PVC fencing has become a popular option for residential environments where sturdiness and beauty are equally important. An increasing number of businesses are using PVC fencing due to its carefree nature and durability. In many areas, home and business owners are choosing it over chain link or wood to accommodate a variety of needs ranging from privacy to security.

Pros

• PVC fencing is very low maintenance. It doesn’t have to be stained or painted and can be kept looking new with a simple rinse with a garden hose.
• The fencing remains unaffected by weather and won’t fade from UV rays.
• It won’t peel, chip, rot or splinter.
• The fencing won’t stain or become discolored even when it’s exposed to salt water.
• PVC fencing is unattractive to insects and is resistant to unsightly fungus.
• There are over 30 different unique and decorative styles from which to choose, it’s available in a myriad of colors, and there are numerous options for customization.
• PVC fencing is nearly five times stronger than the average wood fence.
• The material is recyclable and environmentally friendly.
• It won’t burn in the event of a fire.
• PVC fencing is non-toxic.
• Best of all, PVC fencing is a more cost effective alternative than concrete, brick or stone.

Despite all of its advantages, no fencing material is perfect. PVC fencing does have some disadvantages.

Cons

PVC is more expensive than wood.

Despite the many textures and styles available that give the appearance of stone or brick, when viewed up close, people can still determine that it’s a synthetic material.

PVC does expand and contract with fluctuations in temperatures, which means it can begin to become brittle toward the end of its 20-30 year lifespan.

Multiple Options

Individuals considering a fence should speak with a fencing professional. The options available will surprise most people. The experts can provide individuals with information on all the different materials, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and help clients choose the right fencing for their needs and budget.

Fencing is a decorative addition to any property. However, most individuals don’t know the value that it can add to their homes, particularly if they’re planning to sell in the future. A fence provides one of the best ROI ratios available, making the property more desirable to a wider range of potential buyers. In addition to the monetary and aesthetic value, fencing satisfies a myriad of other desires.

There are specific considerations when erecting a barrier that homeowners should consider when choosing a fence. A fencing professional can help with those decisions. To be an enhancement rather than a detraction, the fencing should complement the character and architecture of the surrounding environment.

One of the biggest benefits to a fenced yard is that it appeals to the elderly and people with children and pets. It provides an extra layer of safety and security from unwelcome humans entering the space and it’s a definite deterrent to incursions by a wide variety of wildlife.

For those that crave privacy and relief from road noises, a fence can be the perfect solution. Advanced technology has made possible fencing options able to buffer up to 95 percent of sound, while also providing the privacy that so many people desperately seek.

Homes with a pool are required to maintain a fence that prevents access by small children. The pool will be a draw for many buyers and the fence provides safety for youngsters, the elderly, and pets. Having a pool and the fencing already installed is a powerful incentive for many people.

Fencing can also be utilized to conceal unsightly features such as air conditioning units, trash cans, and generators. It prevents individuals from falling off slopes, bluffs and cliffs on the property, thereby mitigating the potential for a lawsuit. Fencing materials can mimic the look of wood or granite to meet aesthetic considerations. Fencing is also available that will withstand hurricane force winds, a feature that will definitely add value to any Florida home.

A fence can function in a variety of capacities, from minimizing street noise to containing children and pets. It’s important to ensure the chosen fencing contractor is qualified, cognizant of local fence rules and ordinances, and that individuals have some idea of what type of fence they want.

It’s never a good idea for a fence to become a DIY project. It can conceivably require the better part of the summer to complete, while a qualified fencing company can perform the required work in a day or so, depending upon the area to be fenced. There are a myriad of steps individuals can take to facilitate the process.

1. Reason for Fencing

Clients should know why they want a fence. It could be for privacy, security, beautification, to minimize road noise, establish boundaries, or safety. Those factors will impact the type of fencing and materials selected.

2. Type of Fencing

Individuals have a wide range of fencing options and innovative materials from which to choose. Some are better for specific uses, while others are multi-functional. The fencing should blend with existing architecture, features, and aesthetic concerns.

3. Multiple Estimates

Don’t agree to the first estimate received. Optimally, individuals should obtain three estimates. It will allow clients to select the combination of pricing, quality, materials, and installation that best fits their individual needs.

4. Estimators

Even with an online estimate, at some point an estimator will make an on-site visit to view the area to be fenced. Make the estimator aware of any slopes, obstructions, adjoining fences, and access to the work site that could affect cost and installation time.

