In the past we have listed some helpful tips and tricks:

• The Ultimate Backyard Fencing Guide
• How to plan for a fence installation – THE CORRECT WAY
• How to Prepare Your Yard for Fence Installation

However we never went over what could go wrong! Today we shall change that fact! Below we list 6 common but costly fencing mistakes!

1. Wrong Kind of Fence for your Home

This is the big one. Choosing the wrong kind of fence is one of the worst fencing mistakes you can make. If your garden fence doesn’t keep large pests out. It is useless. If your dog can escape his fence. It is useless. There are a lot of choices so how do you choose the right one? We dedicated a complete post on this issue: Choose the Right Fence for Your Home. You also might find How to Choose the CORRECT Paint or Stain for your Fence helpful!

2. Unsecured Anchor/Corner Posts

Corner posts are very important to the integrity of a fence. They bear a lot of the pressure, especially when constructing the fence. If you don’t secure them to the ground and support them with braces or other anchors you will slowly see you fence start to cave in. Or your posts might even snap under pressure. And no one wants that. Make sure your corner posts and your gate posts are deeply secured in the ground and properly braced.

3. Underground Utilities

The other day the city was putting up new guard rails on our road. Sometime that morning our internet went out. Then later that day we went out to do some errands and came to the work crew digging every single guard rail post by hand. And lots of new flags dotting the area showing where cable lines were running under the ground. Those guys looked thrilled to be using a manual post hole digger instead of their fancy post drilling machine. So make some calls before you plan your fence. Make sure you won’t be cutting off your neighborhood’s utilities. Make sure you know where your own septic system is. Because that is one fencing mistake you just don’t want to deal with.

4. Wrong Location

So let’s say you’ve spent all your free time fencing in whatever it is you are fencing. You’ve dug in posts. You’ve stretched wire. You’ve cemented in your gate posts and hung the gates. You are super proud of all your hard work. Then you start using the area that is now fenced in and you realized just how inconvenient your gates are. Maybe they are smack dab in the exact area where water and mud gather after storms. Maybe you want to walk you tiller from your shed to the newly fenced in garden and you have to go WAY around to get there. Maybe you didn’t quite plan all scenarios and you now you can’t fit a tractor in through the gate to deliver hay or bush hog or whatever. Before you start any fencing project make sure you have thought out exactly where you need your gates, what they will be used for, and if everything will work as they are supposed to. Because once those gate posts are secured and the fencing stretched…you really don’t want to move your gate. It’s not impossible to do, but it’ll cost you a lot of time and money and cause a headache or two.

5. Incorrectly Spaced Posts

Now let’s say you are crunching numbers for your new fence, and you figure you will save a few bucks by spacing the posts just a little farther then they ought to be spaced. This might work okay for a non-working fence. But let me tell you, if you’ve got an animal inside that pasture, they will be sure to find those weak points in the fence. You don’t want to spend your free time fixing a fence you just put up because the goat knocked it down again. And you don’t want to spend the money to insert new posts to help strengthen the wire. So if your fence needs posts every 8 feet, then put them every 8 feet.

6. Property Lines?

Didi you know that in some places, if a fence is placed on a property line incorrectly and no one contests it, after awhile (years)  that fence becomes the new property line? So if you don’t pay attention you could mistakenly give part of your land away to your neighbor. On the flip side, do you want to take your fence down and move it over a few feet when you neighbor complains that you just fenced in part of his yard? Or even worse, you could get a fine for accidentally fencing in public or government owned property. If you are at all unsure as to where your property line is, then call a surveyor. It’ll cost less in the long run.

So there you have it, 6 Fencing Mistakes That Cost You Time and Money. Whether you are planning a fencing project in the future or mid-job, hopefully you can skip making these mistakes and have a strong, well-made fence that will last a life time!

The post Common Costly Fencing Mistakes first appeared on Capital Deck and Fence.

Outdoor projects are relatively simple and straightforward, and most of them can be tackled all on your own. Sure, adding a new fence or a new deck will almost always require you to hire the right professionals to make sure that you get the results you are after – but those are wise investments that always pay big dividends.

Add smart landscaping to the mix

There’s just something about having the greenest grass in the neighbourhood that gives you the pride of homeownership that a lot of people are after these days.

If you want your grass to be as lush and green as possible, you’ll want to make sure that you are feeding your grass on a regular basis, that it’s getting the right amount of water, and that you are supporting your grass with the highest quality landscaping efforts.

Add flowers, vegetable gardens, shrubs, and other landscaping elements to create that really special outdoor space you deserve. The warm season is relatively short in Ottawa, so you want to make the best of it before the cold days return.

Upgrade you fence for style and privacy

Of course, if you really want to go the whole nine yards with your outdoor space you’ll want to think about upgrading your fence and making sure that it adds a considerable amount of style to your outdoor spaces but that it also adds an extra element of safety and privacy.

There are all kinds of different fence options available to pick and choose from today. You’ll be able to find different fence materials, different looks, and different price points across the board – giving you the opportunity to create a fence that is perfectly suited to your needs and your budget. The right fence selection will enhance the look of your yard and add an extra touch to your landscape design efforts.

It’s tough to beat the impact of a new deck

At the end of the day, it’s tough to imagine any outdoor project impacting the look and feel (not to mention usability) of your outdoor space more than a brand-new deck.

