Guide - How it works
How a fence is installed in Northridge
A good fence is mostly a good process. Here is the full sequence we follow on a Northridge install, laid out as a table, so you know what each day involves and where the real quality is won.
The install, stage by stage
Here is what actually happens when we build a fence in Northridge, from the first phone call to the last gate adjustment. The order rarely changes; what changes is how much care goes into the footing stage, which on this soil is the one that decides everything else.
| Stage | What happens | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walk and measure | We measure the run, check the property line, and note gates, grade, and access. | Flat Northridge lots are easy to measure, but drainage still has to be read on level ground. |
| 2. Locate utilities | We call in a dig alert so buried lines are marked before any hole is dug. | Required before digging anywhere, and it protects your yard and the crew. |
| 3. Demo the old fence | The existing fence and old footings come out and are hauled off. | Old concrete left in the ground forces new posts off line. |
| 4. Set the post holes | Holes are dug to depth and diameter for the fence height and the soil. | This is the step Northridge soil punishes if it is skipped. |
| 5. Set and plumb posts | Posts go in concrete footings, plumbed and braced, then left to cure. | A compacted, properly sized footing is what keeps the fence plumb. |
| 6. Hang rails and panels | Rails, pickets, or panels attach once the footings have cured. | Rushing this before the concrete sets is how a run goes wavy. |
| 7. Hang gates | Gates are hung on braced posts, squared, and set to latch cleanly. | Gates carry load, so their posts get the biggest footings. |
| 8. Finish and clean up | We seal wood if asked, check every fastener, and clear the site. | A finish coat buys a wood fence years against the Northridge sun. |
Why the footing stage is the whole job in Northridge
You can do every other stage perfectly, and if the footings are wrong the fence still fails. Northridge sits on deep alluvial soil, the same ground that made the 1994 earthquake so severe across the surrounding area, and that soil shifts more than the rocky ground a hillside town is set into. When a post sits in a shallow or skinny footing, every bit of that movement transfers straight into the fence, and within a few years you see the lean. When the footing is dug to proper depth, sized to the fence height, and compacted at the base, the same movement is absorbed and the fence stays plumb. That is why, on the flat lots around Devonshire and Reseda Boulevard, we treat the hole and the concrete as the part of the job that earns the warranty.
How long does a fence install take?
Most residential fences in Northridge are a two to four day job, spread over about a week because the footings need time to cure between setting the posts and hanging the panels. A short side yard can be a single day plus cure time; a full perimeter with gates on a larger lot runs longer. The flat terrain speeds up the digging and setting compared with a graded site, so weather and the concrete cure, not the ground, are usually what set the pace.
What can you do to make it go smoothly?
Clear the fence line of plants, furniture, and anything stored against the old fence before the crew arrives, and keep pets inside on dig and set days. If you share the line with a neighbor, a heads-up in advance keeps everyone easy, and it dovetails with the Good Neighbor Fence Act notice if you are splitting the cost. Beyond that, the best thing you can do is pick the material that fits your maintenance appetite, which the cost guide and the wood fencing page both lay out. We handle the permits when a job needs one and the dig alert every time.
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Northridge fence builders lays out what happens and when.