What Happens on the Day? A Step-by-Step Look at Professional Fence Installation in Melbourne
You’ve compared styles, collected quotes and finally locked in a date. But for most homeowners, installation day itself is a bit of a mystery. What time will the crew turn up? Do you need to be home? What happens to the old fence, and how long until the new one is finished?
Knowing what to expect makes the day run more smoothly. It also helps you prepare your property, avoid delays, and recognise good workmanship when you see it. Here’s a step-by-step look at how a typical professional fence installation unfolds in Melbourne, from the prep work beforehand to the final walk-through.
Before the Crew Arrives: Prep Work That Makes the Day Run Smoothly
A lot of what makes installation day go well happens in the days before it.
Sort out the boundary and your neighbour. If you’re replacing a dividing fence, the details should be agreed before anyone picks up a shovel. In Victoria, the Fences Act 1968 sets out how neighbours share the cost of a dividing fence and how to give formal notice. Install day is not the time to discover your neighbour expected a different height or style.
Check for underground services. A good installer will lodge a request with Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) to locate public utilities. That service doesn’t cover private lines, so tell your installer about any irrigation, pool plumbing, garden lighting, or pipes running to a shed or granny flat.
Clear the fence line. Move pot plants, outdoor furniture, bins and trailers away from the fence. Trim back shrubs and climbers so the crew has about a metre of working room on your side.
Plan for access. Make sure the side gate is unlocked, there’s room for the work vehicle near the property, and pets and kids are kept inside or well away from the work area.
Keep an eye on the weather. Melbourne’s changeable conditions, especially in spring, can affect the schedule. Heavy rain makes digging messy and can delay concreting, so don’t be surprised if your installer calls to reschedule after a downpour.
Arrival and Site Walk-Through
Most crews arrive early, often between 7 and 8 am, and a standard residential job is usually handled by a team of two or three.
Before any work starts, the lead installer should walk the fence line with you. This is when you confirm the exact position of the fence, the finished height, where gates go, and which way they swing. On sloping blocks, it’s also when you’ll agree on whether the fence steps down in level sections or rakes to follow the ground.
Use this time to raise anything you’re unsure about. Small changes are easy at this stage and much harder once posts are in concrete.
Step 1: Removing the Old Fence
If there’s an existing fence, it comes down first. The crew removes palings or sheets, takes off the rails, then pulls or cuts out the old posts. Old concrete footings are usually dug out so they don’t get in the way of the new post holes.
One important exception: many older Melbourne homes have fibro fences, sometimes called “super six” fences, that may contain asbestos. These must not be broken up or removed as part of an ordinary demolition. Asbestos removal is regulated in Victoria and generally needs a licensed removalist, so it’s handled as a separate job before the fencing crew starts.
It’s also worth confirming whether removal and disposal of the old fence is included in your quote. Tip fees add up, and you don’t want a surprise pile of timber left on the nature strip.
Step 2: Setting Out the Fence Line
With the old fence gone, the crew marks out the new one. String lines are run along the boundary and pegs mark each post position. Post spacing depends on the fence type. Colorbond panels, for example, are commonly spaced at around 2.4 metres, while some timber styles use closer spacing.
This step is about precision. Installers check levels along the run and plan how the fence will handle slopes, retaining walls, existing structures and corners. A straight, even fence starts with a careful set-out.
Step 3: Digging the Post Holes
Next come the post holes. Most crews use a powered auger, but tight access, nearby services or established tree roots sometimes mean digging by hand.
Hole depth matters. A standard 1.8-metre fence typically needs posts sunk around 600 millimetres or more into the ground, and deeper in softer soil or exposed, windy locations. Shallow posts are one of the most common reasons fences lean or blow over.
Melbourne’s ground conditions can make this the most unpredictable part of the day. Many suburbs sit on reactive clay that swells and shrinks with moisture, while others hit rock or basalt not far below the surface. An experienced crew will know how to adjust when the auger hits something hard.
Step 4: Setting the Posts in Concrete
Each post is placed in its hole, checked for height, aligned to the string line and made plumb, meaning perfectly vertical. Posts are then braced and concreted in.
Some crews mix concrete on site, while others use rapid-set products that firm up quickly enough for work to continue the same day. For timber posts, the top of the concrete should be shaped to shed water away from the post, which helps slow rot at ground level.
Depending on the product and the conditions, panels or palings may go on the same afternoon, or the crew may return the next day once the concrete has firmed up properly.
Step 5: Installing the Rails, Panels or Palings
This is where the fence starts to look like a fence.
Colorbond and steel fencing. The bottom rail goes in first, then the steel sheets slide into place, followed by the top rail and capping. Done well, the result is a clean, uniform line with sheets sitting square and level.
Timber paling fencing. Rails are fixed between the posts, often with a plinth board along the bottom to keep palings off the soil. Palings are then nailed on, usually with small gaps or overlaps to allow for natural timber movement.
Other styles. Aluminium slat, picket and pool fencing each have their own method. Pool fencing in particular must meet Victoria’s swimming pool and spa barrier rules, so make sure your installer understands the compliance requirements before work starts.
Whatever the material, signs of quality workmanship are easy to spot: straight lines, consistent heights, neat cuts, and fixings that are evenly spaced and secure. If you’re still choosing a contractor, it’s worth looking at completed jobs from specialists in fence installation in Melbourne to get a feel for what a well-finished fence looks like.
Step 6: Hanging Gates and Fitting Hardware
Gates are usually the last structural element. They need solid posts, correctly positioned hinges and latches, and enough clearance to swing freely without dragging on the ground, especially on sloping driveways and paths.
The crew will adjust the gate so it closes and latches cleanly. Pool gates must self-close and self-latch from any open position, so they need extra care. On larger jobs or with custom-made gates, it’s common for the gate to be fitted on a return visit once the rest of the fence is finished.
Step 7: Clean-Up and Final Walk-Through
A professional crew should leave your property tidy. That means collecting offcuts, screws and packaging, dealing with the soil removed from post holes, and taking away the old fencing materials if that was agreed.
Before they leave, walk the fence with the lead installer. Check that the line is straight, the heights are consistent, gates open and latch properly, and there’s no damage to gardens, paths or neighbouring property. Any small touch-ups are easiest to fix while the crew is still on site.
This is also a good time to ask about warranties and any care instructions for your new fence.
How Long Does It Take?
For a typical suburban backyard with a straightforward run of Colorbond or timber fencing, installation is often completed in a single day.
A few things can stretch the timeline:
- long fence runs or multiple sides of the property
- rock or difficult ground when digging
- steep slopes or retaining walls
- asbestos removal before work can start
- custom gates or specialty materials
- wet weather delaying digging or concreting
Your installer should give you a realistic timeframe when quoting, so ask about it upfront.
After the Install: Looking After Your New Fence
For the first few days, avoid leaning heavy items against the fence or letting kids swing on the gates while the concrete fully cures.
If you’ve chosen timber, ask your installer when it’s safe to stain or seal it. New timber often needs time to weather first. For Colorbond, an occasional wash-down with water keeps it looking fresh, and keeping soil, mulch and garden beds from building up against the bottom of the sheets helps prevent corrosion.
The Bottom Line
A new fence is a long-term investment, and installation day is where all the planning comes together. With the fence line cleared, the boundary sorted and a clear plan agreed on the morning, most homeowners find the process faster and less disruptive than they expected.
When you’re getting quotes, ask each contractor to walk you through how they handle the day, from removal and set-out to clean-up. A reputable fence installation company will be happy to explain its process, and the way it answers will tell you a lot about the quality of the job you can expect.