5. Pertinent Questions

It’s essential that clients ask if the company will obtain needed permits, knows local zoning regulations, and any setback requirements. The company should also be responsible for contacting utility companies to identify underground lines.

If the area has a slope, clients need to know if the fencing will be uniformly the same height or if it will vary according to the slope. Make sure any hardware is included in the price, the installation timeline, and the fine details of warranties and guarantees.

6. Red Flags

Once individuals have performed their research and narrowed their contractor choices to three, there are some red flags of which individuals should be aware. Pass on a contractor that:

• Refuses to provide a written estimate
• Utilizes pressure tactics for clients to make an immediate decision
• Requires cash payments only

Commercial fencing is an ideal way to protect businesses and their assets. Depending on the environment, a fence controls the flow of people and/or vehicles and provides a protective barrier. Fencing can take many forms and is equally applicable for businesses that include stores and housing complexes to production facilities, warehouses, and construction sites.

Aluminum

This fencing is offered in multiple styles, colors, is highly durable, and low-maintenance. Aluminum resists corrosion and damage by the elements. It’s lightweight yet strong and can be a more cost effective solution than steel, wrought iron and similar materials. Aluminum fencing offers a myriad of opportunities for customization to accommodate specific needs. It’s also a decorative option that blends seamlessly with security systems and requirements.

Iron and Steel

Metal commercial fencing encompasses a wide variety of styles and designs, blending those attributes with timeless elegance, strength and durability. Commercial metal fencing of iron and steel can be combined with an extensive range of gates and other security measures. Business owners can choose from chain link styles, along with those that emulate wrought iron.

PVC Vinyl

It’s a highly popular option and is being used in multiple venues encompassing hospitals and restaurants to community centers and swimming pools. One of the reasons for its rise in popularity is its low-maintenance qualities, combined with decorative options.

It can be manufactured from synthetic materials or recycled plastics and is able to withstand Florida’s changing weather without cracking, chipping or peeling. PVC vinyl fencing can be installed in multiple heights and offers a security solution that’s available in multiple colors and styles.

SimTek®

One of the newest materials on the market is SimTek® and it’s quickly becoming a primary choice for businesses due to its unique capabilities. It can withstand hurricane force winds of 110 mph and gusts up to 130 mph, making it particularly applicable in Florida. Through a specialty molding process, it can be created to emulate stone and wood grain finishes.

It also provides superior sound absorption abilities, is very low-maintenance, and it’s impact resistant. SimTek® is a stylish solution that provides safety, security and beauty in a wide range of business environments.

Fencing no longer conforms to strictly utilitarian constructs. The barriers are being embellished and decorated in a myriad of ways. Fence art encompasses a variety of items and is only limited to what the imagination can envision.

Lighting

Individuals can choose from an extensive array of solar lighting solutions that utilize decorative post caps to add beauty and distinction to any fence. There are also wired options, along with rope and LED lights to consider.

Plants

Potted plants and hanging baskets are easy ways to satisfy a desire for greenery. Planters and hanging baskets on fencing offers the advantage of vertical planting, allowing individuals to expand their growing options while beautifying their fence. Popular planters include decorative metal buckets, recycled tires, and those in the shape of picture frames.

Outdoor Décor

The market for outdoor fence décor has blossomed across the nation. Individuals can purchase metal décor featuring birds, butterflies, fanciful insects, and fantastical creatures to hang on the fence, along with small statues of everything from animals to angels that are designed to peek over fence tops.

Silhouettes

These are known by various names, but essentially they’re wooden or metal cutouts in the shape of people, plants or animals that can be painted and hung on fences.

Birdhouses

A single decorative birdhouse – or several – can be attached to a fence in multiple ways. They also provide nesting places for birds that help keep down insect populations.

Shelving

Hanging a decorative shelf on a fence offers a wealth of options. They can be used to hold and display anything from plants and statues to other favorite items that individuals want to show off. It’s an especially creative way to display smaller items and keep them off the ground.

Trivets

A trivet isn’t just for protecting tabletops from hot pots. They make excellent decorations and offer an ideal way to exhibit similar types of artistic elements.

Fencing is a safety precaution and it will also be a beautification project for your home that increases its value. There’s a myriad of factors to consider when installing a fence that will make the difference between being a happy homeowner or one experiencing buyer’s remorse.

Why Do You Want One?

The reason you want a fence can impact the type of fencing you choose. People typically install a fence for safety, security, privacy, to minimize road noise, conceal unattractive features, or establish boundaries.

