Fence Contractor

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hello,

We're looking for a (cough-cough) "reasonably-priced" fence installer for our yard. (Don't laugh! I'm still in culture shock as I just moved here. Ok, you can laugh. ) We are renting a house in Tolochenaz and we have permission to install a fence at our own cost. We expect it to be pricey but our first quote made our eyes bug out.

If anyone has any good experiences with fence contractor (does not have to speak English as I have an interpreter), I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

2
I'm not in your neck of the woods but these threads might give you some pointers:

fencing contractors

Fencing (Garden) Basel Recommendation(s)

3
Tolochenaz is also in canton of Vaud, just outside Morges, direction Geneva

4
thank you, i should have stated Vaud/Morges. also, i just realized i think should go in Houses not housing. sorry. I'm still learning how to post on this forum.

i will start reviewing these sites today and try to brush up enough on my french to hire on my own. we do have a "relocation" consultant to help us interpret, however, i'm pretty sure they are locked into their own vendors. I got the feeling that there was a referal fee thing happening and thus not likely the best price for us.

I just need something to keep my dogs in. we have huge hedges, but lots of holes in them and we are on a very busy road. The garden/yard is huge but I was surprised at the first quote we received. it was 14,000 CHF. We expected something around 6,000-9,000 CHF so I want to at least do diligence and shop around.

5
Fencing (Garden) Basel Recommendation(s)

This is swiss-wide as noted, but I'll clarify the french name and webpage if it helps.

Swisscloture, www.swisscloture.ch

The DIY Hornbach or similar option still applies, they are in Etoy if that helps.

6
Just an FYI:

Do make sure that you not only have permission to install a fence, but also to leave the fence there when you move on - because this could be a factor in the type of fencing you choose.

One of the reasons for those eye-popping quotes is that Swiss fences, like Swiss houses, are built to last for centuries. I wanted a simple green wire fence put up; one fence contractor I spoke with felt it necessary to sink each post in a square meter of concrete.

Some landlords demand that you take down anything you have installed, leaving the property in the same condition in which you found it. Digging up and disposing of a lot of concrete would be a pain, to say the least. So before you install something 'Swiss permanent', make sure you will not be required to de-install it later.

(In the end, my husband installed the fence himself; a simple 120cm high green mesh wire. Took him a weekend, cost of less than a thousand for the materials and tools - against the 15,000+ the contractors wanted. If you are at all handy, you might consider that option.)

7
If it's not done propoerly and according to a certain standard, the landlord will be well within his rights to ask you to remove it and dispose of it and put the area back to the original condition when you leave.

Wire and fences have incredible strengths, far more than you imagine and by not concreting the posts in firmly, with proper concrete, not cement, they will quickly be pointing in all different directions. A SQM of concrete is properly an exageration, but you'll need about 30cm x 30cm x 40cm for intermediary posts and for corner posts where the fence pulls in 2 directions, a little bigger.

8
Just to clarify, you not only need permission from the owner, but more importantly permission from the commune. Depending on your commune and the location of the house, you mentioned a main road, there could easily be a host of regulations, ie. not higher than x, y meters inside the property. If a main road is involved, expect worse, likely a visit from the Canton authories due to possible road safety issues.

fyi--We took down an old fence to replace with fence and wall, one side was regulated by the Commune, bordered commune road, the other side regulated by Canton, as it bordered a cantonal road. This required a few visits and approvals by canton authorities after going through the commune process.

9
I know, I've been through it. But it's still nowhere near where I live. The pointers I was referring to were local paysagistes and swisscloture.

10
In canton of Basel ?

11
Sorry, forgot. Some people need it served on a plate

Paysagistes near Tolochenaz:

http://yellow.local.ch/en/q/?type=bu...at=paysagistes

Swissclôture Leman:

http://www.zaunteam.com/zaeune/en/lo...itzerland.html

12
Wow, thank you all for this info. Yes, we have permission from landlord to install and our relocation consultants would more than likely assist on the permits from canton or town as they are involved in the project already. I don't plan to take it down when we leave and the landlord is fine with leaving it up if it were "swiss made" to last. the eye-popping costs are definitely the "swiss made" stuff as the quote shows concrete dug way down into the ground. The thing is, our garden is huge and already has tall hedges. BUT the hedges have so many holes in them and against the a busy street. Around the hedges, there are bits and pieces of a variety of fence material: some flexible stuff you find in the store/Do It Yourself, other fence material is more sturdy but defnitely not "swiss made" installed. The husky can easily break down any of it if not supervised. I'm thinking we'll do all around the hedges of something less "swiss made' to save costs as one poster just suggested. My husband is VERY handy, in fact has his own woodshop in our home in the States and he's an awesome handyman around the house. the problem is, his job here has been so very demanding, he's traveling so much, i just can't see asking him to do it, tho he did offer. I'm going back to the first contractor to ask for the "nice swiss made" fence for just the completely open areas (there are 2 short areas without hedges) and then see what we can do about the hedges with holes and miscellaneous fencing. I'm also going to research all the links provided in this thread, so I may still go the option of a better fence all the way around the perimeter. My dogs don't need to be outdoors when i'm gone. they are housetrained and really well-mannered. it just would be a nice option to have that security there if for some reason i need to leave them outside because the husky is likely to escape when she's bored. no, tethering a dog is not an option. it's very dangerous. especially for 2 who love to play. we do have crates and i could use those outdoors but again, trying to think of best solution for happiest dogs.

13

Nev, i quite agree with you but in the original post, he did say he only just moved here..... I imagine if he finds some small gardering company then it should be too expensive.

One thing nobody seems to ask is how big is the garden ? Maybe 14k was a bargain, they seemed ready to pay up to about 9K anyway !

14
Pity your relocation agent didn't try to negotiate with the landord before you moved in on sharing the cost of the fence. Afterall, if professionally done and of a high standard, it enhances his property. That would be my argument. Not knowing the rental terms it is difficult to say but the other possibility would have been for the landlord to pay for the fence and increase the rent as a fenced garden is an improvement.

Sometimes a landlord who is getting a good monthly rent and good tenants will be agreeable, it is a question of asking. You don't ask, you never know.

The other problem you might encounter when installing the fence posts are tree roots. This could make the task really difficult.

15
And, you may even need permission from the neighbors, if the house is part of a Gemeinschaft or Quartier. (Welcome to Swiss bureaucracy. )

---

As Huskys can easily clear 120cm (a typical restriction in many cantons) and possibly also a 2 meter fence... you might need to get a bit creative with your fencing.

Our canton restricts fencing to 120cm on the property line, 2 meters if erected a full meter back into your property. My sheltie can clear 120cm without breaking a sweat, and I really didn't feel like giving away a sizeable chunk of my property by setting the fence back on all sides - so I had do something different.

We put in a double fence; the 120cm green wire fence encircles the property. Then I have hedges (mixed plantings) planted in front of that fence - this hides the fence on both sides (neighbor is happier) and blocks the doglet's view, limiting temptation. Then in front of the hedge I have a 1 meter nice looking wooden fence. Trellised along that fence are berry vines. If the mutt jumped the first fence (the vines are a disincentive to doing so), the hedge ensures she wouldn't have any room to jump the second. All in all, I have a meter wide, 120 cm high barrier. As secure as can be, given fencing restrictions here.

Mine aren't diggers, thank doG...

Also - if your property slopes, make sure you understand how the canton measures fence height.

Oh - and do be sure you have your landlord's permission in writing .

16
You do know that you are posting to the English Forum for people based in Switzerland, don't you?...CH and Boston is quite a long hop and skip from each other...or was this just cut / paste for free advertisement?