Stakes and string before the first phone call
A fence lives in your yard long after the bids are forgotten, so it can pay to see its outline there first. Buy a bundle of wooden stakes and a roll of bright string, and lay out the route you have in mind: every corner, every end, every place a gate might go. Leave it up for a few days. Mow around it, carry the trash bins past it, look at it from the kitchen window and from the street. A line that seemed right on paper may feel too close to the patio or too far from the property corner once you can walk beside it.
History note: the first Pony Express delivery
On April 3, 1860, the first official Pony Express delivery began at the route's eastern terminus in St. Joseph, Missouri, with a pouch of 49 letters, five telegrams and other papers; around midnight on April 14 it reached San Francisco.
St. Joseph's 2020 Census count
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts lists St. Joseph's population in the Census of April 1, 2020 as 72,473.
Reading the route you staked
With the string up, walk it slowly and jot down what it crosses or comes close to:
- Trees and shrubs. Roots near the surface can block a hole, and a trunk that keeps growing can press against a fence set tight beside it. Ask each company how close it would build to a tree and what it does when a root sits where a post belongs.
- Slope. Note where the ground rises or falls along the string. A fence on a grade can be built in stepped sections or follow the ground, and the two look different from the street.
- Low spots. Watch where rain runs across the yard after a shower. A solid face set across that path can hold water back, so ask how the design lets it pass.
- Things that need room. An air conditioner, a gas or electric meter, a hose faucet and a cellar window may each need clear space for service. Leave room around them, and ask the bidder what clearance it plans.
- Access for the crew. Picture how posts, panels and an auger will reach the back yard. A narrow side gap or a locked neighbor's gate can change how the work is done.
Photograph the staked route from each corner. Those pictures can travel to every company you call.
Height and face, chosen from inside the house
A fence is seen from inside the house as well as from the sidewalk. Stand at the windows you use most and ask what you want to see: the neighbor's yard, a screen of boards, or a glimpse of the street. A solid face can give privacy while cutting light and air near the ground; spaced pickets or an open metal design can keep the view. You might choose full height along one side and a lower, open style elsewhere. Write down the height and face you want for each stretch of string, and give the same notes to every bidder.
Corner markers and the people next door
String is only as good as the line it follows. Look in your closing papers for a plat or survey, then search the yard for the corner markers it describes. If you cannot find them, or they do not match an old fence or a hedge, a land surveyor can find and flag the corners. Once the line is clear, invite each neighbor to look at the stakes with you. Ask whether they mind which side of the fence faces them and whether they will need to reach their side for mowing.
Before the auger turns
Ask every company who calls for utility locates, when that call goes in, and whether the crew waits for the marks before it digs. A public locate may not show lines that belong to you, so list the ones you know about: a sprinkler zone, a buried cable to a garage light, a line feeding an outdoor kitchen. Tie a bit of colored ribbon to the string wherever one crosses, and point it out to the crew lead on the first morning.
The city, and any association
Ask the city's permit office whether a fence like yours calls for a permit, and what any review would look at. If a homeowners association covers your street, ask whether it wants to approve the design first. Then ask each company whether it prepares any application, and whether that work and any fee are in its price.
What to ask each company
Put the same short list to everyone who comes out to look at the string:
- "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?"
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Who will build the fence: your own crew, or a subcontractor?
- How will you handle a hole that meets rock, roots or old concrete?
Call your own insurer with any question about how your policy treats a crew working in the yard.
What a proposal should spell out
A useful written proposal names the route and its length, the height and face for each stretch, the material, the posts and how they are set, every gate with its width and hardware, any tear-out and hauling, cleanup, the warranty on materials and on labor, the payment steps and a start window. When one proposal skips a line, ask that company to add it before you weigh its total against the others.