Cost

Some barriers are more expensive than others. Others are relatively inexpensive and can be installed quickly. Certain types can be more expensive, but are far more durable, available in multiple colors, and can even withstand hurricane force winds.

Maintenance

Depending on the type of fencing, it may require regular inspections, painting or staining. Others only need to be rinsed off with a hose. You need to know how much time you realistically have to spend on maintenance duties, or if you want a minimal maintenance set-it-and-forget-it solution.

Climate Concerns

There’s a wealth of options available for fencing and some react differently to ordinary and extremes in climate conditions. Homeowners can choose wood and metal or revolutionary new materials that can be recycled at the end of their considerable lifespan.

Contractors

Choose your contractor carefully and don’t be afraid to ask for references from former clients. They should be cognizant of local rules and regulations governing fencing in the community and be able to obtain any required permits. Homeowners should expect a professional to answer the phone, not a recording.

Always obtain a written estimate, ensure the materials and work are under warranty, and don’t hire a contractor that pressures you to make immediate decisions or pay in cash. The contractor should be willing to provide information and make recommendations, but the ultimate decision is yours.

Safety in your new home is one of the thoughts that should be paramount in your mind. There are some basic measures you can take to help deter would-be prowlers and intruders. The methods are equally effective if you’re going on vacation or if you have long commutes and work hours. In the excitement of moving in, it’s easy to forget that 73 percent of burglaries and break-ins occur in residential neighborhoods.

Alarm Systems

Installing an alarm system is a basic safety precaution that may also save you on homeowner’s insurance costs. If your new home comes equipped with an alarm system, change the code immediately. Ensure windows have a sticker indicating the home is protected by a security system and place one in the front yard. It’s proven to discourage anyone targeting the home.

Landscaping

Be sure to keep hedges trimmed and growth around doors and windows to a minimum and at a height of no more than three feet to deter crime. Planting prickly or spiky bushes near windows also helps. Mulch them with gravel – the sound of crunching gravel is a definite deterrent.

Lights

Homes that are well-lit are unappealing to thieves and burglars. Invest in some inexpensive timers for different areas of the home. It’s also helpful to alternate the rooms that are lit. The same light in the same window every night establishes a pattern that can be easily tracked by intruders. TVs can typically be set to go on at specific times from the device itself. Smart timers are also available that can be set and monitored from your phone.

Locks

Changing the locks should be at the top of every new homeowner’s to-do list. You never know who might have a key to the existing locks, from local teens to the neighbor across the street.

Motion Detectors

For outdoor usage, few items are as effective and inexpensive as motion detector lighting. The devices should be installed on all four sides of the dwelling. Additional motion detector floodlights should be installed in particularly dark areas or those where people could easily hide.

Video Doorbell

Video doorbells are a smart way to monitor who comes to your door, whether it’s a delivery driver or the mailman. A common ploy used by burglars is to ring the doorbell first to see if anyone answers. A video doorbell will notify you if anyone is at the door via your phone no matter where you happen to be and allow you to respond. You’ll never have to open the door without knowing who is on the other side.

For many years, a home with white picket fence came to symbolize achievement of the American Dream. The image was first used in the 1940s and was immortalized in TV and film as the perfect accompaniment to wealth and success. Part of its popularity was psychological, representing safety and stability in response to the ravages of World War II.

Once considered a status symbol, the prevailing attitude toward the barrier has undergone a change and it’s now often viewed as a stylized version of perfection that doesn’t exist with somewhat creepy connotations. However, the innocent picket fence of Americana has darker origins.

Before coming to colonial America, the pickets of the fence – the upright “sticks” – were logs that were sharpened to a point and inserted into the ground. They were used to repel ground attacks and shield archers. They were known by the French word piquet. Pickets were one of the earliest defenses used in ancient times to protect against marauding tribes.

Early colonists also used pickets to frame their land and protect against encroachment by Native American tribes, bandits, and eventually troops sent by the King of England to quell the colonists’ rebellion. They were further used to defend against opposing troops during the Spanish-American War and the country’s Civil War.

White paint was cheap and to dress up the fences, early Americans began painting them white or using a mixture of lime and water to color them and act as a wood preservative. The white picket fence began to lose ground to chain link fencing in the 1950s as the Cold War arrived, but enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 1980s.

The fencing also began to obtain a creepy connotation in response to several films that portrayed them as part of a regimented lifestyle that demanded the masses conform. For many, the white picket fence remains a symbol of those that prefer to live in a “perfect” world, blind to the realities of life.

