Residential Wood Fence Pleasanton – Knowing When It Is Better to Repair or Replace Your Wood Fence

When you have a residential wood fence around your Pleasanton yard, you have an area that is more safe and private and that increases the value of your property. It can also be beautiful, even while being functional. However, wood is organic, and it will not last forever, much as we might like it to. Wood fences will eventually rot, warp, or even fall apart. When this begins, repairs should be made, and sometimes this will mean replacing all or part of the fence.

Broken fences are no longer as secure and private, and they do not look good. If you ignore small bits of deterioration in the fence, larger areas can develop until the whole fence may come down. If you have enough time and the right tools and knowledge, you can repair or replace the fence yourself. Even if you have the skills, you may want to hire a professional because it will ensure the job will be done in a way that will last the longest possible. The right fence contractor in Pleasanton can also provide you with instructions on how to care for your wood fence to keep it looking good and maintaining privacy for years to come.

When you examine your residential wood fence for damage, things to look for are splinters, warped areas, and changed colors. If you can catch them at this stage, repair should be relatively simple and involve no more than changing out planks or panels (depending on your fence’s original construction). When the climate where you live is more humid, decay is more likely to occur – and to spread quickly. If you make sure your wood fence is properly sealed, decay will be much slower and repairs and replacements should happen much less often.

You should note that replacement planks or panels will not exactly match the fence once it has been there for some time, as the wood weathers and changes over time. Replacements will stand out, so catching potential damage before it gets bad can allow you to repair without replacing, helping to keep the overall uniformity of your residential wood fence.

If your fence begins to lean, you may need to reseat or replace the supporting posts. This is another area where catching it early is to your advantage. If you catch the fence just as it begins to lean it will allow you to adjust and support the posts when they are just slightly tilted, rather than having to dig up and replace entire supports once they are nearly fallen over. Fallen supports can also cause damage to the fence planks or panels as well, causing warping or breakage.

If you need help with repairing or replacing your residential wood fence in Pleasanton, feel free to call us at 925-743-8583 for an estimate.

Iron Fence Danville – Should You Paint an Wrought Iron Fence?

Installing an iron fence to your Danville property will add value to the property, giving it a stately look and feel. Many home and business owners choose wrought iron because it is durable. It can also come in many different sizes and shapes. The right iron fence company will be able to custom design a fence to suit your desires.

Wrought iron has been used since sometime in the middle ages. It has been used to build bridges, ships, trains, and, of course, fences. Wrought with skill by blacksmiths for many hundreds of years, iron was beaten into shapes with heat and force. The designs available in wrought iron fencing make it a very popular choice among homeowners. You can get simple designs, or with the right wrought iron artist, something that is more unique.

While a nice wrought iron fence looks elegant when it is new and fresh, wrought iron is particularly susceptible to rusting, if it is not properly treated. An old fence that is rusting should not be left alone; it will continue to damage the fencing and rust could eat through it. However, it is actually not that difficult to maintain wrought iron fencing. Once the fence has been sanded and painted, regular polishing with a high quality wax, such as car wax, will help to keep the paint in place, keep rust out, and keep the fence looking like the elegant, high quality item that it is. Wrought iron fences can very possibly last longer than the property’s owners, if cared for properly.

The proper way to repaint an iron fence is to scrape any loose paint from it, using a wire brush and coarse sandpaper. Once the fence is clear of loose paint and dirt, a good primer that is made to prevent rust is a good idea. Let the primer dry completely, which may take a few hours, since a good rust-prevention paint is usually going to be oil-based. When it is completely dry, add a coat of a rust-retardant top coat. Again, it is likely to be oil-based, so the whole project will take some time, but using a good quality rust-retardant primer and paint will help the paint job to last longer before it will need to be redone.

The right fence contractor in Danville will be able to explain how best to maintain an iron fence they install. They will explain how to keep the fence from rusting and give direction on what to do if the fence needs to be repainted or touched up.

If you would rather not put the time and energy into doing the job yourself, you can reach out to any painting company to do the work for you. As you can tell, proper maintenance is the key to keeping your iron fence looking great. It isn’t difficult to do. If you have been considering installing an iron fence at your Danville home, call us at 925-743-8583 to get an estimate.

Fence Contractor Bay Area – Should You Check Fence Contractor’s References?

A homeowner looking for a fence contractor in the Bay Area may have a large variety of contractors from which to choose. This means they will need to have a way to find out which one will best suit their needs. One way to make sure that the fence contractor in which you are interested is reputable and does high quality work is to check their references. Of course, it goes without saying, when you search through telephone books or on the internet to find a list of fence contractors in the Bay Area that you notice if they have a license number included in their ad or website. Then, be sure to verify that they have a contractor’s license and that it is valid.

The thing about getting a list of references from the company is that, naturally, they will give you their best customers. They expect these people will be sure to give you a glowing recommendation for their company. However, there are questions you can ask that will help you to get a more complete picture of the company and its usual practices.

When you ask a contractor for references, write down the ones they supply. Once you have that list, ask for a list of their five most recent completed project owners. It will also be helpful to ask for two or three of their suppliers.

