Fencing is an absolute expense, and a hidden one at that–but the worst thing you can do to keep it under budget is to overspend on materials and undercut labour. In our experience, labour is an “invisible” expense that most homeowners would rather not think about–after all, once all is said and done, isn’t fencing ‘just’ putting up panels and calling it a day? Wouldn’t you rather use that extra money to get a fancy fence that will be the envy of all your neighbours, and then hire the neighbour’s teenager to put it up for minimum wage?
Here’s a great example. This fence is not too old. Untreated cedar fencing can last up to 30 years if it’s kept out of the water, and even up to 40 years if stained every 2-3 years. But the posts are absolutely rotting. We inspected the retaining wall holding up the fence and discovered that it wasn’t even installed correctly. The water was pooling underneath the fence posts, causing premature decay on the supports. Furthermore, we discovered other oddities in the construction that caused water seepage and rotting in other portions.
On the surface, a fence may look great initially, but time will tell a different tale. And our wet, west coast weather is unforgiving. Our number one rule when it comes to keeping costs under budget, fencing included, is don’t scrimp on labour. All it takes is one wrong swing of the hammer to introduce defects that’ll drastically shorten your fence’s lifespan. Would you rather spend the money now and never have to worry about your fence again, or would you rather do this all over again a few years later?
Our advice to keep fencing costs to a minimum is to choose no-nonsense materials that have proven themselves capable out here in the west coast. Support local manufacturers, who will be able to provide the best advice on what works out here–and can give you the lowest costs without the middlemen. And of course, find skilled labour you can trust. Shop around, but settling for the lowest bid is not necessarily the best idea if the company’s workers won’t install your fencing right the first time.