For many thousands of years, fences and walls have served to keep various borders enforced, from the famed Wall of China to the humblest picket fence or even a barbed wire fence on a ranch. For homeowners and business owners, there are all sorts of fencing that they may choose from, and fence installation may involve entrance gates (motorized or not), wooden planks, or more. Different types of business fencing or fencing for your home exists based on preference or need, and entrance gates and other gateways ensure that no authorized people or vehicles are blocked from the property. What is there to know about the fencing industry today, and getting entrance gates put in?
Fencing Today
This is a robust industry, and in fact it is seeing some growth since the American housing market is calling for more fencing than ever. In particular, the American fencing market grew 6.2% annually from 2012 to 2017, and as of 2016, it was valued at $7 billion overall. Experts predict that this market may hit a value of $11.5 billion by the year 2024, showing just how important and desirable fences are. A homeowner may choose to get their own fencing installed and hire local fencing contractors, but they should consult residential guidelines for this. Different jurisdictions may call for residential fencing to be set two, four, six, or even eight inches away from the property line. An interested homeowner may check on this, then decide where exactly to put the fencing and look for local crews who can install it. A person may get references from their local hardware store, and they may even ask a neighbor who has good fencing in place. That, or the homeowner may look online and use their town/city or even their ZIP code to find something in their area. Local fence crews may be found this way, and any good contractor team will also have their own website complete with photos, videos, and articles to showcase their work.
Types of Fences
A homeowner may choose from several broad categories of fences, based on their budget, aesthetic desires, and the level of security that they need. One common model of fence is chain link, which may prove quite affordable. What is more, such fencing doesn’t block the homeowner’s view of their neighborhood, which may be a factor in more upscale and attractive areas. Such fences are ideal for keeping pets in a lawn or stray animals away. The downsides to chain link fencing include the fact that strangers can see right through it in return, and security is minimal. Such fences are easy for people to climb on either side, and even wire cutters may be used on them. If a homeowner fears spying or home intrusions, they’ll want a different sort of fence.
Wooden fences are popular, and they are made of many planks held in shape with fence posts and horizontal beams to keep everything together. In some ways, they are the inverse of chain link fences. They totally block a person’s view from either side, and homeowners with valuable items in their yard may certainly want this level of security. Such fences can easily have entrance gates installed, complete with locks, so that only authorized people may pass through them. However, these fences must be oriented correctly, and the side with the support bars must face inwards. These bars make for fine handholds and footholds, so if they face outwards instead, an intruder may use them to access the property. This is something to be avoided.
Finally, a homeowner may choose to have a brick or stone fence installed, which is in fact more like a thin wall. Such a fence may be desirable for commercial buildings with a lot of valuable items inside, or for buildings in areas with high crime rates. Such fences are very difficult to scale or break through, although some residential areas may forbid their installation. Wherever they are found, these fences may have wide metal entrance gates on them for vehicles, and motors allow these gates to swing open and closed. Sensors will be in place to tell the motor when it should open the gate to admit a vehicle. Many larger estates may have such an arrangement.