Frequently Asked Questions

Kuperus Custom Fence, Inc. guarantees all of our fences against installation defects and workmanship errors for one full year. We take pride in our workmanship and work to install every fence as if it were our own.

Many of our products also carry warranties from the manufacturer.

Most of our wood privacy and picket fences are constructed with cedar panels and pressure-treated posts. It is recommended to wait a period of time to allow the pressure-treated lumber to dry. The general rule of thumb is to wait one year. If your fence is 100% cedar, you could stain it sooner, as cedar is all natural. Sometimes the cedar is freshly milled, so waiting a few months will allow the fence to dry and allow the paint or stain to better adhere. The drawback is that cedar may check or crack as it dries. This is completely normal and does not affect the structural integrity of the fence.

We recommend an oil-based stain, as it soaks into the wood, whereas paint or latex stains adhere to the outside of the wood. Oil-based stains are typically translucent or transparent, but latex stain and paint can be solid. We are not paint or stain experts, so we recommend contacting your local paint supplier or a reputable painting contractor for more detailed information.

It is strongly recommended to know exactly where your property lines and corners are prior to having a fence installed. If you do not know where the exact lines are, we recommend hiring a licensed land surveyor to locate your property corners.

If you have a large property where you don’t have a line of sight from one corner to another, ask your surveyor to install some points on the line so you have a line of sight from one point to another. When this is done, a string line can easily be run “connecting the dots,” and there is no guesswork involved in determining the fence location.

Many customers have a survey map but cannot identify where the property lines are. Customers often say “the line is near that rock” or “the line is where the neighbor cuts his grass.” This gives an idea but is not sufficient for accurate placement of a fence. In such cases, a map is helpful to get a better idea, but without surveying tools, finding the property lines will involve guesswork, which can lead to the fence being installed too far inside or over the property line. This can lead to trouble with neighbors and the potential added cost of having a fence moved. In such cases, the money spent on hiring a surveyor is money well spent.

Property lines and fences can be a sensitive issue between neighbors. There are often differing views and understandings of where property lines are. Having the property lines marked by a licensed surveyor will give you the assurance that you are placing your fence correctly and gives you firm standing if there is a neighbor dispute.

At the end of the day, the property owner agrees to locate and identify the property line and assumes sole responsibility for the location of the fence.

If you don’t want to see your neighbors or their belongings, a privacy fence is a great solution. Depending on your town’s zoning, a 6’ or 8’ privacy fence will give you a visible barrier. Most privacy fences are constructed with wood panels or vinyl.

Another option is a fence combined with privacy hedges. The fence would not necessarily need to be a privacy fence — it would delineate the property line to make sure there is no encroachment by the neighbor onto your property, and to make sure your privacy hedge is planted on your property. The hedges would provide natural privacy. The main drawback to this option is that hedges do not provide instant privacy; they take time to grow. Another option is to install a privacy fence for instant privacy and plant hedges in front of it. This provides immediate coverage while still allowing for the natural appearance of hedges.

In cases where there is a contentious relationship between neighbors, having the property line clearly marked is paramount. (See FAQ on surveys.)

As Robert Frost said in his poem “Mending Wall,” “Good fences make good neighbors.” When our property is clearly marked, it helps eliminate confusion or ambiguity regarding what’s mine and what’s yours.

Just about any fence can be built to meet pool barrier codes, but the most common fence we install around pools is aluminum. Aluminum has an elegant design with a low visual impact. Since the material is aluminum, the gates are lightweight and rarely sag, as all the joints are welded. Aluminum pool gates are installed with the Magna-Latch to provide a safe and secure pool enclosure. There are now matching aluminum privacy fences available to pair with the typical aluminum pool fence.

If aluminum doesn’t fit your style or taste, there are many options available, including post and rail with wire, chain link, vinyl, and more. Contact us and we can discuss the options with you.

The most common pool safety latch we use is the Magna-Latch, manufactured by D&D Technologies. This latch is specifically designed with pool safety in mind. The opening mechanism is located 54” or more above the ground, so children have a hard time unlocking it. The latches also come with keys so you can lock your pool gates. We have found this to be a very reliable latch that requires little maintenance. Adjusting the latch is simple — just a Phillips-head screwdriver and a few minutes. We use Magna-Latches on wood, aluminum, and vinyl fences (but not 6’ privacy, as you can’t operate a Magna-Latch over a 6’ fence). Magna-Latch also makes a version with an audible alarm that sounds when the latch is unlocked. If your gate looks closed but is not completely latched, the alarm will beep, alerting you to check the gate. We only install this option upon request.

If chain link is used for a pool enclosure, we use an Auto-Latch on the gates. This is a simple latch designed specifically for chain link, where the opening mechanism is 54” or more above the ground. Auto-Latches can be locked with a padlock.

The answer will vary based on the type of fence you have, but here are some general guidelines.

