Do-It-Yourself Fence Installation: Videos and Guidance

We have the best fence installation videos on the web, and they offer a fine alternative to professional installation. That’s A good thing, because having a barrier fence installed by a professional deer fence installer (if you can find one) is costly. Even mere fence installers (ones who install all kinds of fences) are expensive, and they may know less about deer fences than you do.

For those who confront this situation, our videos are key. They’re thorough, well-organized, and brief. They cover the whole ground. You can view them in about an hour. So find a local landscaper or handyman who’s willing to learn something new, and apply him to our videos. Chances are you’ll get an excellent result, as good as anything produced by most pros and far better than what’s typically done by a general fence installer trying to wing it.

Written instructions back up our videos. These step-by-step instructions, of which this little passage is the start, are more detailed than the videos and about 5,000 words long. But they’re also set up for easy browsing. So if you or your installer have some specific question, chances are this written fence installation text will provide the support you need.

Beyond, that, our office stands ready to provide expert advice about both products and installation (call us at 508-888-8305) during the hours we are open (Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 eastern time). If you call us at other times and leave a message, one of our seasoned advisers will get back to you.

Fence Installation Dress and Gear

It’s just common sense that people installing a barrier deer fence should come prepared for reasonably rough outside work. (One person can do the job, but two-person teams are best).

The list of fence installation gear needed is reasonably short–a string and some small stakes to mark the fence line; tin snips (preferably scissor-nosed) or wire cutters if one is installing metal fencing; a brush king, pruner, or other clearing equipment if brush or low branches must be cleared, and also for cutting a two-foot swath all the way to the ground; a hand-held post driver for driving metal posts (or else drive caps and a heavy hammer if one is installing posts with drive sleeves); a post-hole digger, spade, and mattock if holes are to be dug for cement footings; a fenceman’s hammer with a corrugated face that won’t bounce off u-nails (though a regular hammer will do); a digging bar to prepare the way for setting metal posts or post sleeves; and cement-related equipment if cement footings are being poured.

Clearing the Deer Fence Path

Start by laying out the fence line with a string and small stakes. The finished fence should have 6 feet of brush and vegetation cleared on either side of it (except for trees being used to support the fence). Obviously, if the fence must run through brush, bushes, or low trees, it pays to do this clearing before the fence is installed. Clear the brush with a brush king, pruner, or other equipment down to a height of a foot or so; and cut to the ground anything significant within a foot of the fence line, so that a mower can go over it. Then mow the ground within a foot on either side of the fence line, so that a two-foot swath is cleared all the way to the ground.