Happy Autumn!

Surrounded by an elegant aluminum fence, your pool can look beautiful in any season!

Most folks think that the spring and summer seasons are the only time you can install fencing here on the East Coast — wrong!  As long as the ground is not frozen, fence can be installed well into the wintertime. In fact, the months of October and November are the perfect time to get new fencing installed, as that tends to be a less busy time for most fence installation companies. Late season rainfall helps keep soil softer and makes digging post holes easier — especially compared to the packed-hard, dry, cracked dirt of July!

So if you have been contemplating getting a new fence on your property — don’t wait till spring — get an estimate now!  The folks here at Fence City would be glad to help — give us a call at (215) 362-8200, stop in our office/showroom at 619 Bethlehem Pike in Montgomeryville PA, or visit our website.

Related Posts:   Do It Yourself Fence Installation

Related Links:   Your online fence source!

History of Fence Laws

Wow, we found even more information that relates to the history of “fences” — if you missed our earlier posts in this series, check out “A Bit of History“.

Today’s history lesson is all about early fencing laws —  how things were done “waaaaay back when”, before the modern-day regulations were established to keep local communities safe when it comes to fencing in your yard or pool.  Read on history buffs!

History of Fence Laws:  In the United States, the earliest settlers claimed land by simply fencing it in.  Later, as the American government formed, unsettled land became technically owned by the government.  Programs to register land ownership developed, usually making raw land available for low prices or for free, if the owner improved the property, including the construction of fences.

Distinctly different land ownership and fencing patterns arose in the eastern and western United States.  Original fence laws on the east coast were based on the British common law system, and rapidly increasing population quickly resulted in laws requiring livestock to be fenced in.  In the west, land ownership patterns and policies reflected a strong influence of Spanish law and tradition, plus the vast land area involved made extensive fencing impractical until mandated by a growing population and conflicts between landowners.

The “open range” tradition of requiring landowners to fence out unwanted livestock was dominant in most of the rural west until very late in the 20th century, and even today, a few isolated regions of the west still have open range statutes on the books.  Today, across the nation, each state is free to develop its own laws regarding fences.  In most cases for both rural and urban property owners, the laws are designed to require adjacent landowners to share the responsibility for maintaining a common boundary fenceline, and the fence is generally constructed on the surveyed property line as precisely as possible.

Our staff is knowledgeable in today’s fencing laws, otherwise known as local township codes, and can help direct you to the proper authorities to ensure your fence project is OK.  (You’ll want to double check with your township BEFORE installing fence.)

Related Posts:
A Bit of History,   Even More Fence History,  A Bit More History

Related Links:   About Fence City

The Meaning of Fence

Just for curiosity sake, we looked up the definition of the word “fence”.  Of course, most of the meanings behind the word revolve around the protective structures we know and love here at Fence City.  But we really have to wonder how, over the many years of time, did the word ever take on meanings that relate to stolen goods?  And, like the chicken-or-the-egg-which-came-first debate, we wonder if our definition of fence came before or after that of fighting with swords? 🙂

FENCE

fens/

noun:  fence; plural noun:  fences

1. a barrier, railing, or other upright structure, typically of wood or wire, enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape.

   synonyms:  barrier, fencing, enclosure, barricade, stockade, palisade, fenceline, railing

   • a large upright obstacle used in equestrian jumping events.
2. a guard or guide on a plane, saw, or other tool.
3. informal:  a person who deals in stolen goods.
   synonyms:  receiver of stolen goods, dealer.  “a fence dealing mainly in jewelry”

verb: fence; 3rd person present: fences; past tense: fenced; past participle: fenced; gerund or present participle: fencing

1. surround or protect with a fence.

   “our garden was not fully fenced”
   synonyms:  enclose, surround, circumscribe, encircle, circle, encompass

   • enclose or separate with a fence for protection or to prevent escape.

     “everything is fenced in to keep out the wolves”
     synonyms:  confine, pen in, coop up, shut in, separate off, corral
     “he fenced in his chickens”
   • use a barrier to exclude someone or something.

     “Idaho law requires people to fence out cows”
2. informal:  deal in (stolen goods).

   “after stealing your ring, he didn’t even know how to fence it”
3. fight with swords, especially as a sport.

   1. conduct a discussion or argument in such a way as to avoid the direct mention of something.

