Dogs, Children, and Aluminum Fences

     Aluminum fences are a wonderful addition to any home for any reason. They are maintenance free, have a lifetime warranty, and have an elegant look and appeal. Aluminum fences do make good dog fences also. But please make sure you are being a responsible dog owner by getting an aluminum fence that is safe for the dog!

     I received a comment about dogs trying to jump over aluminum fences with finials, or pointed, tops. This is a true concern when getting an aluminum fence installed for your dog. With a background in law enforcement, I have personally seen dogs, deer, and people impaled by trying to jump over aluminum and wrought iron fences. When designing your fence, keep this in mind. If you have a dog that likes to jump or climb, consider going with a style that has a top rail. There are styles of aluminum fences that still have have the finial design but also incorparate a top rail for safety.

    This is also a major consideration if you have children. Children like to climb and explore. Help keep them safe by having a top rail on your aluminum fence. Work with your fencing contractor to find a fence style that you like, and also is safe for your children and pets.

    It is Carolina Custom Fences’ policy to bring this to the attention of anyone who is looking at an open top aluminum fence. The last thing anyone wants is to have the fence they have installed to protect them be a saftey hazard!

Thanks for reading!

Scott

Dog Fences

    With the holidays coming, we are getting more and more calls for dog fences. People want to be able to put thier dog outside, unchained, when holiday company arrives. When getting a fence for a dog, or for any purpose really, you must make sure the type of fence you want is also the type of fence you need.

    When putting up a fence to contain a dog, there are a couple things to consider. The most important thing is more than likely the kind of dog to be contained. If you have a small dog, you will need to get a fence that goes all the way to the ground and doesn’t have any gaps. If you have a large dog, or one that can jump or climb, you may need a taller fence. If you have a dog that likes to “charge” , you will need to consider this too.

    Wood is always a great way to go with dog fencing. The fence is custom built so the pickets can go all the way to the ground. Just about any height can be acheived, although most HOA’s don’t allow anything over 6′ tall and anything over 8′ tall requires a permit. The pickets can be tight or spaced to allow the dog to see out, and outsiders to see the dog. You can even put “windows” in the fence. This is a square or rectangle cut out at the dogs eye level. The cut out is framed in with wood and welded wire. This lets the dog see out of the fence, lets outsiders see the dog (for security), and still lets you get privacy from your fence.  There are many options and designs with wood!

    Chain link has always been popular with dog fencing. Heights vary from 4′ tall and go up from there! A tension wire is used at the bottom of the fence to keep the dog from pushing out. A bottom rail can be substituted for this. A top rail makes it so the dog will not pull the fence down if he or she jumps on it. Of course the chain link fabric lets the dog see out, and outsiders to see the dog. Chain link comes in a variety of colors and gauges.

   Aluminum fencing is very attractive and can be a good dog fence. If you have a small dog, you will need to get “puppy pickets”, also refered to as “pool and play”.  The pickets are closer together so a “puppy” can not squeeze between them. The puppyt pickets do tend to get expensive as twice as many pickets are used! With aluminum fencing, you have to be careful your dog does not squeeze through the pickets. The pickets do have some give to them so they will bend a certain amount. I did meet a family that had an aluminum fence and thier Border Collie had figured this out! The taller the fence, the more the aluminum pickets will bend!

     Vinyl is a popular choice in fencing. It is not my favorite for dog fencing though. Its hard to get the vinyl to go all the way to the ground for the entire run of the fence. Although you can get vinyl to go with the grade of the land, its common for there to be gaps along the bottom.  Again, it depends on the kind of dog you are trying to keep in.

    There is also split rail with welded wire, no climb fencing, and invisable dog fencing. There are many options to choose from! Carolina Custom Fences not only installs them all, but can also help you design a fence that meets your wants and your needs.

Thanks for reading!

Scott

Down Payments in Fencing

    With the fragile economy, fence companies are trying to come up with new advertising techniques to attract business. It seems that some of these companies are trying to use techniques like the politicians running for office by trying to downgrade other companies rather than promoting themselves. This usually does not bother me as I believe we provide an excellent product, excellent service, and a fair price. I focus on what we can provide for our customers, and not what other fence companies are doing.

    I received a call from a personal friend and owner of another fence company yesterday. He had just finished up with a client for a new fence and was questioned about his down payment policy. His client said that he had read on a local fence companies website that companies that ask for a down payment may be “cash poor” and a sign of financial trouble. I took this a little personal as it is Carolina Custom Fences policy (along with 90% of the other fence companies in the area) to get a down payment to help with the purchase of material. We are not cash poor. We are not in financial trouble. We have never once not delivered what our contract says, and have a list of references to back this up.

