HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A FENCE?

​
​Introduction

Are you planning to have a chain-link fence or cedar fence boards installed in your yard? Are you wondering how long will the process take? Will it interfere with your regular daily activities? Are there any preparations that you need to do prior to installation?
 
Considering all factors are in perfect conditions, fence builders in Calgary usually take an utmost 1-2 days to finish installing a fence. That already includes the pre-installation process as well as the installation itself. That timeframe, however, can shorten or lengthen depending on several factors which we are going to talk about below.

BEFORE THE FENCE INSTALLATION EVEN STARTS

---

​​​​Hold your horses! Before you get your hands on that shovel or take any step on installation, look at the list of pre-installation to dos recommended by fence builders in Calgary below, knowing and executing them beforehand will save you a lot of time, and money.
 
Permit and zoning codes

Most residential areas in Calgary don’t require a fence permit if they don’t go over 6 feet in height. But some neighborhoods have very strict regulations, you might need to secure a fence permit to be able to install one. So, before you start planning (or digging), make sure to check with your town’s zoning codes, local regulations in place in your area, and your neighborhood association rules. It will spare you money and getting the required permit will help avoid delays in the installation process.
 
Property and utility line

Know your property lines before installation. Make sure that you’re building your fence only on your side of the line. You don’t want to have any disagreements with neighbors over a newly built fence, right?  It is also a good idea to inform them about your plan especially if you feel like they will be directly affected by the process.
 
Calling the utility marking service in your area is also one of the first steps before installation. Their service is free, and they will mark the utility lines in your yard. The last thing that you want to happen is digging and hitting a power or gas line! That’d be an absolute disaster!

Obstacles and vegetation

Trees, shrubs, and other vegetation that sprawls along the line where you want your fence to be put up need to be dealt with first. A broken existing fence and other boulders blocking the fence line must be out of the way. Clearing away all obstacles is part of the pre-installation process.
 
Your fence building company can take care of all that, as well as the cutting and relocating of trees. If you plan to do this step on your own, talk to your fence builders first so they can advise you on how to properly do it and they can take that step out of their process. Remember that the time spent on this part of the pre-installation adds up to the timeframe of the actual fence installation.
 
Professional visit

​Fence builders in Calgary will visit your property first to measure your yard and talk to you about the type of fence you want them to build.  You will discuss design, materials, and they will also give you professional advice and suggestions based on what you want and need. This way they can give you a price quotation and an estimation of how long or short it will exactly take for your fence to be installed.

DURING THE INSTALLATION

Constructing a straightforward wooden fence on a 100–200-foot yard is different from installing a chain-link fence in a much larger yard. Fence structure is usually a custom job, that is why we must consider all the factors that come into play contributing to the overall duration of the installation process. Check out which on the list below you can adjust to meet your target timeline.

​​Yard size

Just like what’s mentioned above, the size of your yard is an easy giveaway on how long the installation process will take. Building a fence around a pocket garden will not take more than a day, while the larger the yard size, the longer the installation will take.
 

​Weather

Weather is uncontrollable. You can check the weekly weather forecast to guide you on planning when you can have the installation done. Strong winds, rainstorms, and snow will put a pause on your construction, making the whole process longer than the target deadline.

Design

Lightweight and simple, cedar fence boards are the easiest and quickest type of fence to install. Chain-link fences are straightforward to put up. Wrought iron fences and other complicated designs will take time as they are mostly customized.
 
Ground condition

Building a fence on flat terrain is faster, hassle-free, and won’t take too much time. Fence posts need to be buried at a certain depth to make your fence durable, strong, and safe. Digging through soft earth for these fence posts will take hours whereas digging through tree roots, boulders, concrete, and rocks will take longer.
 
Location

If you are in Calgary or nearby areas, then we can skip this location factor as traveling to you will not take too much time. Living in farther rural areas, on the other hand, will take a longer journey, traveling back and forth for men and materials, thus adding up to our timeframe.
 
Materials

If you’re opting for on-site materials, the installation process can start as soon as the quote is made. If your fencing requires special materials or customized ones, then the company might need to wait for these to arrive or start the installation while waiting for them. Either way, expect that materials not available right away will add up to the timeline.
 
Gates

More than the fence itself, gates take longer to install. If you only need one simple gate, the time to install it won’t likely affect your timeline. Consider installing two or more complicated gates as one of the main key factors that will affect your overall installation time.
 
Additional factors

Old fence posts need to be removed and building on sophisticated structures like retaining walls can add hours or days into the process of installation. If the old fence post has snapped off its base, then a jackhammer will be needed to remove it from the ground before the installation can start. ​

---

​AFTER THE INSTALLATION
​
Once the fence and gates are done, the fence builders will start clearing and picking up all debris. This is the time that you can inspect the whole project and see if there are adjustments that need to be made to suit your taste.
 
If staining and coating are part of your quotation, the fence builders will come at a later day to have it done. With your fence already up by this time, you can consider the staining or coating as finishing touches and don’t need to add them to your timeline, unless you’re preparing for an event that asks for a completely done fence.

​CONCLUSION

With all the key factors above, you will now be able to have a more concrete idea of how long your fence installation will take even before you call your local fence builders. You can plan accordingly and prepare properly, eliminating the factors that could take up more of your time.
 
If you have more questions or other concerns not covered above, let us know! At Calgary Fence Pros we have experts waiting to accommodate all your concerns about your fence project plans. We will be more than happy to help you achieve your fence goals promptly. Call -> 587-741-6014