Multiple times each and every day, I drive past several fences that I have had the opportunity to watch go from brand new to expensive wrecks over a period of 4 years or so. If my crystal ball told me I would be writing this article today, I would have documented exactly when each one was built so I could be more precise with their age. I'm confident that 4 years or less on each fence highlighted below, is accurate.
Replacement fences cost thousands of dollars these days. You must buy quality in order to get any return on your hard earned money. The fence you purchase MUST be trouble free and last as long as possible to receive the maximum VALUE on your dollars spent.
Ask yourself this...
Would you buy a new computer that was guaranteed to be virus infected within a year??
Would you buy a new car that was very likely to be in the repair shop at least once a month?
Would you buy a no-name $500 big screen TV with a big red warning label on the box indicating it may not function beyond a year or so?
OR would you move down the isle and pick up the brand name, $700 TV that has proven to be trustworthy and problem free for 10 years or more?
For me, I'm NOT going to risk $500 to save $200.
I'm going to spend $200 more...
to insure my $500 is not wasted.
The difference between the cost of the fences below and a quality fence that will last AND be problem free is easily less than $500 in most cases. Fences built wrong OR built with cheap materials cannot withstand our weather and will fail sooner than a quality built fence. This is a fact.
First things first... I am not picking on the fences illustrated below. I feel bad that these families spent a lot of money on these fences thinking they were done and their fence problems were behind them. These are CLASSIC examples of D.I.Y. weekend warriors or super cheap contractors / handyman jobs that turned out to be a waste of time and money. Now they are stuck with an eyesore that's going to have to be torn down and built again. Whatever they thought they were saving by doing it themselves or going cheap... didn't save them a dime.
Here are some classic examples of fence failures:
(Click on any image to super-size & clarify)
cache/wst.opf.2386070.xml
The replacement fence above was built new and completely wrong. I'm sure this family thought they were getting a "great deal". I passed each day and watched it go up.
Shaking my head as I drive by and thinking,
"that's not going to
work... they are going to be sorry"...
"oh well... I cant save everyone".
This fence lasted for about one year. The heat of the second summer tore
it to pieces. I thought this family would wise up and call in a pro, but I was wrong.
They paid someone to dismantle the fence, pull the nails and re-assemble
the fence USING THE SAME MATERIALS!!! Some of the worst boards were
replaced. The fence stiil looked bad, but it was all back together.
After another brutal Texas summer, this is what the fence looks like
today... after two complete rebuilds.
Fence count for this family is going on #4
These people have not saved a dime....
NEXT FENCE...
cache/wst.opf.2386384.xml
These fences are built with pressure treated pine pickets. They sound awesome and are cheap at HD or Lowes. These make terrible fences when not built a VERY SPECIFIC WAY. Warping, twisting and cracking is almost guaranteed. Improperly built fences will self destruct and fall apart as these examples show. Once again, these family's thought they were buying a pressure-treated, LONG lasting fence and their worries are over.
Fence count for this family is going on #3.
These people have not saved a dime...
NEXT FENCE
cache/wst.opf.2386396.xml
Last but not least... this is a BIG ONE!
I believe this was built by the homeowner. This poor guy worked his butt off for many MONTHS on this fence! He built a faux stone, concrete wall and zig zagged the fence for character. I felt compelled to pull over many many times and warn him of his mistakes. I figure he thought he knew what his was doing in order to embark on such a large project alone. He probably wouldn't like some guy pulling over to make suggestions. Anyway... After all his hard work and best efforts, the fence started falling apart after the first summer. What a shame. He has spent a lot of money and especially TIME on this fence. He recently tore down the street side and front and replaced it with PRESSURE TREATED PICKETS!! By the end of the summer of 2012 the new sections of fence will be warped and disfigured as before as they were not built correctly again.
Fence count for this family is going on #4.
These people could have bought 2 Hancock Fence's with what they have spent here.
IN CLOSING....
Once again, I AM NOT PICKING ON THESE PEOPLE!
I am deeply sorry that they did not do their homework (as you are doing now) and make smart fence choices. These are good examples of money pits that could have been easily avoided.
My purpose here is to get YOUR attention and help you not make these same mistakes. No one wants to waste money. There is much more involved in building a fence that can survive our crazy weather, our moving clay soil, and the heavy wind gusts that we regularly experience.
Just as I would not be very good at doing your job, chances are... you are not very good at doing my job. We all specialize in what we do. We do it every day, that's what makes us better at our jobs than other people. There is no substitute for many, many years of experience.
PLEASE contact us for free advice anytime.
We are local and willing to help.
