Can Fence Be Installed in Winter?
Many people ask fence professionals can fence be installed in winter. It’s one of the more common questions in the industry.
Like most things in the fence business, the answer to the question can fence be installed in winter is that it depends. Here’s what might determine whether you can get a fence in the winter.
Where You Live
If you live in the northern hemisphere, there’s a good chance that winter means snow. Snow complicates fence installation, but it’s not always impossible (we’ll get to that in a moment.)
In the southern hemisphere, however, and even in the southern United States and similar latitudes, winter rarely means freezing conditions. So, there’s a good chance the worst you can expect is some rain.
Heavy rain can make installing fences difficult or impossible, but if there are enough dry days in between, you can definitely install a fence in a southern hemisphere winter. In fact, because the ground tends to be softer in winter (and the weather cooler) it might be a little easier than installing fences in the height of summer!
How the Fence Is Installed
The next factor in the answer to the question can fence be installed in winter is how you are installing your fence.
If your fence is going to be in concrete, it’s not recommended to install posts when the temperature goes below freezing. Freezing causes ice crystals in concrete and prevents the chemical process that lets concrete harden properly. So even if your contractor orders the right strength of concrete, it might not get to that strength once it’s poured.
One way some contractors in the northern hemisphere gets around this is to start installing posts on many jobs before it starts snowing for the winter. This lets them finish the project later, and ensures the concrete is okay.
Other options include pounding posts, or, if your fence is being installed on existing concrete, they can be baseplated in winter as long as the snow is not too heavy.
Where Your Fence Is
If your fence is in an easily accessible urban area, and all the other issues here have been addressed, there’s a good chance your fence contractor can still install it in the winter.
However, if your fence line is located in the middle of nowhere, where snow has been accumulating for a while, it might not be possible to reach the fence line. This makes installation impossible until the snow thaws or the fence line is cleared.
Why You Might Want to Install a Fence in Winter
Ideally, you should always try to plan your fences for the best time of year to get them installed, but there are some situations where you might need a fence installed under less-than-ideal weather conditions.
Sometimes, people move into a new home and need to keep kids or dogs in. Or commercial properties are targeted for crime, and the owners or occupants need to beef up their security. In many cases, industrial sites and high security projects might also need new fencing in winter.
In those cases, and in general, the answer to the question “can fence be installed in winter” is a qualified yes, but it will probably take longer, might cost more, and might not be as good as a fence installed in better weather.