When you talk to their references and previous clients, ask them specific questions, such as the following:

• How long ago did the company complete your project?
• Were you satisfied with the company’s work?
• Did you have the company come out to the location and give you an estimate before hiring them?
• Did the finished price exceed the quote given (or your budget, if no quote was given)? If so, by how much?
• Did the project take longer than you expected? If so, by how much?
• Were the company’s workers professional, courteous, and punctual?
• Did you have good communication with the company and its crew?
• Was there any property damage? If so, how was it resolved?
• Did they clean up after themselves?
• Did the company offer a warranty? If so, was it in writing? Did you have to use it?
• Would you hire the company again? If not, why not?

When you speak to suppliers, find out how long they have been doing business with the company. Ask if the company pays on time, and if they were late with a payment, how was it resolved? Find out if they would hire them to do work on the supplier’s property. If a supplier would not hire a contractor, it might merit a closer examination, or a switch to a different contractor.

If you can get the information of a current client of the company, where there is work in progress, you can find out more about the company’s work ethic by visiting the location (if the client allows). You can see the quality of the work and how they clean up after themselves. If you can make an appointment with the client to come again after the work is finished, you can see the finished work and whether anything is left behind or undone.

When you need a fence contractor in the Bay Area, it is definitely wise to take the time to check their references before choosing which one to hire. Doing so could save you both time and money in the long run.

Fence Companies Walnut Creek – Do You Want a Fence Company that Specializes in One Type of Fence?

When you are examining fence companies in Walnut Creek in an attempt to find the company to install your fence, there are some things you will want to know about the company. You will want to know if they are licensed, if they have experience, what kind of warranty they offer, and whether or not they specialize in one type of fence or generally work on fences of all types.

The advantage to choosing a company that specializes in only one type of fence would be perhaps more extensive knowledge and experience. This fence company in Walnut Creek may also have a larger collection of the proper equipment to install and maintain that type of fence. Of course, if the type of fence you are planning is more general in nature, a specialist fence company may not be necessary.

The disadvantage to choosing a specializing company would come in if you decide to change what kind of fence you want, or if you want more than one type of fence (chain link for the front yard, but privacy fence for the back, for instance). If the company specializes, you would need to choose two companies for two different fence types, rather than having the entire job done by one company.

Choosing a fence contractor that works on a variety of fence types has few, if any, disadvantages. While they may have less individualized equipment, the equipment they do have is likely to be usable on all types of fences, while still having the special equipment that may be required for certain kinds of fences. Since they are more versatile, they are likely to have a large amount of experience on the whole range of fence types, which gives them the advantage of being able to help you determine what the best kind of fence is for your yard and requirements – whether you want it for protection, decoration, or privacy.

Remember, no matter if you choose a specialist fence company or one that is experienced with many fence types, you want to ensure they have the proper licenses and insurance. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau or online sources where people leave reviews like Yelp or Angie’s List. You will also want to get all contracts and warranties in writing to protect both you and your property.

We would be glad to come out and take a look at your property. Whatever your fencing needs, choosing a fence company for your Walnut Creek property will be one of your important decisions as a homeowner. Call us today at 935-743-8583 to set up an appointment for an estimate.

Chain Link Fence Bay Area – Is It Safe to Use a Weed Eater Around Chain Link Fences?

When a chain link fence surrounds your Bay Area property, one thing that will come up more often than you might like is the issue of clearing out grass and weeds that grow up around the bottom of the fence. The mower can only get so close, and it is tedious to try to pull up grass by hand. The first thing that usually comes to mind for clearing the area is a weed eater.

That brings up the question: is it safe to use a weed eater around a chain link fence?

First, let us look at the safety of the fence. If you have a vinyl-coated chain link fence, then using a weed eater close to it will cause chips in the vinyl. Eventually, the uncoated areas will begin to rust, causing damage to the fence that will extend under the vinyl coating, thus making it useless. If your fence is already not vinyl-coated, there will be less damage, but any chain-link can be damaged with repeated use of a weed eater.

The safety of the weed eater is another consideration. Most weed eaters use a plastic string to cut the weeds. Many homeowners have found that getting close to a chain link fence will cause the string to break, resulting in excessive use of string for a less than satisfactory grass-cutting job. Even the plastic blade type of weed eater is not entirely safe from the ravages of hitting a chain link fence repeatedly at high speeds, though it may last a bit longer before breaking.

In the case of a blade-type weed eater, the safety of the user can also be in question, as the breaking blade could fly into the wielder of the tool.

How, then, is a homeowner to keep overgrown grass around the fence from marring the look of the otherwise manicured yard? Some possible ways to achieve a pleasant result include:

• Make use of herbicide. Whether you prefer something natural like vinegar or something commercial like Round-Up, a thin line of it sprayed beneath the fence on a still day (to prevent spreading to areas where you want grass) will help to keep the grass out of the fence.
• Mulch. Creating an area several inches on either side of the fence filled with mulch will slow or stop growth in the area. Adding an herbicide in the mulch will double the effect.
• Pave or brick. This is more expensive, but can make a very attractive fence line. Enough of a paved area inside the fence can also be a nice little sidewalk area.

While it may be possible to clear the grass from your chain link fence in the Bay Area with a weed eater, it is usually better to choose another way.