including privacy, security and landscape enhancement. If you build it right and keep it simple, it will last for years.

Q: My wooden fence is leaning over and needs to be propped. Can I have it repaired or should I install a new one?

A: It depends on the integrity of the horizontal rails. If they are sturdy enough to hold a nail, we can generally replace the posts as well as any damaged panels to extend the life of the fence another 10 years. But if the rails are deteriorated to the point that they cannot be secured, I usually advise replacement.

Q: The fence at our last house was installed years before we moved in and was still stable when we moved out 15 years later, but the fence at our current house is only five years old and the posts are broken. Why?

A: Because the redwood used years ago came from very old trees, most of the lumber produced was heartwood from the center of the tree, which is disease and rot resistant. Redwood trees harvested today are much younger so fencing material, which is always the lowest grade of lumber, consists of a lot of white sap wood. Since it does not have the same resistant properties of red heartwood, posts made from it rot easily when exposed to dampness. We compensate for this by crowning the concrete above ground level around each post to protect the wood from the damage caused by constant contact with wet soil. It requires more labor and concrete when we construct the fence, but the fence will last many years longer.

Q: Our fence is holding up fine but the gate has never closed properly no matter how much I tinker with it myself. Any suggestions?

A: It's important to remember that the gate post carries an extra heavy load. Therefore it is crucial that this post, more than any other, be crowned with concrete because the slightest decay will cause it to break immediately. It's also essential that every gate post is complemented with a back-up post for extra support. The gate also needs to be braced properly when it is built to prevent sagging. Finally, don't slam the gate!

Q: The fence between our house and the neighbor's needs to be replaced. Will you bill us both? Who is responsible?

A: Ideally, you and your neighbor will agree on the type of fence you need beforehand, and share the cost equally. Sometimes, however, neighbors cannot communicate and they do not always have the same priorities, so we frequently deal with each party individually to work out mutually agreeable terms and conditions.

Q: We already have a chain link fence but would prefer a wood fence. Can this be re-done using the existing steel posts?

A: Absolutely! You can either use brackets to hold the horizontal rails or box the steel posts so that they look just like wooden posts, which many people prefer for aesthetic reasons, and they last forever!

Q: There is a cinder block sound wall along the back of our yard and we need to fence the sides. Any suggestions?

A: You can install a wood fence along the sides and use cinder block posts to complement the existing wall or build it entirely of wood. You can also build a wood fence on top of an existing retaining wall.



More Resources for Fences & Gates--Installing a Picket Fence

THIS OLD HOUSE - Installing a Picket Fence
... Installing a Picket Fence ... picket.?Ç? The classic picket fence is an indelible part of the ... step-by-step instructions for installing a picket fence. Installation time will depend ...
Description: An expert's step-by-step guide to digging postholes and assembling panels
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/weekendpr...14,00.html  -  38 KB

WannaLearn: Home Repair
... ceramic floor tiling, including help with installing tile backsplash & countertop tile, installing tile on tub & shower walls, ceramic ... installing a pedestal sink, installing a picket fence, installing a prehung door, installing a shower ...
Description: Free, high-quality online tips, guides and tutorials on home repair !
http://www.wannalearn.com/Home_and_Garden/Home_Repair/  -  71 KB

Vinyl Accessories by Freedom - Lowes Home Improvement
fence panels vinyl Freedom Vinyl ... fade Freedom White, Use for installing vinyl decorative picket fence panels, Fence panels and accessories ... Accessories White, Use for installing vinyl decorative picket fence panels, Fence panels and accessories ...
Description: White, use for installing vinyl decorative picket fence panels, fence panels and accessories sold separately, never needs painting, won't fade, crack or peel, no maintenance.
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&...3428-68001  -  1 KB

Tips & Advice - Installing a Wood Fence
... those illustrated by a picket fence. For added privacy ... Picket Fence Picket fences are very popular ... to create a distinctive picket fence. Make sure that all ...
Description: Fences keep what you want in the yard and unwanted guests out. They also add interest to your backyard or garden. A fence may seem like a labor intensive and artistically challenged project, but it doesn't have to be. You can buy premade fences, buy kits...
http://www.taylorrental.com/tip_detail.asp?id=30&...=Homeowner  -  23 KB

Wood Fencing Company NJ, Decorative Privacy Picket Stockade Fence Material
... Custom Decorative Privacy Cedar Picket Fence ... Spaced Picket Fence 100% cedar wood fencing ... Spaced Picket Fence - pool code ...
Description: Wood Fencing Company New Jersey, NJ - pictures cedar custom decorative privacy wood fence, spaced picket, stockade, shadow box, post and rail - wholesales, manufactures installs 800-427-0854
http://www.academyfence.com/wood.html  -  34 KB

mortgage home loans in the east rockaway new york ny area
Description: mortgage home loans in the east rockaway new york ny area new web internet search results ?? Free Information Source 2003
 -  2176 KB

Home Gardening Tips and Advice
... Wall - Interactive Tutorial Installing a Garden Pond - Interactive ... Stones - Interactive Tutorial Installing Outdoor Low Voltage Lighting ... Make a Garden Picket Fence Make ...
Description: Gardening tips for the do it yourself gardener. Includes information in all types of gardens, lawns, trees, shrubs and more.
 -  63 KB

Today's Advantage - Classifieds for :11/06/03
... Job requires repairing services, installing meters, etc. Apply in person at ... antique desk, metal office desk, old picket fence, roll-top desk, hot pink six-hoop ... w/ bench, $350 OBO. Come-a-Long fence construction tool $15. 259-2890 ...
Description: Next Catg - Previous Catg - Top of Page - Bottom of Page - Place An AD ANTIQUE COLLECTOR LET'S GO! House full of primitives, furniture, baskets, pottery, campaign brass and iron twin beds, country table w/chairs (sits 8). Off 370 St. Charles, dealers...
http://www.todaysadvantage.com/  -  48 KB

Martha's List of Tutorial URLs
... Country Fireplace, Country Picket Fence Shelf, Easter Bunny ... Decorative Patterned Background, Installing and creating your own ICQ ... Graphic Overlay, Picket Fence, Vector Text ...
Description: Please, do not send any tutorial through a mailing list or place them at another site without a written permission from the tutorial authors themselves. Thank you
http://members.core.com/~nieling/marthas.htm  -  297 KB

NRVTODAY - New River Valley Home & Garden Page
... Installing a Picket Fence ... Installing Rain Gutters ...
Description: Plus, get Everyday Problem Solver Mary Ellen Pinkham's best kept cleaning secrets and favorite product picks sent right to you
http://www.nrvtoday.com/garden.php  -  27 KB