This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 12:42 PM and is filed under Before and After Home Staging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
So what’s the first step? Chat with your neighbours and get their opinions. They may be willing to help you either build the new fence or split the cost to hire someone to build the new fence. However, be very diplomatic when discussing this with them, although you may be financially and emotionally prepared to replace your fence, they may not be. If they’re not prepared to help out, you may be stuck with the workload and/or the bill. The City of Calgary does not settle disputes on maintenance or building costs between neighbours.
Another point worth mentioning about neighbours, you will get really close with them once your old fence is torn down. This can be a really good thing, or a really bad thing.
Now it’s time to figure out which design you like and how much you are willing to spend. Check your local home improvement flyers for both designs and prices (to get a rough idea). Always make sure to get a quote from your local home improvement store or local fencing company though as flyers never add in the cost of nails, labour or equiptment rentals (if required). If you’re handy or have family or friends that are handy, take on the project yourself, if not, you should consider hiring someone. If you do hire someone, make sure they are insured. If they get hurt and are not insured – you are responsible.
Make sure to pick a date to build your fence that isn’t too hot or rainy and build away. You’ll notice instantly how much your yard has improved after the first section is built. Before you start building, I strongly recommend you read up on your local bylaws. If you live in Calgary, here is a brochure on fences developed by the City of Calgary.