Fence Installation & Deck Building in the Twin Cities

42 inches or it heaves

Twin Cities frost depth for footing purposes is 42 inches in most cities, deeper in a hard winter. Deck footings and fence posts both need bearing below that line. Surface blocks and 24-inch post holes are the two most common reasons we get called to rebuild someone else's four-year-old deck.

Fence posts get set in concrete to depth with the bell below frost so the ground cannot grab and lift them.

Property lines and permits

Most metro cities require a fence permit and a site plan, cap front-yard fence height at 4 feet and rear at 6, and require the finished side to face out. Corner lots have sight-triangle rules. We check your city's ordinance before we quote so nothing has to come back down.

If the line is in question, a survey is cheaper than a boundary dispute. Minnesota's rules on boundary trees and encroaching fences are unforgiving once something is already built.

The ledger is where decks fail

Almost every residential deck collapse in the country happens at the ledger board, not out in the field. It needs structural fasteners on a schedule, flashing that keeps water out of the rim joist, and it cannot be nailed on. We flash and bolt every ledger and photograph it before the inspection.