A fence company provides dozens of options for enclosing your property and providing a nice decorative fence in the process. Prior to installing your fence, several things need to be done first. The fence company may or may not do these things, depending on their usual installation practices. Be sure to ask them about all of the following preparatory steps before purchasing the fence you want.

Building Permit 

A fence requires some construction. Ergo, most cities require that you acquire a building permit for the fence before you begin. If the fence company provides its own installation crew, the installation crew may acquire the permit needed. However, you should check with the company to verify this so that the installation crew can just do their job and not be stopped by city inspectors and police part way through the project.

Location of Property Lines, Gas Lines, and Buried Power Lines

You want to be sure that your fence is installed on your property and not on the neighbors'. A surveyor can come to your home, mark the property lines with neon paint, and provide your fence installers with clear property lines. You will also need to call the "digger's hotline" to find where the gas lines and power lines are buried on your property so that the fence installers do not strike these lines when digging post holes. The fence installers generally do not do most of these services. However, there is an exception to every rule.

Removing Stumps, Roots, and Other Obstacles Around the Perimeter of the Property

Trees that have been planted too close to neighbors' yards have to be removed. The remaining stumps and roots may get in the way of installing the fence's posts. The fence company will not and does not remove trees. However, they may remove tree or bush roots that are in the way of the post installation. Other minor obstacles may be removed during the installation process, but only if the obstacles can be easily removed and are directly inhibiting the installation of the posts. If you want anything else removed to aid in the easier installation of your new fence, you will have to hire a landscaper or tree removal contractor to do it.

Leveling the Ground

Uneven or hilly ground makes it very difficult to install most fences. Sometimes the fence installation crew will level the ground prior to installing the fence. Sometimes they will not. Ask well enough in advance about this particular issue so that you have enough time to get a landscaper to level the ground before the fence is installed.