      “we were fencing, not talking about the subject we’d come to talk about”

Finding out the history behind or meaning of everyday items can be interesting — hopefully you find it so today!  If you did, then feel free to check out some of our other articles (listed below).  And, when you’re looking to pawn your grandmother’s family heirloom, don’t call us — but if your neighbor is looking to replace that tumble-down privacy fence that’s bothered you for years, we hope you will send him our way!

Fence City
619 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville PA 18936
www.fencecity.com    215-362-8200

Related Posts:   A Bit of Fence History,   Fence Law History,   Even More Fence History

Related Links:   Local Township Fence Codes,   About Fence City

 

Presidential Fencing

Keeping the President, his family, and the rest of the White House occupants safe hasn’t been easy. In the past year, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has been assaulted by a knife-wielding assailant (with bad knees) who opened the front door, a pair of drunk Secret Service agents who crashed their vehicle, and a four-year-old who wiggled under-neath the main gate. Not to mention a runaway quadcopter operated by a drunk intelligence analyst.

To try to solve this trending problem, the National Park Service and the Secret Service are adding new outward-facing spikes to the White House fence, as well as new concrete barricades at several traffic entrances . . .

So begins an article about the latest issues in keeping the White House safe from intruders.  Granted, the problems encountered in keeping out unwanted visitors from the presidential lawn aren’t ones you will experience at your own home.  However, there certainly are times where a homeowner or business owner wants a little more added security for their property — to keep the neighborhood kids out of the pool, to keep your dogs within your property lines, to keep nosey passersby from watching your kids play, to keep potential vandals and robbers out of your store or office at night — and so on.

Read the entire article, “The White House Needs a Fence, Not a Moat” … it’s a bit comical, but also a bit scary.  And should you need some protective or privacy fence for your own presidential estate, we hope you will give us a call!  (215) 362-8200.  We carry full lines of aluminum, wood, chain link, and vinyl fencing to meet your every need.

Related Posts:   The Defender Series,   Pool Safety,   History of Fence Laws

Related Links:   Your source for Security Fencing

 

Happy Campers

Everyone enjoys receiving thank you cards and praise on a job well done.  Plus, when you’re looking for a contractor, it’s always good to read reviews and testimonials to be sure a company is a good fit for your project.

With that in mind, we thought we would share a few reviews that have been shared on Angie’s List or with us directly regarding some of the projects Fence City has done the past few years.  If you’re in the suburban Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania and have a fence, hard scaping, or deck project in your future plans, we hope you will remember these notes from “happy campers” and contact us for a free estimate!  (215) 362-8200

Our fence was about 20 years old and falling apart.  The gate was in such bad shape that it couldn’t be closed.  My husband contacted several fence companies, and we decided on Fence City.  The company showed up on the scheduled day, did the work, were considerate of the neighbors, cleaned up after themselves, and did a great job.  The fence looks wonderful.  — Julie S., Glenside PA, July 2013

I chose them after getting several estimates from different fence companies. Their price was right in the middle. Fence City took a little longer than promised to get out here, but we did decide on having a fence built right in the middle of “fence season”. There were some hiccups along the way, but I’m very happy with how things turned out.  — Katherine W., Ridley Park PA, June 2013

They fenced our entire yard with aluminum (looks like wrought iron) fencing for pool protection. This was a very large job.  Fence City came highly recommended to me. They matched my neighbors existing fence. I am very satisfied and they will certainly get any future fencing jobs. — David Y., Bryn Mawr PA,  April 2008

We collected several estimates from different companies, all found on Angie’s List, but felt that Marvin with Fence City was the most knowledgeable. The price was fair, not the highest but not the lowest either. He offered suggestions that no one else did, suggestions on how which fence or application would work best with what we wanted to do. Mother Nature conspired to delay our start date by a few weeks, but once they were able to start the job they stayed until it was finished. Even sitting out a nasty little thunder- storm in their truck until they could finish up the job. We are very pleased with the work they did, the crew was professional and polite, answering our questions whenever we had any. I would definitely recommend them! — Sondra S., Springfield PA,  June 2013

A Fence City rep came promptly and provided a quote on site.  They were ready to come within 2 weeks of the quote.  The workers arrived on time and did a good job on removing the old privacy fence and installing the new split rail one.  They were very quick, the workers were polite, and overall the job was a pleasant experience.  I also felt the price was good and in line with several other quotes. — Jack Z., Yardley PA,  July 2012

Removed and replaced fence with efficiency. Hard workers.  Job well done!  — Anthony P, Lafayette Hill PA, June 2012

Hey, Fence City team, wanted to thank you for the great job by your crew on our fence work.  It looks awesome!   — Allen S.,  Springfield PA,  June 2013

Related Posts:   Awesome Testimonial,   One Small Emblem

Related Links:   About Fence City,   Fence City on-line store

Fence as Art?

