Installing a welded mesh fence begins long before the visible final step. The ground and the gradient are established during the survey, and post spacing and foundation depth are planned from that information. When the order is skipped the mistake does not show up on site; it shows up months after the fence goes in.
Survey and measurement
Three things are checked together during the survey: the total length of the line, the hardness of the ground and the difference in level. Hard rocky ground may call for a breaker, while soft fill ground means increasing the foundation depth. Because panel height stays constant, a line on sloping ground is built in steps, and the number of steps is decided here.
Posts and foundations
Once the post holes are dug, galvanised posts are set in concrete. Intermediate posts only carry the panel, while corner and end posts take the entire tension load of the line; they are therefore set deeper and braced with struts. If panels go on before the concrete has cured, the posts drift out of line over time.
Fixing the panels
Panels are fixed to the posts with concealed clamps; keeping the fixing out of sight is both a matter of appearance and additional resistance to being removed. Panels are mounted so that the bent face runs in a consistent direction along both sides of the line, otherwise the view down the run is broken.
Checks before handover
- Every post is checked by eye for plumb and alignment.
- The tightness of the clamps is inspected one by one along the run.
- Where there is a gate, the leaf or sliding mechanism is opened and closed several times to test it.
- Spoil from the holes and surplus material are cleared from the site before handover.