How old is the fence? This will give you a good baseline. If the fence is 20 years old or more, it is likely that it will need to be replaced, especially if you have a wood fence.

Do a visual inspection.

• Are the fence posts still plumb, or are they leaning? Are there signs of rot on the posts — take special note of the posts at ground level, as this is typically where posts rot first. The post above ground may appear fine, but at ground level it may be rotten. Check the fence by gently pushing on it, specifically the posts. If a post moves with just a light touch, it’s likely broken. If it takes a stronger push and moves only slightly, it’s likely fine. If you have a wood fence and find several rotten posts, it is probably time to start thinking about a replacement. Once posts start to rot, the rest will soon follow.
• If your fence has wire, is it in good shape, or is a large portion of it bent, distorted, or mangled?
• How do your panels look? Are there visible signs of decay or rot? Take special note of where the panels meet the posts, the top of the back rails where pickets meet the rail, and generally any place where water will sit or be slow to dry. Are the pickets still being held in place by the fasteners, or are many of them loose and easily pushed off?
• What is the general condition of your fence? Was snow plowed against it every winter? Is most of it bent, broken, or leaning? Or is the damage limited to a small area?
• How do the gates look? Are they still functioning properly, or are they dragging on the ground, hard to latch, or not latching at all? Are the hinges functioning, or are they bent, broken, or missing fasteners?

These are some general guidelines when thinking about repairing or replacing your fence. If your fence is new or in very good condition and something gets damaged by an outside impact — a car, lawnmower, tree branch, etc. — it can likely be repaired.

If you have questions or are unsure about repairing or replacing your fence, we will gladly come out to do an evaluation.

In Orange County, NY, we are subject to cold winters, and as a result the ground freezes. When the ground freezes, it expands and rises, causing fence posts to heave up out of the ground. In the spring, when the ground thaws, the posts do not always come back down. This can happen with any style of fence but seems most common with vinyl. During installation we take precautions to minimize this issue: 1) setting most fence posts in concrete, 2) setting posts to the recommended depth, and 3) installing fence panels 3–4” off the ground. This keeps the panels from getting pushed up by frost, which would increase the chances of the posts heaving.

Unfortunately, no matter what precautions we take, sometimes posts still heave. Here is our trick of the trade: take a scrap piece of wood — a 2×4 works great — wider than your post (if you have a 5” post, a 12”+ length of 2×4 will work), and a 4 lb. sledgehammer. Remove the post cap and lay the 2×4 across the top of the post diagonally so it sits across the corners (the corners are the strongest part of the post). Hold the 2×4 with one hand as you hit it with the hammer. The goal is to drive the post back down into the ground; the 2×4 protects the post from breaking or mushrooming. Many times the post will slide back down in the concrete footing and return to its original position. This often takes several solid hits with the hammer. If you have a tall fence, you may need a stepladder.

If the post does not go down when hit, it may need to be dug up, the concrete broken off, and the post reset in a new concrete footing. You can attempt this on your own or give us a call to have our team take care of it.

Depending on the situation, there are a couple of options.

First, we will look to install the post next to the rock and then span over it to the next section. If we are installing 8’-wide panels and the rock is 5’ wide, this solution works really well. This also works well with wire fences. With this method the post spacing would not be perfectly symmetrical, but the posts get installed to the proper depth and we don’t need special tools to keep the job moving.

Second, if we hit rock that is breakable (such as shale), we jackhammer it to break it up. Some of our augers will also do this. If we can get the hole to depth, we set the post as normal and move to the next hole. If the rock gets harder as we go deeper and stops breaking, we will pin the rock. We drill multiple 1/2” diameter holes in the rock with a hammer drill and drive 1/2” rebar into the holes. (This can also be done with threaded rod and epoxy.) After the rebar is installed, we place our post in the hole and pour a concrete footing around the post and the rebar. The rebar holds the concrete — and the post — fast to the rock. We try to achieve at least 18” depth when using this method.

The third method is used when the rock is near the surface, cannot be spanned, and is not breakable. In this case we drill a 3” diameter hole (the diameter varies depending on the post being installed) in the rock with a core drill, rock drill, or hammer drill. The depth of this hole will depend on the type of rock and type of fence being installed. At minimum we want 4” deep in solid rock, but often deeper. If we are installing chain link or aluminum, the post goes directly in the hole and is grouted in place. If we are installing a wood or vinyl fence, we place a heavy-wall pipe in the hole and grout it in place with anchoring cement. The vinyl post sleeves over the pipe. The wood post would be attached to the side of the pipe with lags or hardware.

A general rule of thumb is that posts should be set to a depth equal to one-third of the fence height. According to this rule, a 6’ fence will have a post footing that is 2’ deep — though this varies depending on soil conditions, wind loads, fence type and height, and local frost line depth. The products we use have posts cut to lengths that meet or exceed this rule. When we install a 6’ vinyl fence, the posts are 9’ long and installed 30” deep. An 8’ vinyl fence comes with 12’ posts designed to be installed 3–1/2’ deep.

