Vinyl Privacy Fence

Installing A Vinyl Privacy Fence

Vinyl privacy fence is the most popular PVC style.  It is available in heights ranging from three feet to six feet, and sometimes eight feet depending on the zoning and local codes.  Professionals can be hired to install the enclosure, or you can choose to tackle the project yourself.  The process should not be too intimidating and with the many how to videos availabl online, anyone with basic construction skills and a few tools will be more than equipped to handle the undertaking.  As with everything, however, the first time is always the toughest, The following steps will help the first time do-it-yourself install like a professional.

Before you begin to dig your first hole, make sure you call to locate the underground utilities.  Next, you'll need the following tools to install your vinyl privacy fence: circular saw, white rubber mallet, tape measure, string, stakes, post hole auger, fast setting concrete, a post level, marking paint and a sledge hammer.  Start by laying out the perimeter of your fence.  Use stakes to mark the corners of the intended fence runs. Then string a line.  Most fence sections are eight feet long from center of post to center of post.  Based on this, use the marking paint to mark the center of each post.  Remove the string and begin to dig each hole.  You can choose to use a post hole diggers, but this is a brutal way to install a fence.  Instead, spend a couple hundred dollars to rent a Toro Dingo and you'll appreciate the fact that you can dig 200 holes in one day.  Be sure to use a 10 inch bit to dig the holes and go 36" deep. 

Once the holes are dug, set a corner post by pouring 80 lbs of fast drying cement around the outside. Insert the lower rail into the post, and then set the next one.  Continue this pattern until all the poles are set with only the lower rail inserted.  Next place the pickets in the lower rail and then cap it off with the top rail.  The height of the fence can be easily adjusted with a sledge hammer by tapping on each post to achieve a uniform height.  Place the caps on the posts and your vinyl privacy fence will be finished. 

If you have never installed a vinyl privacy fence before, it may take a few sections before it starts to go smoothly.  The soil type can greatly affect the speed at which the fence is installed.  It is not uncommon to get 12 inches below the ground surface and hit a large stone or debris such as bricks and old building materials.