Compatibility: will a fence work with what is on your lot
The fence type is the easy part to choose. The lot decides whether it can be built as planned: the boundary, what is already there, the ground, the gate and the rules that apply to a pool or a corner.
The lot can overrule a good choice
Once the job has settled the fence type, the lot decides whether it can be built as planned. Two checks come before anything else. The first is the boundary. The Town of North Attleborough Building Department's fence guidelines warn that owners often misplace the line, and that a neighbour's later survey can show a fence is on their land. It recommends a survey before any fence installation, and we agree with that advice.
The second is what is already there. A fence already on the line raises the neighbour question, and the survey answers it. Old posts are useful only if they are sound at the ground line, and a post that is rotten there will not hold a new panel. Settle both before you choose a type, because either one can rule a type out on its own.
Check the lot first, then the fence: the same design fits some yards and not others.
What the ground, the gate and the pool change
Slope is the first thing to measure. A fence that runs down a grade can step its panels or follow the ground, and each option changes the post spacing and the look. Ask the installer which one they would build on your lot before you settle on a type.
Soil decides how the posts stand. Wet or loose ground changes how the posts are set, and it is the reason to ask how the posts will be set in your soil before the work starts.
Gates need their own opening. Measure the clear gap where the gate will hang, allow for its swing, and check that the hardware suits the gate's weight. A gate used every day needs posts built for it.
A pool changes the rules more than any other feature. A pool barrier needs a top at least 48 inches above finished ground, no more than 2 inches of clearance underneath, and a gate that swings outward, closes itself and latches itself. The picket and mesh limits for a pool are set out on the Equipment page.
A driveway and a corner lot each add a visibility rule. On a corner, the space inside the sight triangle is kept low, and a fence near the front of a driveway may have to stay open enough for drivers to see past it. Check your town's own distances before choosing a solid panel for a corner.
