We know our vinyl is much better quality than the box stores, and we’re proud of the quality product we offer. However, we were pretty surprised recently when we delved a little deeper and took the actual weight of a couple of their panels and compared it to ours. Ours weighed 30%-40% more per foot! We knew our product was a lot more dense, but we were surprised that the weight was so much more.

Shining a flashlight in the rail of a box store panel shows how translucent and thin the vinyl is

Shining the same flashlight in a WamBam rail illustrates the thickness of the vinyl.

Since we notice fencing of all kinds when we drive around in our daily lives, we often see homes with box store fences that look translucent in the sunlight. In other words, they are so thin that the sun shines through. The price may be right, but the age old truth “you get what you pay for” holds true. This thin product will not last, which means you’ll have to replace it way sooner than you want to, resulting in additional time and money.

Just make sure you do all your homework when buying a vinyl fence. You want a product that will perform consistently over the lifetime of the product, and our lifetime guarantee gives that peace of mind. There are many great manufacturers in the fence industry that extrude a quality product, so even if you don’t choose our fence, just make sure that you choose one that will stand the test of time- and won’t act as an outdoor lampshade!

We specialize in helping homeowners install their own vinyl or aluminum fence. We believe that almost anyone with an average skill set and some patience can tackle this project on their own- or preferably with a helper.  There are many benefits to installing your own fence, and here are the top 3.

You can save a lot money when you install yourself.

1. It can save you a lot of money

Professional fence installation is a wonderful service, but generally labor is as much as materials, so it’s expensive. If you install your own fence, you can save up to thousands of dollars. These kinds of savings usually make the work involved worth the effort.

The bottom line? Installing your own fence is a great way to save your family money.

You can make your install even easier by renting our gas powered post driver.

2. You don’t need to dig holes or pour concrete

Installing a fence has traditionally been a lot of work, and often heavy equipment was required. Renting power augers to dig deep holes–or manually digging them– is enough to make anyone run for the hills. Add the pouring of hundreds of pounds of concrete, additional to tearing up your yard, and it’s no wonder homeowners shy away from installing their own fence. It’s just too much work.

Now with WamBam’s DIY-friendly system, you don’t need to dig holes or pour concrete. This makes the project so much easier. And if you want to make it even easier, you can rent one of our gas powered augers to do most of the work for you.

3. You can be a hero

We’re not going mince words- it takes time to install a fence. Even though a WamBam Fence requires significantly less work than your average fence install, you do need to spend a great deal of time, effort, and patience, and there is no way around that. However, when you invest time into a project, pride inevitably goes hand in hand. Soon you’re the hero of your family–and maybe even your neighborhood. There is generally a lot of satisfaction when you pull up to your home every night and admire your handy work.

“I’m just going to sit out here and admire my handiwork!”

 Hurricanes, Dogs with Long Tongues and Angry Husbands Breaking Levels Over the Knee: One Customer’s Story

Weathered Hurricane Sandy and all decorated for the Holidays!

Dawne from Avon, OH wrote this entire post, captions and all, without any prompting or bribery from us. It’s a great story and one of the best fence installs we’ve seen to date (note how the top is absolutely level despite uneven ground- this is the most professional way to get it done, and one few customers tackle!) Keep reading!

Just getting started…

Uncle Fred to the rescue with his transit….all posts were within 1/4 inch of each other! My husband is so proud!

“Ahhhh….where to begin? My husband and I first saw the Wam Bam fencing system on the DIY network on one of those home improvement shows which we love to watch. We always had the intention of installing a fence since we moved into this house a couple of years ago but did not want to pay thousands of dollars to have it installed. This system intrigued us so I did some more research on line. We knew we could save a lot of money doing it ourselves but thought there would be NO way this fence could stand up to the winters we get here in Ohio. We went as far as getting a quote but did not carry it any further at that time. So this October we FINALLY took the plunge. After deciding on what style of fencing and how much we needed I emailed your company. I received a speedy response from Denise with a lot of useful information. I especially liked the fact that she showed us how we could save some money if we changed up our runs a bit.

Taking turns with Springy Suzy…..lol! The boys even worked in the rain.

Ahhh…progress is being made!

My husband taking is frustrations out on his level…..only kidding, I stepped on it and broke it so we thought we would have some fun!

