How to Keep Costs Low When Replacing Your Fence
Service & Repair
Replacing the fence surrounding your property is a functional and aesthetically pleasing way to enhance your property’s value. The reasons include creating privacy, preventing intruders, or boosting the curb appeal. Choosing the right fence improves the dynamics of your property’s exterior.
Every renovation project comes with a budget. Fence replacement using top-of-the-range material is a significant expense. Making significant adjustments makes the fencing cost more affordable.
Determine the purpose of your fence
Deciding the purpose of your home fence is an easy way to bring down the costs before installation. For commercial buildings and institutions, the main purpose is security. A homeowner may want to create privacy and a barrier against intruders.
For majority homeowners, the purpose is mainly keeping their children in the yard and protecting the garden from animals. If the purpose is only curb appeal, the costs are significantly cheaper.
Build in specific areas
If your interest is curb appeal, build across the front of the garden. To avoid running the fence across the entire property, close the gaps with bushes and fast growing dense trees. That way, you won’t use too many materials. If the fence runs between yours and your neighbor’s back garden, concentrate on the back alone.
Consider alternative materials
If you are replacing the fence for protection and privacy, it must run around your entire property. Instead of reducing the cost or amount of the materials, consider material alternatives. There are alternative materials that provide adequate protection.
1. Replacing a steel fence with aluminum during renovation is great because it’s not as expensive as steel. While not as robust, an aluminum fence is a great substitute. It offers a decent security level and maintains the boundary line around your property.
2. Aluminum is lightweight, but still a reliable material. Aluminum is aesthetically appealing and is renowned for its cost effectiveness.
Mix up materials
Mix up different materials to bring down the costs. You can choose to replace the fence at the front of your home and landscaping at the back area. That will still protect your home from the prying eyes of strangers.
Share costs with neighbors
That works especially with homeowners. If the fence acts as a dividing line between your properties, ask if you can share the costs. That will help you subsidize the costs.
Make sure that you and your neighbor can agree on the material, style, and color of the fence. That is a great alternative if you both consult with an open mind.
Replace a few sections
Labor costs are a huge part of the budget for replacing a fence. Replacing the entire fence will take more time, hence, higher labor costs. Labor and material costs will depend on the extent, difficulty, and time spent on the project. Ask the contractor to replace only the most damaged sections.
Do correct estimation
Sometimes, labor costs for replacing a fence are higher than a new installation. That happens when the damage is greater than earlier anticipated. That can lead to the replacement of more parts and more time taken by the contractor.
Do part of the work
Most contractors charge to disassemble the old fence and bring down the posts. That can take twice as much time, cost, and labor as a new fence installation. Consider dismantling the fence yourself if you have a little know-how. You may ask a few friends to come along and help.
If your fence looks like it has seen better days, check whether refreshment will be better than replacement. The cost of disassembling and replacing a fence entirely can be an outright huge expense. Consider more economical options.
Whether or not you replace or repair your fence depends on some factors. Get an expert with knowledge on fences on your side and ask them about the best choice.