Prevent Encroachment

To prevent encroachment, the fence post installation is critical. Ideally, heavy posts or strong concreting is to be done so that no one can move the fence posts away.

The recommended distance between two fence posts is 10 feet but they can be placed as far apart as 20 feet to further save on cost. The basic pattern of the fence design is to go for 4 horizontal lines each at a distance of 1 foot from each other. Other popular designs include 5 horizontal and 2 diagonal lines or 6 horizontal lines and 6 vertical lines. A complete guide on how to install this type of fence system can be found here.

The most common fence posts used are stones posts or concrete posts as most of them are quite heavy. In some cases, heavy iron posts are used which are concreted into the ground. On the fence posts usually, barbed wire or chain link installations are done.

Restrict Tresspassing

To restrict trespassing, the height of the fence is critical. The minimum suggested height is 6ft and it can go as high as 12ft. For vacant lands where agriculture is to be practiced soon, it is recommended to go for a 6ft high fence using either a stone/concrete or iron posts. If budget permits, a concertina coil can be installed over the top of the fence to reduce trespassing occurrences significantly.

Another middle solution that is cheaper than installing a concertina would be to install razor wires on an incline fence post on top of the main fence-able area to prevent trespassing.

Prohibit Illegal Occupation

In-order to prohibit illegal occupation, the fencing should be done in a perfect manner where no portion is left unfenced. If any small portion is left unfenced, several instances have happened where miscreants have occupied the land and have built temporary and in many cases permanent structures. Once the structures are built and people have started residing on the property, it is a very difficult task to get them to vacant the property. Several people have lost their properties this way and timely fencing would have avoided this problem.

Normally to prevent illegal occupation, sturdy and difficult to remove fences are installed such as chain link and welded mesh in a framed manner. To save on cost, sometimes barbed wire is used but it is generally not considered to be so effective. A cost-effective replacement to the barbed wire would be razor wire.

Stop Animal Intrusion

Animals can cause major property damage. Stray animals such as dogs, cattle, goats, and pigs not just damage the foliage but also dirty the place with their excretions. To stop stray animals from entering the property the most commonly used fence type is Chain Link. The biggest advantage of using a chain-link fence is that it does not cause injury to the animals and can prevent intrusion successfully. As stray animals tend to hunt for food there is a strong likelihood of them chewing the fence hence it is recommended to go for GI Chain Link Mesh instead of PVC Coated Chain Link.

Incase of Wild Animals, the fence solution has to be designed as per the species of the animals, some of the commonly faced wild animals, and the suggested solutions are as follows:

Wild Boars

These are the biggest nuisance in the Indian agricultural sector. Conventional fence systems have failed to stop them as they tend to hit the fence with force and also digging the ground in front of the fence and getting to the other side but their entry can be easily controlled by using several lines of Razor Wire particularly in the bottom of the fence.

The sharp blades of Razor wire ensure that the boars get a minor injury (not life-threatening though) and the injuries register in its mind that it is not possible to get to the other side. Normally the Razor wires are placed on the outer side of chain link mesh or a pure razor wire installation can also be done.

Wild Cats

In many deep forest areas, there is a strong possibility of wild cats such as leopards, tigers, lions, cheetah, and jaguars entering into the property. As most of these animals are strong, it is suggested to go for heavy GI Chain Link Mesh. In order to reduce the possibility of them jumping inside the property, it is suggested to go for a 2ft concertina coil on top of the fence installation.

Antelopes (Nilgai)

Nilgais are a common sight in the North of India and are known to destroy acres and acres of cultivated lands. Because they come with such great force and many times in numbers, most fence types are unable to stop them. So the fence that is to be installed needs to have rebound properties to deter them. One such successful fence installation for the Nilgai problem has been the Flexi Fence which has electric lines running through on the fence posts. Whenever the animal comes into contact with it with force, it flexes and rebounds hitting the animal back and deterring it from coming close to the property.