We ordered our 200 feet of fence and off we went. Now we did have some issues getting the fencing delivered by NO fault of Wam Bam as they are at the mercy of the delivery company. The communication could not have been better as Linda stayed on top of things throughout the entire process. Her sense of humor was such a breath of fresh air! The fence arrived and we got to work that weekend. Only one post was damaged and was replaced promptly by Wam Bam. The hardest part was getting those posts into our hard, clay ground. But with a little muscle and help from Uncle Fred, things went smoothly. It took us about 4 weekends all together to fully complete the project but that is because my husband is OCD and everything had to be perfect. We did have some uneven ground on the one side of our yard so we decided to step the fence from the bottom which took some time to do. With the aid of a transit, the posts were all within a ¼ inch of one another and looks like a professional installed it. I cannot tell you how may compliments we received on the fence.

Sun runs are finally complete!

One gate up!

Here comes the interesting part! ONE weekend after we completed the fence…HURRICANE SANDY hit! We had over 24 hours of sustained winds of 50mph with gusts up to 70mph here in Avon, Ohio. The house was literally shaking! In between 12 hours of manually emptying the sump pump because we lost power, I took frequent peeks outside. I was afraid that there would be no fence left standing! With tears running down my face, I thought all that hard work on that fence had been lost. After the winds had finally died down and we got our generator delivered we were able to take a deep breath and go outside and assess the damage. THE FENCE WEATHERED THE STORM! I am now a firm believer in this product! Our neighborhood was hit hard. All the basements were flooded, siding ripped off houses, trees down all around but our fence is still in one piece! I want to thank Wam Bam and all the wonderful employees you have there running your company. It was really a pleasant experience from beginning to end….minus the storm!”

Gate 2 complete!

Stepping up from the bottom so the fence remains level all around…..PERFECTION!

Quincy says “You did this all for me?” And yes, that is his tongue hanging out of his mouth!

Love it!

Well done Dawne, Uncle Fred, Mr Weiss and Quincy! We are very impressed!

PS If Mr Weiss ever finds himself in need of a job, he really should consider the fence installation business… 😉

Choosing the right material for your fence can be a big  decision. There are 3 main material choices you have for a residential fence. Below is a chart outlining the benefits of each.

Obviously, since we manufacture vinyl and ornamental fence we are biased towards these two materials. Having said that, some people prefer wood because of the initial up front costs or natural look. If you’re choosing wood because it’s initially cheaper, keep in mind that maintenance over the years will add considerable expense (check out this vinyl vs. wood true costs infographic). If you prefer the natural look and don’t mind the maintenance, by all means, we respect your tastes!

We’re going to assume if you keep reading that you are choosing between vinyl and aluminum. Each has it own benefits and considerations.

What’s the Primary Reason for a Fence?

If you need a fence for privacy, vinyl is the default since you can’t get aluminum privacy. The same is true with ranch rail or a traditional picket fence. The only time you really have to choose between vinyl and aluminum is for 4-5 feet tall open perimeter fence. This style of fence is mostly used for pools, setting up boundaries on your property, or keeping pets and children safe. If this is what you need, keep reading for more tips on choosing vinyl or aluminum.

If you’re after the classic picket fence, you’ll need to go with vinyl.

Color Choice

Our vinyl fence is white and our aluminum fence is black. If you have a color preference either way, this may be the deciding factor. Some customers prefer white because it compliments their house, and some prefer black because it can look more subtle.

This vinyl fence looks terrific with the white trim on the shed.

This southern style home looks great with our aluminum fence affixed to stone pillars.

Style Preference

Aluminum is generally more subtle and blends into landscaping, where as vinyl is more obvious. Some people enjoy the look of a vinyl fence because from 5ft away it looks like freshly painted wood, or it can match the shutters and trim of the house. Vinyl posts are usually thicker and more substantial (4-5in.) and aluminum posts are quite a bit thinner (2in.). The overall style difference between aluminum and vinyl is quite significant, and much of it depends on personal taste.

This vinyl fence offers a nice contrast to make a bolder statement

What Is Everyone Else Doing?

Have a look around your neighborhood and pay attention to what material is prevalent. If all your neighbors have vinyl, you really should consider vinyl so it looks uniform to the other houses on the street. The same is true with ornamental aluminum.

If you live in a New England style home with shutters and white trim, vinyl will often compliment it best. If you live in an area with black shutters and dark home colors, aluminum might be the natural choice.  Again, looking around your city to see what your neighbors are choosing will also help you decide what fits best.

Though the trim on the house is white, the black fence provides a classy pairing with the gray brick on the house.

Finally

Choosing the fence material for you can be a big decision, but once you weigh all the considerations, the answer usually becomes more clear. Often it boils down to personal taste. Don’t forget that your friends at WamBam are always available to help walk you through the process as well.