Wood fencing question

[Montreal514]

I'm looking at installing a 6foot wood fence this spring. My lot is about 10,000 square foot, with a large front yard, leaving me with about 200 feet of fencing to be installed. Home Depot, Reno/Rona, all sell pre-assembled 8 foot long(6ft high) fencing segments($89 to $190) at affordable prices, however, I was wondering whether it is cheaper or worth my while to buy the wood myself and put together on my own. Does anybody have any experience with this?
thanks!

[zegerman]

Wrong forum to be asking this. You should have posted this in the Home and Garden section.

I would go to the store any price out the cost of the lumber if you want to compare prices. Also I believe the sales associates there can crunch the numbers for you.

[bkbkbk]

this is lukewarm at best

[Pete_Coach]

Those prices are the same as last year, they never seem to change or even go on sale. These prices do not include any posts, fasteners or gates.
You can add a lot to whatever you choose. Do the math, figure out if you have the skills and the tools and equipment then get estimates form builders to be able to make comparisons.

[whodaphucru]

Buy the material and build it in place, those pre assembled fence sections are crap! A fence goes up pretty quick with a couple guys and some beer!

[mikeec67]

It all depends on your level of handymaness. If you don`t know know which end of a hammer to use to drive a nail, go with the prefab sections. If you are somewhat handy then the options of what you can do are endless. Buy a magazine that specializes in fences, decks, patios, etc & see what you can build. If you are planning on staying in your current home then I suggest you go with one from scratch, it will be much nicer looking & probably more solid than any prefab section you can find. The prefabs are basic sections that are good if you want to put up something quick & easy, if you want something nicer then go from scratch & you will be much happier & proud of the end result. Buy a case of beer, a few pizzas & invite a few friends over to help you & I am sure you will be impressed with what you can do.

[canuck57]

much cheaper to do it yourself. If you're not too handy check around for someone to set the fence posts. Look in the yellow pages, kijiji and the like. The going rate is $25 per post, you supply the wood they supply the cement and dig the holes. Once the posts are in (usually 8 feet between the post or 100 inches total) the rest is easy. Buy some fence brackets to hold the 2x4 stringers and then just slap up the 1x6 boards. It'll run you about $10 a running foot complete.

[speedway84]

I'm actually in the middle of a fence project myself. I've been advised to stay away from the prefab sections, as depending whats in the ground you may not be able to put a post every 8 feet, much easier to customize your own sections of fence.

I've been quoted from two different post hole guys 25 dollars to drill a hole and set a post with concrete (I supply the post).

I have 240' of fence to put in. I've estimated I'll spend 3600 dollars total to do the whole project. I did have a 20% off coupon from HD though, so my materials were at a 20% discount.

[ken0042]

I've looked at those pre-fab fence sections, and I just don't get who would be the right person to use them.

Somebody who is pretty handy would have no trouble putting the fence together for less money. However I can't see them as being good for those who aren't handy.

IMHO the key to building a good fence is getting the posts done right. So if you are using the pre-fab sections, you need to get the gap between posts exactly right. A couple of inches too short or too long and you are in trouble.

A few fence tips from my experience:

- Be sure to use all pressure treated or cedar. Don't waste your money on the non-treated stuff; for 20-30% more your fence will last twice as long.

- If your yard isn't sodded pay a guy in a bobcat to do your holes. Or look at renting an auger that is on a trailer. If you do end up getting a hand held auger from Home Depot, double the number of "men" it's rated for.

- When lining up your posts, invest in a 4 foot level. Put in two corner posts and run a string. Then for the middle posts, make sure the post is always 2 mm away from the string, not resting against it. If it rests, then each post will be slightly more and more out of line.

- Don't use the quick set concrete unless you have 3 guys. It sets up a lot faster than you think. I still prefer to do the posts one day, then the fence later.

- Call before you dig. I believe most provinces have a free burried cable location service.

[FenceMaster]

I wouldn't recommend the pre build panels as it limits you on installation. I would actually not recommend using wood period. Even though it's cheap compared to other types of fence currently available on the market it's also a lot of maintenance if you want to have a fence that's looks good year after year.

I did some research last year on different types of fence products and came across a new composite called TimberWolf that's available at Rona/Reno. Installed myself a small section with a gate. The hardest part, for someone who never installed a fence before, is to dig the post holes deep enough below the frost line. I used a 2 man auger...I'd recommend paying someone to dig the holes. Especially if you have 200 feet to cover.

The TimberWolf product seems to have faded a little exposed to the sun, like everything else, but it still looks great. You don't have to worry about investing any money in painting or staining and more importantly...time.

*edit*
and don't forget the 1,350$ kickback you can get from the gov. For more details:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/deals/main.php/alldeals/comments/canadian_revenue_agency_home_renovation_tax_credit _renovate_receive_a_tax_c