The installation itself usually takes a few working days for a typical backyard. The wait before it starts is longer: the estimate, any permit, the Dig Safe notice and the contractor's schedule.
What happens, in order
- Free on-site estimate and written quote.
- Permit or historic approval if your address needs one.
- Dig Safe notice, at least 72 hours before digging, not counting weekends and holidays.
- Posts set. Concrete needs time to cure before panels are hung.
- Rails, panels and gates. Cleanup.
What slows a fence job down in Boston?
- Spring and early summer, when everyone wants a fence.
- Historic district review.
- Ledge, roots and old concrete footings.
- Frozen ground in the middle of winter.
- Special-order materials and custom gates.
We are getting a dog in three weeks and have no fence. What is fastest?
Call now, since the permit check and Dig Safe notice take up part of that time. In-stock materials such as chain link or standard wood panels go up fastest. If the full fence cannot be done in time, fencing one section of the yard first is a workable plan.
We are putting in a pool. Fence before or after?
Plan them together. Heavy equipment needs a way into the yard, so the section across the access path goes up after the pool is dug. The barrier has to be complete and inspected before the pool is signed off.
My association says fix the fallen panels by Monday and my contractor keeps delaying. Can a handyman patch it?
A temporary patch on your own fence is your call, and it usually satisfies a deadline. Read your contract first: tell the contractor in writing what you are doing and why, so there is no argument about who did what.
The fastest way to get a real number is a free on-site estimate. Call (617) 917-2681 or text us a photo of the fence line.