Monkeys

Until recently, there were no fence systems designed to stop monkeys from entering into farmlands and destroying the crops. But significant R&D has been done in this space and a solution has been designed where electric fence is installed at a significant incline angle to prevent monkeys from climbing onto the fence and making it to the other side. This system has managed to successfully prohibit monkey intrusion but care has to be taken as if there are any trees whose branches end inside the property, the monkeys would ultimately climb those branches and get inside.

Elephants

Elephants are known to cause the most devastating effect on farmland produce. Apart from the crop damage, there is also a strong chance of human casualties arising due to elephant intrusion. Most fence systems have failed at stopping elephants as they are very intelligent beings and have managed to overcome all traditional fence methods. Even the traditional electric fences have not been successful as the elephants are known to uproot trees and throw them on the fences.

The only working solution that has managed to stop the elephants has been a US patented electric fence installed at a particular angle so that elephants do not have access to the base of the post. This solution has been installed in several parts of India and has met with resounding success stopping significant crop damage and saving innumerable human lives.

Privacy

Wherever privacy is desired, compound wall construction is recommended but it is a very expensive option. One cheaper substitute for the regular compound wall which has been receiving a positive response is the precast ready-made compound wall. This type of perimeter security solution is modular in nature and the manufacturing and installation happen in a very short period compared to the regular compound wall. Also in many cases, one is able to save up to 50% of the cost when compared to the regular compound wall.

Functional / Sports

Apart from the regular fence usages, there are also several functional usages of fence systems predominantly in sports. The fence system varies according to sport to sport.

Tennis

Chain Link systems are normally installed in almost all tennis courts. Care has to be taken to select the right chain link mesh size as in an incorrect size, the tennis ball can either pass through or can get stuck in the fence. The chain link installation also plays a very critical part as poor installation can cause sags in the chain-link over some time which can ruin the looks of the tennis court.

Basketball

In Basketball courts, the fence system needs to have a significant height to disallow the ball from left to the court, and also because the basketball tends to significantly heavy compared to other sports ball, most fence systems can end up having dents. Hence it is recommended to opt for welded mesh systems for the basketball courts. Apart from meeting the desired objectives, the welded mesh systems also tend to look very attractive.

Cricket

I normally in Cricket stadiums, GI Chain Link Mesh is used to stop spectators from entering into the field. But in the case of cricket nets, HDPE nets are normally used. The quality of the nets should be good else the nets will end up having several holes as a result of constant contact with the ball.

Football

A common mistake done during most football court installations is the usage of Chain Link Mesh particularly behind the goal post. When this is done, the fence suffers significant impact as the ball hits it with a lot of force and the subsequent result is that the whole fence system is weakened.

Hence it is always recommended to opt for HDPE Nets for football goal posts and sturdy welded mesh systems in the boundary section behind the goal post.

Aesthetics

First impressions matter a lot and a fence system outside the home is the first structure that a visitor observes before entering inside the home. Luckily today we have several beautiful fence options that can be placed outside the home near the garden area. The most commonly used fence system is the Picket Fencing which is nowadays used by default in most of the high-end villas

Another very popular fence type would be the Lattice Fencing also called Lattice Trellis Fencing which is made of polypropylene, an all weatherproof material. A modern Lattice fence is ideal for Balconies, Garden area, Swimming pool area, and Terraces. Lattice Trellis provides high privacy with air circulations and protection from sunlight. They come in four standard colours - Bottle Green, White, Terracotta Red, Cream.

High Security

In-case where extreme high security is desired such as prisons, restricted government research centers, and other restricted zones, anti-climb or 358 fences can be installed. As the name suggests, in this fence due to the small spacing between the mesh it is practically impossible for anyone to climb. These fences are normally seen in Australian prisons.

To add additional security, normally electric fences are installed on top of the fence or compound wall to deter criminals from entering inside the property. The electric fences that are installed are generally SMART and use IoT technologies to alert the users whenever there is any intrusion via a gsm alert or CCTV activation.

Another extremely high secure fencing is the triple layer of which would almost reduce the possibility of human intervention to nil.