Fences: What are they and why do you need them?

The First Fence

Since the dawn of time, mankind has looked for ways to mark his property and protect it from scavenging or theft. Well, technically, it’s not only man. This behavior is observable in a good number of animal species, as well as anyone looking for fencing materials in Vancouver.

In the animal kingdom, this is a behavior frequently referred to as marking one’s territory. What this does is give the animal a specific geographic area in which to call the animal’s own. Anything that comes into this marked area is treated as a threat, and rightly so.

For humanity, marking of owned property grew in different directions. For some, it was merely placing beacons on the ground to mark the boundaries of the territory. For others, it was planting of hedges. For most, though, fences were and still are the preferred option.

What are Fences?

Say someone gifts you a piece of land- wait, that’s not inspiring enough. Let’s say you’ve always wanted a space to raise ponies and some cows or sheep. After many years of hard work, you now have saved up enough money to start your farm.
The farm will have specific dimensions. You don’t need to walk around with a map and GPS to locate the end of the farm. Your farm animals definitely won’t know how to use those tools; they’ll wander off to wherever their curiosity leads them.

What you can do is demarcate the boundary of the farm in a way that your lovely farm animals won’t cross over and feat on the neighbor’s corn plantation. Your cows will not recognize beacons. A hedge is costly to maintain, and your cows will feast on it if it doesn’t poison them.

What you need is a physical barrier. This barrier will not only separate your farm from your neighbors but also keep your cows from wandering off to eat the forbidden fruit. Well, your neighbor’s cows won’t come to feed on your plants after all the backbreaking work you did.

People often refer to this physical barrier as a fence. Fences are mostly built using posts that are dug into the ground and then connected using various means. The most common are wooden picket fences.

Fences are a versatile addition to any property. It doesn’t matter whether this property is somewhere in the Cascade Range or, say, in Vancouver, WA. A fence still makes a lot of sense in an urban setting. Aside from being a tool for demarcation of farms, they have other uses that we will now take a look at.

Perimeter Fencing

Boundaries that mark off the perimeter of someone’s property first come to mind when bringing up the concept of fencing. We build these types of boundaries in a variety of materials, from vinyl, wood, stone, and chain-link, to more organic borders like hedges, shrubs, and cactus. This type of fencing serves as both an aesthetic outdoor element for a home or business owner, as an obvious marker of where private property begins and ends.
The nature of one’s property drastically affects the stylistic presentation of a fence. For example, militarized perimeter fencing is often tall, austere, and challenging to scale. This physical presence not only prevents intruders and protects assets, but also visually signifies the importance of staying away for anyone who isn’t meant to be inside the property. By contrast, a home’s four-foot-tall white picket fence is more of a stylistic choice than a practical boundary. A visitor might even see this type of fencing as an inviting element of your home.

Agricultural Fencing

As stated before, people often use this type of fencing for livestock. This type of border prevents predators from easily approaching a heard of livestock while also preventing these animals from collectively wandering away from the property they live on. In many areas, this type of fencing is even mandated by law if someone owns a large amount of livestock.

Crowd Control Fencing

From parades to festivals, you’ll always see some type of metal fencing at any public event. These barriers serve both a physical and a psychological purpose. They mark an “off-limits” zone while physically preventing any purposeful or accidental breach into an area that could disrupt the event or even harm the intruder. They’re often very versatile as well, interlocking and unlocking for quick removal and placement in a dynamic event area. When event workers or security interlock these barriers, however, they’re impenetrable due to their collective weight.

Fencing for Your Specific Needs

No matter what your purposes for building your fence in the pacific northwest, you should never start a fencing project without the proper materials and know-how. From garden bed materials to heavy-duty fencing products, Shurway has you covered for your comprehensive fence-related needs. We’ll help bring your vision for your outdoor construction to life. Call us today, and we’ll see how we can help you build your personalized fence!