As we are quickly approaching the winter months, you may realize that there are landscaping and outdoor projects that you want to do. Perhaps you want to plant a tree or spruce up your garden. There are quite a few vegetables and fruits that thrive in the winter months, so maybe you want to plant those. Maybe you want to build a fence this winter for several reasons.
If you just adopted a dog, a fence would help provide a safe space for the dog to be able to run outside freely, without needing to be on a leash. If your kids are in elementary school, then a fence can give you peace of mind in terms of their safety. Perhaps you want to increase general safety for your home, so you want a protective fence surrounding your yard. It is also possible that you want to outline the borders of your land from your neighbors simply.
There are a multitude of reasons that one may want to install a fence in the winter months. Regardless of what your reason may be, your next question is probably, “can I even build a fence in the Winter?”
Is It Feasible?
The answer is a resounding, “yes!” On one condition: It cannot be too cold.
There are actually many benefits to installing a fence in the winter.
Less Plant Life Gets in the Way
First, there is less foliage to deal with in the winter. Autumn is a popular time to build a fence, but there is the extra step of navigating around. Especially if you are planning to build the fence yourself, then having to deal with the leaves on the ground can be annoying. For that reason, waiting until the early or late Winter months will allow you more space to build your fence.
Easy to Work with Contractors
A second major reason that it would be beneficial to build a fence in the winter is that it is easier to work with contractors. Once you order the material from us, you have to either build the fence yourself or hire contractors to build the fence. If you decide to hire contractors to build the fence in the winter, it is important to understand the flow of their schedule.
Most families use the Spring and Summer months to do their landscaping work, so that is often when contractors are the busiest. The Winter months offer a non-traditional time to do landscaping work. That means when the warmer Spring months come along, you can enjoy both the April showers & May flowers while all of your neighbors are calling around and installing their fences.
Lower Installation Costs
An extension of this last benefit is that the cost of contractors is lower in the Winter months. Consider the supply and demand curve: since the demand in the Winter is lower, there is increased availability of contractors, which subsequently drives the price down for labor. So, if you are looking to save money when having your fence built, then the Winter season is arguably the best time for you to do that
Hide a Non-ideal Landscape for Overhaul
Aesthetically, building a fence in the Winter means that you are protecting on-lookers from a less-than-stellar curb appeal landscaping. Most flowering plants do not flower in the Winter, so there is limited color and beauty in the Winter. Your evergreens are likely the only plants you can show off, so building a vinyl or aluminum fence can provide some privacy through the Winter. Because these plants are not flowering, you can also trim or move the plants while you install your fence. This will allow you to reorganize your landscaping, so the Spring will be a fresh, new look for you and your family. Furthermore, if you use flowering bushes or other plants to increase privacy during the Spring and Summer, then these plants likely die off in the Autumn. Building a fence in the Winter means you can get that privacy back!
Save Your Good Hours Outdoors
The last major benefit to installing a new fence in the Winter is that there is never a time that your time outside is interrupted. Especially in the Summer when the kids are home and it is peak summer party season, you don’t want to have to schedule your plans around having a fence built. If you preplan, then you can use the Winter months, when you are barely outside anyway, to build your fence. If you decide to build your fence yourself, then this could also be a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoor air with your family. Installing a fence takes energy, which will keep you warmer in the cool, Winter air.
The Downsides of Installing in Winter
While there are a lot of benefits to installing your fence in the Winter, it is also important that you keep some key points in mind to make sure this installation goes smoothly.
The Ground is Too Cold
The first major tip is to not install the fence when it is too cold outside. When it gets too cold outside, the ground becomes very hard, which makes it hard to dig. What is “too cold”? Well, just make sure the ground isn’t frozen! If you are planning to install the fence yourself, then you may need to purchase special equipment to dig in the frozen soil, such as a hydraulic hammer, rotary cutter, or hydraulic ripper. All three of these are designed to excavate, or dig, through frozen ground.
Unless there is an emergency, then peak winter months when it is frozen is not ideal for building a fence.
You Must Dig Deep
The second major point to consider when building your fence in the Winter is to dig a hole that is deep enough.
Soil is mostly made of water, and water is highly affected by cold temperatures. When it gets very cold outside, the water in the soil begins to freeze, which expands the soil. As your soil expands, it will lift your fence post, causing damage to the rest of your fence. This could mean breakage to the rails and posts of the fence. That means that you want to dig a hole for your fence posts that will adapt to the cold climate. For that reason, we recommend digging a 36”-deep hole that is bell-shaped to avoid the damage caused by the soil expansion and contraction cycle. The bell-shaped hole at the bottom will allow space for the soil to expand and contract, without affecting the rest of the fence.
Concrete Additives
One key point to be aware of when installing your fence in the Winter is that you will probably need to use concrete additives to keep your fence stable. The bell-shaped hole we mentioned previously will help with stability, but if you want a long-lasting fence, then pouring concrete at the bottom of the bell-shaped hole will mean that your fence will not move at all. Make sure you follow all of the instructions of the concrete to ensure minimal damage to your fence.
You Must Install in a Dry Environment
A fourth tip we have for you is to install your fence in a dry environment. It might initially seem easier to dig in wet ground, but the reality is that digging in wet ground creates more of a mess and creates clods. Soil clods are hard chunks of soil that are created for a number of reasons, one including excavating the soil when it’s wet. Wet soil is more easily compacted than dry soil, so it clumps together really well. If you want soil that is easy to manipulate, then dry soil is the best to deal with. Dry soil maintains the grainy texture we often associate with soil. Digging in wet soil also means that the posts are more likely to move in the soil, so the fence will be less sturdy. Lastly, wet soil means there is more water in the soil, which will increase the amount of expansion and contraction we mentioned earlier. We recommend that you wait a few days after any precipitation before attempting to dig in the soil, in order to ensure that the soil is completely dry, including the soil deeper underground.
Maintaining the Fence in the Winter
If you follow these four tips, then you will have a long-lasting fence that you can install in the Winter! Now that you have installed the fence, or if you have an existing fence, then make sure you know the proper way to maintain your fence in the Winter. Winter fence maintenance begins at pre-Winter prep work, such as ensuring that minor problems have been dealt with, examining the strength of your fence, and repaneling any rotting wood. Throughout the Autumn months, you will also want to rake leaves and twigs away from the base of your fence, as those trap heat and moisture that is bad for your fence. Trim any unruly hedges and shrubs whose growth can cause damage to the fence.
There is no blanket one size fits all for fences, so depending on the material your fence is made out of, there are a couple of differences you would need to be aware of. If you have a wood fence, make sure you properly seal, condition, and protect your wooden fence with the right products. Vinyl and aluminum fences are a lot more durable, long-lasting, and require less maintenance. Vinyl and aluminum fencing will also be able to withstand harsh winter conditions, compared to wood fences.
In summary, it is very possible, and very smart, to build your fence in the Winter! There is less Autumn foliage, it is easier to schedule contractors, labor is cheaper, and you won’t be as affected by the construction of the fence. In order to ensure a strong and durable fence, keep in mind our tips for installing a fence in the Winter: don’t dig when the soil is frozen, make sure you dig deep enough, use concrete if necessary, and make sure the soil isn’t wet.