    So why do fence companies ask for a deposit? Simply to help with the cost of materials. Over the last two weeks, we have installed 8 fences. They have been a mix of aluminum, wood, and chain link.  The total cost of the materials alone for these jobs was over $25000.00. Now we are not cash poor, but on the other hand, we don’t have $25000.00 laying around either! So we ask our customers for a down payment to help with the purchase of the materials for their fence. We take care of ordering the material and delivering the material to the job site. We have never had a problem with this. For our clients that do not feel comfortable giving a down payment, we will provide a complete material list, and our client takes care of getting the material.

      Now with that being said, there are some precautions to take before giving a deposit to ANY contractor. Do   a little homework. It will not only ensure they wont run off with your money, but also give you an insight on their quality of work, promptness, handling of warranty issues, and general customer service. It doesn’t take long to do, and will help you make a wise decision  your new investment.  Here are some suggestions.

   Meet with the contractor in person before you agree to anything. See what your gut feeling is. See if you feel comfortable with them. If they don’t feel it is important enough to meet with you and talk about your wants and needs before work begins, it may raise a red flag.

Check with the Secretary of State to make sure they are a licensed business. Also check with the better business bureau. These checks can be done online and only take a couple of minutes.

Call the contractor’s insurance company. Check the status of thier account.

Call Referances!! Ride by projects the contractor has already completed if time allows. Ask the references questions as to promptness, professionalism, quality of work, warranty issues.

   To put it all together- Meet with the contractor in person. See how you feel about them. Get their references and insurance information at this meeting. See how they answer your questions. The contractor will see the area of the project to help them see what will be involved. You will get to interview the contractor to see if they are qualified to do the job! Check the Secretary of States Office and the Better Business Bureau. This can be done online. Call the contractor’s insurance office to check the status of the account. Call References!!! Put it all together and see if you feel comfortable hiring the contractor to do your job.

    Down payments in fencing is a common practice. Take the time to check up on the contractors you are considering. Put more emphasis on the legalities of the business, the quality of work, and what former customers have to say. If the company you like offers no money down, great! Its gravy on the potatoes! If they don’t offer no money down, and you have done your homework,  you will still get a beautiful fence that meets your wants and needs!

Thanks for reading!

Scott

Relief Efforts in Texas from Hurricane Ike

I recently returned from Texas after a months stay helping with the relief efforts from hurricane Ike. Hurricane Ike hit the texas coast causing millions of dollars in damage and leaving many homeless. Galveston was hit the hardest by the storm, but I saw many homes destroyed in both Freeport and Houston. I met and spoke with many people in campgrounds and at hotels who had lost their homes in the storm. Most of these people had all of thier belongings with them, which usually equaled a suitcase with enough cloths for a week. The hotels and campgrounds were accommodating to the victims, allowing them to bring pets and stay extended periods of time. As we have all heard of the devastation that Katrina brought, it never hit home as hard as it did speaking with the victims of a storm. To have a person sit in front of you and explain that they lost everything, literally, was very humbling.

We will keep the victims of this storm in our thoughts and prayers. Many thanks to the men and women who are still in Texas and will stay in Texas for many months, or even years, until the cities are restored. A special Thanks to Brian Murphy of Triad Restoration for sacrificing all he has at home to help in Texas and letting me be a part of his team.

Setting Fence Posts Next to a House

I saw an interesting search phrase today- “Setting posts next to a house or structure”, and thought it would make an good topic to blog about. When setting posts next to a house, there will be a few obsticles. Basically underground utilities, the foundation, and water drainage pipes. The underground utilities are easy enough to get around. Call NC OneCall or your local underground utilities locator service. This is free of charge and can save you a huge headach, and possilbly your life! The foundation and drainage pipes are simple to overcome also. When the foundation for the house is poured, it is common for it to stick out about 6″-8″ from the house. This part of the foundation will be underground and you will never know it is there untill you dig. In newer homes, and some older homes, a 6″ black plastice drainage pipe is layed next to the foundation wall, again underground. The drainage pipe is usually surrounder by gravel. It is important not to block this pipe. If you block the pipe, water can not properly drain and you could end up with standing water in your crawlspace. Its not a good idea to cut through the pipe and fill it with concrete! A simple solution- Set your post 12″-16″ from the house. This should clear the foundation and the drainage pipe. Don’t worry- there will not be a huge gap between the house and post! Set your second post around 7′6″ from the house, or 7′-6′8″ from the post next to the house. When you connect your runners (the 2×4’s you connect the pickets too), have them run from the house to the second post. You will connect them to both the first post and the second post. The runners will extend from the first post to the house so you have ample room to connect your pickets. I’ll try to get a picture of this posted soon!

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment with any topics you would like to see blogged! Scott