If you want to entertain, if you want to transform your space, and if you want to add a lot of extra value to your property, nothing can beat a brand new custom PVC or composite deck.

Capital Deck and Fence is a locally operated Ottawa business that specializes in designing, building and delivering custom decks and fences. Contact us today at 613-413-7572 or directly on our website.

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Wood Decks

Wood is strong, natural, and feels the best to touch. But it requires the most maintenance over any other deck material. Annual cleanings are a must and wood decks must be treated and re-sealed every two to three years. That still won’t prevent a wood deck from breaking down from rotting, warping, and splintering, though, which are pretty common in older decks. If your deck is really showing signs of wear you can apply a colored protectant which should add a few more years to the life of your deck.

There are three main types of wood you can use:

• Pressure Treated wood decks are the least expensive, but install with care, since the chemicals they are treated with is toxic and corrosive. They can be painted and stained an unlimited amount of colors. These decks can last 15-20 years.
• Redwood and Cedar are the most popular natural wood decking choices for they’re overall beauty and resistance to bugs and rot. They are soft woods that can be easily damaged, but they can last 20 years with proper maintenance.
• IPE hardwood decking is a dense dark wood sourced from South America that is very resistant to wear, rot, splintering, bugs, and even fire. It’s the most expensive wood deck option, but will last 25 years or more.

If you don’t mind the maintenance that comes with wood decks, then you’ll save money on the front end. But remember, you’ll need to spend a bit every couple of years to wash, stain, and scrub the deck to keep it in good condition too.

For DIYers, wood decks are the best option as there are many plans and books available to help guide you through the process. A wood deck can also be built using standard tools and hardware, unlike some composite or PVC decks which can require special clips or fasteners.

With all wood options, buy woods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which indicates that sustainable practices have been used to harvest the wood.

Composite Decks

Composite decks are made from a blend of plastic and waste wood fibers, which make it resistant to rot and wear. These decks most resemble wood. You buy the color you want and there is no need to paint or stain them. Overall composites are more expensive than wood, but the only maintenance they need is an occasional gentle scrubbing using deck cleaner and pressure washing to prevent mildew.

These decks are installed using clips, deck screws, or hidden fasteners for a seamless look.

Trex and TimberTech are industry leaders in composite decking, and between them you should just aim to find a color and style you like.

PVC Decks

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) decking is 100% recyclable and won’t rot, stain, or fade. Plastic decks are less expensive than composite decks and have closed the gap in appearance and touch to composite decks. From a distance a PVC deck may look like wood but when you stand on it there is no mistaking it’s plastic.

Fiberon Paramount PVC decking is available in a variety of colors and most mimics natural wood. AZEK is another major PVC decking manufacturer that offers limited lifetime warranties on their decks.

The post Best Material for your Deck first appeared on Capital Deck and Fence.

PVC (Vinyl) And Composite Decks

Whatever deck design you have in mind, the specialists at Capital Deck and Fence can provide you with design, supply and installation of complete deck solutions for your property. Our designers are experts in a variety of products and systems including:

• PVC (Vinyl) decks, including water-proof decking that provides dry storage below deck
• environmentally friendly composite decking
• deck features such as pergolas and arbours
• deck lighting and accessories
• railings and steps
• pool decks

Your Full-Service Contractor

We can provide you with complete end to end services including conceptualization, design and plans.

Some of our works:

Homeland’s PVC Gorilla Deck with Railings and Dry Storage under

PVC Azek Deck with Privacy Screen

Homeland’s PVC Gorilla Deck G3 with PVC Railings

The post Vinyl Decks first appeared on Capital Deck and Fence.

Decks

Our custom decks can bring a gorgeous look and lot of functionality to your backyard. You can expect a knowledgeable consultant to meet with you and discuss your options. Whether you have an idea in mind or plan to rely on us for suggestions, we’ll provide the expertise, insight, and finishing to make your vision become a reality.

Customized deck is our specialty. We can build for you:

PVC and Composite Deck

Wood Deck

Capital Deck and Fence offers:

• Free consultations – There are many pieces towards building your perfect deck including budget, type of material, layout etc. Our consultants can offer professional suggestions and work with you to design a deck that meets your needs and provide stunning look to your yard.
• Quality Product – Once you’ve landed on a design idea it’s important to know that you’ll be getting material that is going to look great in the long run. Capital Deck and Fence uses select vendors who all have a reputation of delivering the highest quality lumber and fasteners.
• Professional Installers – Our installers are not only trained to install your deck properly, but are trained in customer service as well. They are always happy to answer any questions you have and explain any construction detail that you may be curious about so that you’ll have the peace of mind that you won’t have any headaches down the road. Our contractors respect your property and they make sure that everything is neat and clean when the project is completed.
• Product variety – Some companies may specialize in one particular type of deck. Capital Deck and Fence specializes in knowing what type of deck is right for you based on your preference, budget, and engineering. Whether its cedar, redwood, pressure treated pine, composite, or other, each product has its pros and cons. We’ll share our knowledge in each product so that you can decide which fits your needs the most.

Please take these items into consideration when deciding who to select to build your deck. There are many ways to cut costs and corners but we’ll have none of that. Knowing that you’re getting a great looking deck with quality material and professional installers is worth it!

The post Decks first appeared on Capital Deck and Fence.