The installation itself usually takes 2 to 3 working days, spread across roughly a week to give the concrete at the posts time to set. Before that come the estimate, the permit where one is needed, the utility locate and a place on our schedule.
What happens, in order
- Free site visit to measure, followed by a written quote.
- Permit: Chicago for a fence over 5 feet, or your suburb's fence permit.
- Utility locate through 811 Chicago (two business days) or JULIE in the suburbs.
- Old fence removed, holes dug, posts set and left for the concrete to set.
- Rails and panels or mesh, then gates, clean-up and a walk along the fence with you.
What slows a fence job down in Chicago?
- Spring, when the frost leaves the ground and every yard owner calls in the same weeks.
- Permits, and the survey or site plan that some fences and some suburbs require.
- Frozen ground in the middle of winter.
- Clay that turns to mud after rain, so holes slump and concrete sets slowly.
- Tight gangways where every post, panel and bag is carried in by hand.
- Roots, rubble and old footings in the line.
- Custom gates and special-order materials.
We are getting a dog in three weeks and have no fence. What is fastest?
Phone us now. Some of those three weeks is taken by the locate notice and, for a fence over 5 feet in the city, by the permit. A 5-foot fence in stock material such as chain link or standard wood panels is the quickest route in Chicago, since it needs no building permit. If the full yard will not be ready, we can enclose a small run for the dog and complete the rest later.
We are putting in a pool. Fence before or after?
Partly before and partly after. The pool crew needs a gap wide enough for equipment, so the fence on that side waits until the dig is finished. After that the whole enclosure has to be complete, with its gates working, before the pool is signed off for use.
My association says fix the fallen panels by Monday and my contractor keeps delaying. Can a handyman patch it?
Yes. Having a handyman patch your own fence is your call, and it will generally satisfy the deadline. Read your contract first, then tell the contractor in writing what was patched and why, so the later repair and the invoice stay clear.
The real price comes from a free visit and a written quote. Call (773) 741-0364 or text us a photo of the fence line.