We’ve shared some photos and blog posts throughout the year of “decorative fences” … but this time we found a truly unusual use of a fence product … ART!   These photos of “Chain Link Fencing as Art” by Soo Sunny Park show off tremendous creativity using a medium that is probably never considered to be an art form.

Check out the entire page
full of bigger-than-life
artistic creations using not-so-typical materials like fencing, crochet yarn, and huge stacks
of books.  (22 Dreamy Art Installations)

Related Posts:
Fences: the new craft medium,
Inspiring Fences,  Even More Crafty Fences

Related Links:   Decorative Fence for Sale

Crafty Fences: Inventive Gadgets

Why didn’t we think of this?!  Some folks are just so clever, and the link we’re sharing today definitely proves it.  Here’s a little bit of intro:

“Softball and baseball are difficult games to record because of those crazy chain link fences.  You have to get the camera up close so the fence isn’t in your shot.  Get too close and, well …  I needed something that would allow me to mount my video camera to a chain link fence in such a way that I could record baseball and softball games directly behind the plate.  Anyone who has been to any games knows that this location is a dangerous one.  Foul balls can hit the fence at speeds in excess of 80 mph.  So I needed something that would also ensure that it would grip tight to the fence no matter what the game would throw at it.  In fact, in my very first event using my newly crafted prototype, I took a direct hit from a foul ball.”

Check out the rest of this guy’s story, and the really simple, ingenius gadget he invented:  How to safely mount a camera to a chain link fence

We think the world of fence, so let’s fence in the world! 
Let us know if we can help you fence in your own little portion of the world.  🙂

Related Posts:   Crafty Fences: the Green Variety,   Crafty Fences (series)

Related Links:   Fence City website, full of photos and information!

Crafty Fences: the recycled way!

So the web is full of photos, and we keep finding some interesting and inventive ones when it comes to decorating a fence.  In this “Crafty Fences” installment (part 5!), we’re sharing some shots of fences created with a recycling theme — not sure we would have thought to create or decorate a fence with old license plates or used skis, but to each his own!

This chain link fence was seen on an episode of “Amazing Race”, where the poor souls had to search for specific ones in order to find the clue to their next race destination.  Can’t imagine how long it took to accumulate that many license plates (or to attach them), but it certainly makes for an interesting tourist attraction.

What to do with your family’s old skis?  Why, make a privacy fence, of course!  (Wonder what they would have made if the kids were into snowboarding?)

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Related Posts:   Crafty Fences: even more of them,
Fences: the new craft medium?

Related Links:   Chain Link Fences,  Privacy Fences

Crafty Fences: even more of them!

In our quest to find unusual and decorative fence treatments, we’ve now added this fourth installment to our “Crafty Fences” series of blog posts.  Just in time for Flag Day and Independence Day, this first photo shows just how patriotic a once boring chain link fence can be.  Unfortunately we have no idea how these folks make their fences look like this, but if you’re willing to experiment on a chain link of your own, we’ll gladly share photos of it too!

This second one almost reminds me of an old Lite Brite design … remember them?!

Related Posts:   Fences, the new craft medium?, 
More Crafty Fences,  Crafty Fences part2

Related Links:   Decorative Fences

Scary Neighbors!

There are certainly plenty of reasons to surround your property with a fence . . . privacy, to enclose a safe area around a pool, to keep the family dogs from going out on the street, to keep the neighbor’s pets from wandering into your yard . . .

That last reason is a definite must if your neighbor’s pets look anything like the Rock Python photo we found — and check out this post about an aligator! 

Maybe it’s not such a popular style any more, but yes, if you need a chain-link fence, we DO install them!  Not sure what kind of fence you want?  Then be sure to browse our online fence store to view all the many styles and materials that are available.

And good luck to you if your neighbors are prone to exotic pets . . .  🙂  

Related Posts:   Not your average Rhino,   Fences for Fido,   The Defender Series