A fence is only as good as its post footing, and we always strive to make sure our footings are at proper depth.

For most fence installations, we use concrete to set our posts. We like to use it because your fence will better withstand high winds, stay straighter in loose or wet soil conditions, and generally remain standing straight over time. A concrete footing also helps support your gates by preventing the gate posts from shifting, which helps keep your gates functioning properly. When we install vinyl, chain link, or aluminum, it is our standard practice to set all posts in concrete. There are rare occasions when we pneumatically drive chain link posts into the ground, usually by request or dictated by installation conditions.

For pressure-treated wood posts, there are differing opinions about using concrete. Some people don’t want to use concrete around wood posts — including pressure-treated — because of the concern about rotting. We believe that the structural benefit of having the fence stronger and maintaining its straight and plumb appearance outweighs the downside of a pressure-treated post potentially rotting. In our experience, pressure-treated posts hold up very well with concrete around them.

However, we do not use concrete around cedar posts. Cedar is a softwood, and concrete will speed up the rotting process. For cedar posts, we dig the hole and then backfill and tamp the excavated dirt back around the post.

All fence options require some maintenance, even so-called “maintenance-free” options. Vinyl, aluminum, and chain link require the least. They may occasionally need to be power-washed, have a gate or latch adjusted, or have a post reset that has heaved due to frost.

We get the most questions about maintaining a wood fence. If you decide to stain or paint your new wood fence, more maintenance will be required — but not on the fence itself, on the finish. Stain and paint finishes often last only a few years before they need refreshing. (See our FAQ on staining your fence.) If you let your fence weather naturally, there isn’t much more maintenance with a wood fence compared to other options. A wood fence weathers and ages, but for many people, that’s part of the appeal.

We also recommend keeping the bottom of your wood fence free of grass, mulch, stone, etc. Having these materials up against the bottom of your fence traps moisture, which will speed up decay. Let air circulate around the bottom of your fence panels. If you plan to put mulch or stone around your fence, let us know prior to installation — we can install the fence a few extra inches off the ground to maintain air circulation once the mulch or stone is added.

Always take care when mowing or weed trimming around your fence. Constantly hitting the fence with trimmer string adds unnecessary wear and tear.

It’s a good idea to occasionally inspect your fence and look for things that need attention. Make sure the gates are working properly — that’s especially critical on a pool fence. Do the latches line up and work? Is everything aligned? Did any posts heave over the winter? Staying on top of these things will keep your fence looking good and functioning properly.

Our lead time throughout the year will vary. Generally, we tell customers to expect a 6–8 week wait from time of deposit to time of installation. Spring and summer are our busiest times of the year and our lead time can exceed 8 weeks. Several factors contribute to this — one is material lead time, especially for custom orders. Often we simply have more work scheduled than we can install at once.

We want to make sure that our finished product is professional, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. We could seek to hire subcontractors to reduce our lead time, but we would lose the quality controls we’ve built into our business and the finished product would suffer. We are fortunate to have an experienced group of installers who have been trained in our fence installation practices. We believe in doing things the right way, the first time and every time. Doing things the right way means the customer might have to wait 6–8 weeks — but when we install your fence, it is done according to our standards.

When a fence is racked, it follows the general contour of the ground. The posts and vertical pickets remain plumb, but the horizontal rails angle parallel to the ground. This allows us to keep the gaps under the fence consistent even as the fence goes up or down hills — which is vital when the fence is installed to contain pets or keep critters out. As a racked fence flows over the terrain, it is aesthetically pleasing and has smooth, clean lines. This is the method we most commonly use.

A stepped fence has panels installed perpendicular to the posts. As a stepped fence goes down a grade, the panels will “step” down. This method will have one end of the panel close to the ground and the other end higher off the ground, creating gaps that may need to be filled in with soil, landscaping, etc. Stepped fences look best when the steps all go in the same direction. When the fence steps up then down, it looks very busy and makes the grade changes more noticeable. It is also best when the steps are all the same size — varying step heights detract from the overall look of the fence.

When deciding on gate locations with our customers, we always look for level spots on the property to install the gate. Sometimes there are no level locations, or they aren’t practical. Most gates hang level, so when there is a slope at the gate location, you will have a larger space under one side of the gate — the same principle as stepping a fence.

The wider the gate opening, the larger the gap will be. For example, with a slope of 1” per foot, a 4’ gate opening will have a 4” drop, but a 10’ opening will have a 10” drop. If you have a 4’ gate and the gate is 2” off the ground on the uphill side, it will be 6” off the ground on the downhill side. This also affects the fence panels adjacent to the gate openings, as the fence lines up with the gates. It is important to keep this in mind when deciding on the size and location of your gates.