Create the Ultimate Fence Line: 9 Tips from Experts

Once you’ve laid out your runs and know how many fence panels you need in terms of length, you’re ready to create the ultimate fence line. Your goals should be to:

• Establish and secure the work zone or event area
• Ensure as much stability as possible
• Minimize security breaches
• Create organized access points
• Maintain efficiency

With the right equipment, knowledge, and willingness to go beyond the bare minimum, you can achieve all those goals with a long-term but affordable investment. 

Here are nine ways to do exactly that:

Shop for High Quality Fence Panels at the Best Price

The first thing you’ll want to do (after determining how many fence panels you need) is shop around. 

You’ll want to make sure the company that you’re going with offers the highest quality in terms of durability and longevity. But you also want to make sure their prices are competitive. 

Keep your eye out for bundle deals and lowest price guarantees. Compare and contrast different suppliers, who will often have the same products at competing prices. And go with the company that offers the best rates.

Invest in Fence Gates

Moving a fence panel whenever you want to enter and exit is poor practice. Even worse is having a gap in your fence panels.

The solution is a pedestrian gate, vehicle gate, or both. Make sure it’s the right size in terms of height. If you order your gate and panels altogether, you can be sure everything is compatible.

Order the Proper Height Fence Panels

Shorter temp fence panels are usually toppers on plastic jersey barriers or for inside event areas. For all other applications, six to eight feet is the ideal height.

You’ll save money with the six-foot options, but you’ll improve security and privacy with the eight-footers. The one that’s right for you will be dependent on your purposes.

If you’re buying the panels, keep storage in mind. You don’t want panels that keep your equipment safer but can’t fit where they need to go at the end of the project.

Add Privacy Screens to Reduce Theft

Low-transparency privacy screens are a great way to minimize dust and debris. It can also do an excellent job of reducing wind in your work zone. But it doesn’t do much in terms of reducing theft.

A lot of times, construction site theft is spontaneous. Opportunistic thieves who see valuable construction equipment or materials will take advantage. But if they don’t see inside the site, they’ll keep strolling on by.

Of course, privacy screens won’t eliminate all theft, and it’s one of a few ways you can reduce the chance of losing materials to break-ins.

Consider Updating Your Health and Safety Signage

Replace your outdated OSHA signage with a vinyl fence screen that actually improves safety – and doubles as a privacy screen.

Using high-contrast colors, universal symbols, and bilingual messaging, a custom OSHA fence screen does a better job of encouraging compliance and safety. It’s far easier to transport, store, and deploy than all those tin signs.

Monetize Temp Fencing with Custom Signage

We partnered with the award-winning real estate development company Milhaus to turn their temporary fencing into an advertising tool. Rather than simply screen off work zones, they’re able to promote existing properties to encourage interested clients.

Choose the Right Fence Base

The steel tube stand is the standard choice for a fence base. And we’ll get into more details about how you can weigh it down without dealing with sandbags or cement blocks.

But you can also skip the next section entirely by upgrading to a weighted base. While the Anchor Stand is a low-profile option that’s actually more affordable than the standard steel tube base, the Anchor Block is the ultimate choice.

Instead of a stand that’s weighted down, this is an all-in-one option with high-visibility colors to avoid tripping.

Of course, if you’re in an environment with no (or very light) wind, a steel tube or OxStand will do fine. But if you want to get out ahead of investing in additional weights, the OxBlock is worth the few extra bucks per item. While that can add up, it will more than likely save you money in the long-run.

 

Include Weights for Windy Environments

Moderate or heavy winds will blow down temporary fence panels.

One solution is to use sandbags, which break easily – and make a mess when they do.

Another is a cement block, which are trip hazards, look bad, and cumbersome to transport. And while they outlast sandbags, they don’t last nearly as long as steel or rubber weights.

The best option is the Anchor Weight ballast. This remarkable product is sloped to prevent trips alongside hi-viz trim. And all you have to do is set these stackable weights on your fence base. It’s that easy.

Best of all, these last for years, even under constant outdoor use.

Go with a Durable Fence Connector

Zip ties are cheap for a reason. They break easily, tough (or impossible) to reuse, and aren’t very effective, especially when there’s wind.

Instead, go for metal clamps. These keep fence panels tightly together while still allowing for quick and easy deployment and breakdown. Plus, they’re highly affordable, last for years, and look more professional.

 

Transport Fence Rack Avoids Total Disassembly

Rather than breaking down and taking apart every piece of your fence panels, you can simply disengage them and stack them using a transport rack. This not only speeds up breakdown, it makes things a lot faster and easier during redeployment.

The transport rack is virtually essential if you’re regularly breaking down and redeploying. But you’ll be happy you have it either way.

Consult a Fence Line Expert

We commend anyone for going about it solo. But we think best practice is doing things with the most efficiency, which is why working with an experienced expert is the best way to ensure you’re creating the ultimate fence line.

At SONCO, we’re committed to providing free expert advice whether you’re a customer or not. Even if you’re planning on buying from a different temporary fence supplier, we can help you determine the right products for your project. Reach out today!