Think that you can save money by installing your new fence on your own? If you've never installed a fence before, you're likely to make some mistakes along the way and wish you hired a professional. Here are some problems you may run into with a DIY fence installation.

1: Not Having Utility Lines Marked

You likely never put much thought into all the utility lines that are running to your home. They all have to come from somewhere, and there is no way to know where they exist without having them marked by your city. Unfortunately, many people don't go through the proper steps to have utility lines marked. They may simply be trying to avoid the need to pull a permit for the job or don't know any better.

The consequences of not having utility lines marked could result in fines from your city, but also result in serious injury or death. You don't know where an underground electric line could be buried, which can cause a huge problem when digging those deep fence post holes. 

2: Not Digging Deep Enough Fence Post Holes

Fence posts need to be buried deep enough to be underneath the frost line. If the posts are not deep enough, the post will run into a problem known as frost heave. This is when the water in the ground freezes and actually pushes the soil upward. If the post is not buried beneath the frost line, the fence post ends up traveling upwards as well and can ruin the construction of your fence. 

3: Using Premade Fence Panels

You may think that putting up a fence is easy because you need to secure each panel into the ground during the installation process. These premade fence panels are actually not great for yard that have sloping elevation. The fence panels will have a step to them as they travel down, which is a visually unappealing way to build a fence. Having a fence installed by a professional will ensure each board is cut individually. It can help make slopes more gradual, or use the custom board lengths to make the fence completely level along the top.

4: Not Sealing the Wood

If you are putting all the work into building a fence, you should take the extra step of sealing the wood so it looks good for the foreseeable future. If not, you'll end up with a fence that doesn't last as long as it could, and starts to deteriorate sooner rather than later. 

Don't feel like you could handle building a fence on your own? Reach out to a local fence company for additional assistance.