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Never put in my own fence before but question about vinyl

Never put in my own fence before but question about vinyl


  #1  
Old 10-11-09, 10:19 AM
L
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Never put in my own fence before but question about vinyl

So just bought a house and the chain link fence that is in right now is in poor shape and to small to keep my dogs in yard, they could easily jump it. i have looked to putting in vinyl fence(i know it cost alot more then chain)

so questions/problems....

1. are you able to cut vinyl fences to fit into smaller areas? i have a section that is about 5 feet long but panels at home depo are 6+ feet.

2. i been doing looking around the web and saw something intresting that would like to do but i dont know what cons to doing so but instead of putting in vinyl post in cement. but putting in a metal fence post deep in the ground and putting vinyl post around that. is that just crazy or would that work because it sounds easier, cheaper, and less critical if mistakes are made. but what do i know.

3. now neighbor has a tree right on edge of the properity and looks like was the tree thats really beat the hell out of chain link fence their, so was thinking i would put the fence 3-6 inches away from where the previous fence is if that somethin im able to do but worried about roots. how worried should i be about this tree and what options would you say i do?
 
  #2  
Old 10-11-09, 11:04 AM
L
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lazytitan,

Welcome to the forums.

Big box store vinyl -- I'd stay away from it. Find a local vinyl fence supplier and use the good stuff. (He'll also have lots a good, free advice that you can trust, and if need be, he can actually SEE the site.)

He'll sell you exactly the amounth that you need, rather thanbuying a panel that you only need half of.

Not sure how you figure (or why you were told) that the metal posts would be cheaper than concreting in a vinyl post. It won't be. A 60# sack of redi-mix is only about $3 or $4. With the metal, not only will you need the steel post, but you'll also need the brackets to go on the steel to hold the vinyl in place. I can see that system costing about $20 per post. As far as being "less critical", it isn't. Your rails are still a given length and you have to work the posts in accordingly.

If the tree was beating up the chain link fence, do you really think 6" will be enough??? That tree ISN'T going to get any SMALLER!! Roots aren't a problem, just a little extra labor to dig the post hole. If you find one, cut it out of the way.
 
  #3  
Old 10-11-09, 02:11 PM
L
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ok i was under impression that concrete was more then that. and yes i dont think that tree will get THAT much bigger its looks pretty full grown. so i thought 6 inches would be enough room but like i said what do i know. i just dont want the tree after 5 or so years burst through the fence.

ill prob call a guy up and get a quote at least and let a professional look at it but is putting a vinyl in really that hard? i obviously don't want to mess it up but doesn't look all that hard just got to make sure you line every thing up.
 
  #4  
Old 10-11-09, 11:50 PM
Join Date: May 2008
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Installing a pvc fence is not hard as long as you have the time, patience and tools to do it correctly.

As for the tree... Sometimes it is neccesary to cut out a root if it is in the way of installation. Still, be cautious as to which root it is you cut out. Look over the root, its direction and size. Determine whether or not it appears to be one of the tree's stronghold in the ground. It is just my opinion to not cut the root to a tree without first determining the importance of that root to the tree's stability.
Even if you do not see a tree trunk move, it does. Even though you feel the tree has grown all it will grow, there is probably more to its growth that you just do not see growing as much as you look the tree over.
Depending on the size of the tree and the type of tree it is, the root structure can very well push its way towards a post, moving it or heaving it up and over. Fence maintenance around a tree is something to be expected over the years.

Six inches ? Box around the tree by about a foot and you would probably be better off. But that takes a lot more work, a little more money as well as more time consuming to manage.

The 6 foot wide sections you are referring to are glued panels. Their pickets being glued together from one end to the other. The rails and pickets also being glued together in a sandwich like fashion.
I would not suggest use this type of material. Once cut, there is not much choice other than to deal with whatever you have done. Mistakes can be costly.

From a fence supply yard ; I would purchase a 6x8 section of material that can be broken down and put back together as per the area you need to cover. The pickets may either be 6" wide or 11" double wide..
If you need to cover only a 5' wide area cutting this material down would be easier, cleaner and without a doubt a lot less time consuming than the big box store materials.

As for sleeving PVC posts over steel posts... That can be done, but it seems to me that you would be creating more work, spending more money and resulting in less production over the same span of time verses the digging and placement of pvc posts in cement.

Were you suggesting just installing the steel posts into the ground without the use of cement? That is strongly not recommended.

No PVC fence should be installed without the use of cement. The materials are just not that strong to withstand the elements without some sort of solid base.

But on the flip note if you choose to use the steel posts and the pvc posts you would be more limited to the use of the glued sections verses the typical tongue and groove loose fitting pickets.
On the glued sections provided in most larger home stores the sections rest on brackets that are placed on the posts, screwed in and secured to the posts.
On the higher end , more quality materials sold in fence supply yards the rails of the sections are about 2" longer on each side... that 2" is inserted into the cut out holes on the posts. A typical line post would have 2" of material coming in from one end, 2" coming in from the other and only 1" of space between them. This would not allow for a steel pipe to be inside the post unless you cut the steel post short of the very bottom of the bottom rail of fencing.
At that point, unless you are making a custom adjustment while installing , there does not seem to be much advantage in using pvc over steel.

I hope some of this post helps in your planning to install PVC fencing.

Thanks,

Greg's Fence ~
 
  #5  
Old 10-12-09, 08:39 AM
L
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Installing a vinyl fence isn't difficult. But, just like prefabbed wood panels, using prefabbed vinyl panels limits your options, and requires that the posts be set very accurately. There is very little room for adjustments.

Choosing to get away from the prefabbed panels and going to individual pieces (posts, rails, and pickets) gives you an almost unlimited ways to adjust and compensate for objects like trees, for having set a post "a little off", etc.

As far as using the steel posts, I can't see any reason to. They are going to be more expensive and will make the installation more difficult.
 
 

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