The white picket fence is a simple barrier, but its impact on the U.S. was huge. It continues to be popular fencing option for keeping children and pets safely within their own yards. It’s typically lower than other types of fencing, thereby encouraging neighborly interaction and conversation. Love it or hate it, the white picket fence has become indelibly imprinted on the psyche as a uniquely American icon.

Creating a pet proof backyard entails more than just ensuring a pet can’t get out. It must also incorporate elements to keep roaming pets out, along with the wide variety of wildlife that could potentially enter. There’s also a multitude of factors that most people don’t consider, but are essential for keeping a dog safe from harm.

Chemicals

Canines should be kept away from lawns and plants that have been treated with fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides. Even the residue can result in a toxic response and fertilizers can burn the pads on a pet’s feet.

Clean the Premises

Damp, dark and debris-filled areas are prime real estate for fleas, mosquitoes and other pests. It’s a good idea to regularly clean doghouses and wash blankets or beds dogs use. Sweeping decks, porches and patios will help keep down pests. Don’t forget to address outdoor structures and storage sheds, along with the undersides of porches and decks.

Fencing

The enclosure will require a fencing option that the canine can’t climb, jump over, or dig under. From raccoons and deer to coyotes and the potential for an occasional panther, the barrier must also prevent wild or stray animals from squeezing through slats or panels, depending upon the style of fence that’s selected. Inspect the fence regularly for weak spots.

Another area where fencing will be critical is the pool. An estimated 5,000 canines die each year from pool-related accidents. Dogs don’t intuitively know how to get out of a pool. There are no guarantees, even with dogs that have undergone training to recognize steps and they may be unable to climb a ladder.

Mow Often

Fleas, ticks and other parasites live in grass and the longer the grass, the bigger the risk that they’ll hitch a ride on your pet and eventually into the house.

Plants

Dogs like to dig, chew, and roll around in greenery. Some types of flowers and bushes are poisonous to dogs, such as amaryllis, azaleas, daffodils, and tulips. It’s best to consult with a veterinarian on poisonous plants. Owners should be prepared to remove existing plants that are toxic and use extreme caution when installing new plantings.

Trash and Recycling

Dogs are naturally curious. They’ll delve into trash cans and recycling containers not understanding the potential for danger such as chocolate or chicken bones. Don’t store trash, recycling containers, antifreeze, cleaning supplies or any type of chemicals where pets can reach them. Antifreeze is deadly to pets.

Water and Shade

Hydration and a shady spot to rest are as important to dogs as it is to their human companions. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times and there should be enough shade plants that enable dogs to get out of direct sun at any time of the day as the sun moves across the sky. Dogs experience dehydration and heat sickness just as their human counterparts and can even die without appropriate shade.

People planning a pool in Florida often forget one of the most important items required by law – a pool fence. Florida law requires every pool owner to install a barrier at least 48 inches in height for any pool that’s 24 inches or more in depth. It can’t have any gaps, openings or other entrances that a curious or unattended child could climb over, crawl under, or push through.

The pool fence must be installed in such a way to ensure it surrounds and blocks off the entire pool and it can’t have any protrusions or indentations that a child could use as a handhold. Pool fence laws apply to in-ground pools and above-ground pools. There are a number of associated laws that govern night swimming, pools and decks and similar situations, many of which new pool owners aren’t aware of until they’ve already contracted for the pool to be installed.

When selecting a pool fence, there are multiple options from which to choose. Many people automatically think of chain link fence because it’s cost effective, can be installed quickly, and is the option of choice for location near lakes and waterways. It’s a good choice and also comes with a bottom cable to prevent unwanted wildlife and pets from entering.

SimTek is another choice that provides beauty, safety, and stylishness. It’s extremely durable and easy to maintain, is available in textures that mimic wood and stone, and provides exceptional sound absorption. It’s also eco-friendly. PVC fencing is another option that is long-lasting, resistant to hurricane winds, highly decorative, and has a lifetime warranty.

For a luxury look that combines elegance with functionality, aluminum fences are an aesthetically pleasing alternative to chain link that’s available in multiple colors and styles. It’s a great way to meet pool protection laws. The rails and gates can be customized for complete safety. Wood stockade fencing is also available.

A pool is a wonderful way to cool off and a focal point for entertaining. It’s also essential that pool owners be in compliance with laws for the safety of small children that don’t understand the danger.