Blog

Whether you're thinking of a constructing a fence on your property for the first time or replacing an old fence, you'll need to measure and plan for the amount of fence you'll need. If you're constructing the fence yourself, you'll need to make sure your measurements are exact so that you don't over or under purchase the amount of materials. If you're hiring a fence company in Winter Haven for the job, your measurements can be approximates and then Fence Central will make the precise measurements for you. Hiring fence experts take a lot of the responsibility off of your shoulders.To measure your yard, you must start by determining exactly where your property ends and your neighbor's ends. If you don't know where your property line ends, you'll need to consult county records and/or hire a land surveyor. Here's another reason to hire a professional fence installer. We'll make sure your fence sits on the edge of your property and not in your neighbor's land. If you erect the fece yourself and it's on your neighbor's land by mistake, you may have to tear it down and rebuild. If there are trees near your property line, you'll have to decide whether to run the fence in front of or behind them. Fence Central can help you decide what is best for your particular situation. Before you dig, you must also consider utility lines. You can either call 811 and go through the process yourself, or again Fence Central will handle that for you before constructions begins. When you order a fence from Fence Central, all you need to start the free quote is the approximate measurements of your space. If you also know the height, material, and number of gates you want that's great! We can get you a comprehensive quote right away. If you're not sure, our professional staff can also help you decide which type of fence is best for you.

At Fence Central in Haines City, Florida, we're often asked about how to best work with a Home Owners' Association (HOA). Getting your fence approved by the HOA can be easy or difficult depending on the HOA's regulations, strictness, and your level of preparation. The first step in getting approval for your fence is to review the HOA's regulations with regard to fence height, material, color, and placement.Most HOAs prefer uniform fences for all homes so that the neighborhood looks cohesive. At Fence Central, our most popular fence amongst people who have HOAs to consider is by far a white vinyl fence.In addition to being HOA favorites, vinyl fences are a good choice because of their longevity and low maintenance. Fence Central vinyl fences are covered by a manufacturer's lifetime warranty and protected against U.V. damage. If you decide to invest in a vinyl fence, you can be sure you'll never have to replace it.Vinyl fences come in many shapes and styles. Homes with HOAs often choose privacy vinyl fences due to the home's proximity to neighbors.For more information and recommendations about how to work with your HOA to get a fence approved, contact Fence Central.

If you live in a community with a homeowner's association (HOA), you know that their oversights can be both helpful and sometimes restrictive. HOAs provide for the maintenance of common areas such as parks, elevators, parking garages, pools, sidewalks, and roofs. Along with that, HOAs have certain rules that residents must adhere to. Those rules are often called covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs). CC&Rs include things such as what colors you may paint the exterior of your home, what types of landscaping can be done, whether or not you may park vehicles on the street, and whether and what type of fence you may have.Breaking an HOA CC&R can result in heavy fines. It's sometimes possible to do things outside of the rules, but it often requires special permission from the HOA and in many cases it's unlikely you'll get that special permission.Hopefully you were aware of the HOA's rules before you moved into the community. Even if you didn't, though, Fence Central can help you to navigate the waters of HOA if you want to put in a new fence. We've helped many clients get through the HOA approval process by providing fence descriptions, site-plan drawings, specifications, and pictures to aid your communications with them. In our experiences, the more information you can provide to the HOA board about your plans for the fence, the better the likelihood that they will approve it. Approval can take up to six weeks, though, so best to start early.At Fence Central, the fence type that we've found the majority of HOAs approve is a 6' vinyl privacy fence (pictured above). Vinyl fences are a great choice anyway because they're long-lasting, require very little maintenance, and come with a lifetime manufacturer's guarantee. If you're in an HOA community in or around the Polk County, Florida area, contact us. We service most areas of Davenport, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Poinciana, Lake Wales, Haines City, Auburndale, Winter Garden, and Windermere.

Previously, we discussed what permits you may need before putting up a fence. More specifically, though, in addition to city and county permits you may also need approval from your homeowners' association (HOA) in order to build a fence. Some HOAs have restrictions on fence types, others on fence heights. Going off of what your neighbors have is not necessarily a good measure because they may have been grandfathered in or it's possible they didn't get approval at all. Trying to go under the radar will only work for so long, though, because if the Association does notice, they may require you to take down the fence or pay a fine.Before making firm plans to erect a new fence, carefully review your HOA regulations and/or talk with your local board members. In your formal request to the HOA, include as much information as possible so that the board can make an informed decision. List the material, color, and height of the fence you want to build. If at all possible, include pictures of what the fence will look like. If you anticipate any problems with the fence, try to spell that out in your request and offer solutions.Fence Central in Central Florida is happy to offer advice about how to communicate with your HOA. We can provide fence descriptions and specs, site-plan drawings, and pictures to aid the process. HOA approval can take anywhere from one to six weeks or more, so if you're planning to have your fence up by a certain date, it's best to start early.

The short answer is, depending on the city and county in which you live and why you're putting up the fence, you may need a permit. You'll need to know specifications about the allowable fence heights, materials, location, and maintenance for your city and county. Each city and county may have separate rules and regulations, though, so it will take some legwork to first see if you need a permit and then fill out the required paperwork.It's also vital that you check with underground utilities before digging to ensure that you won't accidentally damage water, electric, or gas lines. The number to call to check on underground utilities is "811." This is an important step because digging into a utility line could cause injury and/or property damage and may result in a hefty fine to cover the cost of repairs. The good news is, if you choose Fence Central, we take care of all city and county permits as well as contacting underground facilities for your fence instillation. If you have a homeowners' association, they may have additional regulations and requirements. Fence Central can offer advice about how to communicate with your HOA and provide specifications such as descriptions, site-plan drawings, and pictures.