Prepare the Site

• 1
  Utility companies respond quickly to permit requests.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  Contact local utilities to determine the routes of underground cables and pipes. Allow the companies access to determine the routes for electric, cable, water, telephone and Internet. Wait until they have marked the areas with spray paint before you do any digging.
  
  
• 2). Plan a fence style that will suit you for years. Invest in materials that will tolerate the summer heat and that deter infestation. Check out catalogs for designs and develop a rough draft of the fence perimeter to submit to the city. Plan to have your gates swing outward.
  
  
• 3). Submit two copies of the fence plan to the City of Plano through the Building Inspection Department, 1520 Avenue K, Suite 140, Plano, TX 75074. Submit copies with site plans, elevation levels, applicable footings, gate swings and utility routes.
  
  
• 4). Determine the best materials for the fence. Once they're purchased, spread the boards out over an area and allow the wood to dry before it is used, so that it does not warp.
  
  
• 5). Level the area of the fence line so that no soil will touch the bottom of the fence. Mark 8 feet between posts. Replace existing wooden posts with galvanized steel posts and set them in concrete. Use a post-hole digger and dig a 6- to 8-inch-diameter hole at least a foot deep so that shifts in the clay soil do not affect the posts.
  
  

Build According to Plans

• 1
  Plan devations require resubmission.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Run the construction string across the top of the steel posts and start in areas of high visibility. Place the crossbeams, or joists, between the posts. Slide three pipe grip ties onto each post and attach the joists using galvanized hex head 1¼ inch wood screws. Place the top and bottom joists 6 inches above and below the ends of the fence board, with the middle joist spaced evenly between the two. Use 2-by-4 boards instead of 1-by-3s for structural support and longevity.
  
  
• 2). Place the string across the top of the posts to provide a line for maintaining consistent fence height. Turn on the compressor and adjust the pressure to 60 to 80 psi. Place three drops of oil in the nail gun, attach the air hose to the compressor, and insert 1 1/4-inch brads into the nail gun. Line each board perpendicular to the joist, its top even with the string, and insert three nails per joist, nine total nails per board, in building the fence.
  
  
• 3). Coat the fence with a weatherproof product so that the fence maintains its integrity and doesn't develop a dingy gray color. Power-wash the fence if excessive weathering turns the fence color and reapply a long-term weather coating.