Three conversations before the first post
A new fence touches more people than the one paying for it. Before one goes up around a Kingsport yard, three conversations are worth having: one with yourself about what the fence is for, one with the households next door, and one with each company that bids. Tennessee's contractor license rule belongs in the third.
The first conversation: what you want the fence to do
Sit down with a sketch of the yard and answer a few questions in writing.
Who or what should stay inside, and who or what should stay out? A toddler, a small dog that slips through gaps and a large one that jumps can each point toward a different height and spacing. What do you want to stop seeing from the patio or the kitchen window, and what do you still want to see? How will you get through the fence with a mower, a wheelbarrow, the recycling bin or a car? How much upkeep are you willing to take on in the years ahead?
The answers become a short brief. Give the same brief to every company, so that each design responds to the same request and the bids can be read side by side.
The second conversation: the households next door
A fence on or near a property line is something your neighbors will look at too. Before the crew comes, pull out your deed, plat or any survey you have, and look for the corner markers it shows. When the markers cannot be found, or the paper and the yard seem to tell different stories, a land surveyor can mark the corners.
Then talk with the people on each side. Show them the sketch. Some may ask which face of the fence will look toward them, how they would reach their side for upkeep, or whether a gate will swing near their drive. If a neighbor offers to share the cost of a fence on the common line, write down who pays what and who owns the finished fence, and have both households sign it.
The third conversation: each company that bids
Tennessee's contractor license rule
In Tennessee, a state contractor's license is required for a construction project totaling $25,000 or more, including materials, labor and profit, and the license must be in place before a price is bid or offered.
Ask each company: "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?" Write the answer, and the name of the person who gave it, on that company's bid.
Proof of coverage
Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation before work starts. If you are unsure how your homeowner's policy treats a crew working in your yard, call your insurer and ask.
Lines under the lawn
Ask the company whether it arranges for underground utilities to be marked before the auger starts, and whom you should call if no marks are on the ground on the first morning. Then ask what those marks leave out. Pipes and wires you or a past owner added, such as a sprinkler line, a cable to a garden light or a feed to a hot tub, may go unmarked. Walk the route with the crew lead and flag each one you know about.
Posts and how they are set
Much of each post ends up underground, out of sight. Ask what they are made of and what size they are, whether wood posts are rated for burial, how deep each hole goes and what fills it, and whether posts at corners, ends and gates are a heavier size than the line posts. Ask how far apart the line posts will stand and how many rails each section gets.
Gates
Name every opening you want and what passes through it. For each one, ask the width, the hinges, the latch and whether it can be locked, which way it swings, and how the frame is kept from sagging. If a gate needs to close on its own, say so, and ask what hardware does that job.
The material
Ask each bidder to explain, for the material it priced, what you will be doing to it later. Wood can be stained or painted, and single boards can be swapped. Vinyl is often colored through; ask what its warranty excludes. For aluminum and steel, ask what finish is applied and how scratches are touched up. Chain link can be bare or coated, and slats can be added for screening. Ask for each answer in writing.
A note on Kingsport's drinking water
Kingsport treats water from the South Fork Holston River, drawing it about a mile below the Patrick Henry Dam, at a conventional filtration plant (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration) that went into service in 1929.
What the written contract should carry
Once you have settled on a company, read the contract against everything the three conversations produced. It should name:
- the route, drawn with its length, corners and every gate;
- the height, the material and the style of the face;
- the post details and the gate hardware described above;
- who arranges the utility marks, and when;
- removal of any old fence, cleanup and where the dirt from the holes goes;
- the answers on the license question and on coverage;
- separate warranty terms for materials and for labor;
- the deposit, later payments and a start window.
If something agreed in conversation is missing from the paper, ask for it to be written in before you sign.