FAQs - Duck Fence & Deck

General FAQs

Question: Are you a major company, franchise, or family owned?

Significance: This can tell customers whether they will get service or just get lost between managers and supervisors and become another number.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck is family owned. We are not only working for you, we are your neighbors, too.

Question: Are you insured?

Significance: In the event of a calamity, it is best for the customer and the business to be protected.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck is fully insured.

Question: Do you use day laborers?

Significance: Day laborers are complete strangers that many construction companies use in order to get cheap help, but they have no reassurance that these people are trained or reliable at the work site.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck does not use day laborers. Our crew chiefs and owner have a combined total of over 60 years of fence construction.

Question: One fence company told us that they are HOA approved, are you?

Significance: Each HOA has specific rules and guidelines. You have a signed contract with your HOA when you bought your home, and this should be taken seriously. There are a number of fences that get torn down or substantially changed after a homeowner has already paid for the first fence. No company is approved by the HOA. Instead, projects are approved on an individual basis.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck has been referred by numerous HOAs, but each project needs to be submitted for its own approval.

Wood Fence FAQs

Question: How deep do you set your posts?

Significance: Not setting the posts at the proper depth will cause your fence to lean and sacrifice the longevity of your fence.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck sets all fence posts at a minimum of 3 feet deep.

Question: Do you use Sakrete, Concrete, or Maximizer?

Significance: These products are completely different and have different strength capacities.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck uses Maximizer, which will give your post settings the strength of 5,000 pounds per square inch. Others can only do 1,500 to 2,500 pounds per square inch.

Question: How do you mix your concrete?

Significance: Many fence installers pour water into the post holes and then pour in the concrete. This leaves unmixed concrete in the post hole and a very weak concrete around the post.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck mixes all concrete before placing it into holes.

Question: How far apart do you set your posts?

Significance: If you set your posts too far apart, your fence will tend to sag or lean from the wind.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck sets all of our posts at a maximum of 6 feet apart.

Question: What size rails (from post to post) do you use?

Significance: Many fence builders use 2x3 rails, which are weaker and will not last as long as 2x4 rails.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck uses 2x4 rails.

Question: What type of rails do you use?

Significance: Because of cost, many fence companies install cheap pressure-treated rails that warp and cause the fence posts to lean; they are not even made with cedar.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck uses premium cedar #1 grade full rough-cut 2x4 rails on cedar fences.

Question: How many rails do you use?

Significance: If you do not use enough rails, your fence planks will warp between the rails.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck uses 3 rails for a 6-foot-tall fence and 4 rails for an 8-foot-tall fence. And the kickboard does not count as a rail.

Question: How much of an overlap is used for a board-on-board fence?

Significance: Board-on-board fences are sometimes called privacy fences. If the pickets are overlapped less than 1 inch, you may end up with cracks and defeat the purpose of having a board-on-board fence.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck overlaps each picket approximately 1 inch on each side of the picket.

Question: Do you recommend using stain on your fences?

Significance: Protected wood will last longer and sustain less damage over time.

Answer: Spruce fences should have stain. Spruce wood will quickly dry out, and stain can double the lifespan of your fence, assuming that it was properly built. Cedar does not need stain. Cedar has a natural sap to the wood, and a well-built cedar fence without stain can last you 25 years or more. Stained cedar will have to be restained throughout its life to maintain the brilliant color and may gain you another few years.

Question: Do you pre-stain your lumber or spray your wood after construction?

Significance: Spraying only gets the lumber that you can see. Pre-staining (or dipping) ensures deeper penetration and coverage, and the bottoms of the boards as well as the tops of the boards are all sealed. You do not have to worry about killing grass, killing plants, or spraying the home.

Answer: Duck Fence & Deck offers both pre-staining and spraying.