Why Do Fence Contractors Need Vehicle Access to Your Fence Line?
If you read the terms of a fence quote or bid, there’s a good chance that one of the things your fence contractor requires to deliver the fence for the quoted price is access to the fence line.
More specifically, they probably need at least 6 to 8 feet of clear vehicle access to both sides of the fence line. Here’s why and how it can affect your price if your fence line is not accessible.
Usually Applies to Large Fence Projects
The first thing you should know is that usually, the requirement for vehicle access to both sides of your fence line applies to larger projects. Your fence contractor probably won’t require this for a backyard fence.
In most cases, residential fence contractors expect to have some access issues. So, while they will still require you to clear obstacles and overgrown vegetation along the fence line, they probably aren’t expecting to drive a vehicle down the fence line!
However, your contractor will still need enough space on any fence line to lay down their materials and equipment. So be sure you check what they need before your install date rolls around!
Why Does Vehicle Access Matter to Your Fence Project?
Now that we’ve cleared that up, the question remains: why does your commercial or industrial fence contractor expect vehicle access to your fence line?
The answer is because of the labor required to install your fence.
If your fence contractor can drive along a long fence line, they can drop materials and tools along the way so that the fence installer crew can get started right away. The fence line will also be accessible to vehicles like skid steers with an auger and to concrete trucks.
If you don’t have vehicle access on your fence line or access is limited, all of those things will have to be carried by hand along the fence line. You might even need to use wheelbarrows to move concrete in extreme situations.
All of that means that the labor that should have been used to install your fence is first diverted to moving materials, tools and concrete around your site.
What If You Can’t Provide Vehicle Access?
If you can’t provide clear vehicle access to your fence line, you can expect the pricing to include the extra time and labor required to move materials, tools and other necessities around your fence line.
The further your fence contractor needs to walk back and forth to move fence materials and equipment around, the longer it will take to install your fence and the more it will cost.
If you have an existing fence that needs to be taken down and removed from site, this will take even longer, as your fence contractor works by hand to remove the fence and carry it out to a waste bin or similar.
So, if you want to keep the costs of your industrial or commercial fence down, make sure you plan to have accessible fence lines.
