Fencers
Erect and repair fences and gates.
A boundary fence and two neighbours
You are a fencer on a small rural crew, building a new boundary fence between two neighbouring properties on a hot morning. It is 7am and you and your offsider have posts, wire and a trailer ready. Both neighbours have come out to watch, and they do not seem to agree. Over the next day you will need to decide how to keep the work, and the peace, together.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
That old peg there marks the boundary. The fence goes on the line of that peg, no argument. My neighbour has been creeping over for years. I paid for this fence and I want it where I say. Start digging.
Start digging at the peg, since the person who is paying has said where to put it
The neighbour on the right arrives, furious. The peg is old, and no one knows if it is accurate. The posts have to be dug out, and you have lost a morning and the goodwill of both.
Say you will only build on a line both neighbours agree or a surveyor marks
Both neighbours grumble but agree to ask a surveyor. The line is marked two days later and you build it without a single complaint. A fence on a disputed line is a fight waiting to happen.
Build half the fence on the peg line, and leave the rest until the neighbours sort it out
Half the fence goes up on a line that may be wrong, and it is a harder job to move later. You avoided a standoff but built a problem into the fence.
I've hit a big rock about half a metre down, right where the strainer post goes. It won't shift. The boss said not to change the plan, but I could shift the post about a metre along. It would look nearly the same.
Move the post along a metre and carry on, since the rock is in the way and the fence will look similar
The end post carries all the tension of the wire, and its position affects the whole line. Shifted off the plan, it leans within a month, and the whole run has to be redone.
Ring the boss, describe the rock and ask how they want the end post handled
The boss gives advice, but the signal drops out twice and half an hour is lost. A quick call is sensible, but a short photograph would have saved time.
Take a photo of the rock and send it to the boss with a suggestion before you change anything
The boss replies within minutes with a way to anchor the post around the rock. The strainer holds firmly, and the fence stays on its line.
Look, could you leave a gap in the fence about here? My sheep keep wandering through to the creek on his side. I will sort it out with him later, but it would save me a lot of walking. Just for now.
Leave the gap as asked, since he is a neighbour and says he will sort it out
The sheep use the gap, and so do the other neighbour's cattle. Within a week there is a dispute that you started by building something that was never in the agreement.
Say the fence goes as planned and suggest he talk to the other owner about a gate
Mr Fitch thinks about it, then talks to the other owner. They agree to add a gate in the middle, and you return to fit it. Everyone gets what they need.
Leave the gap but tell the other neighbour nothing, so you don't stir the pot at all this week
The other neighbour finds the gap the next day and assumes you did it on purpose. He feels deceived, and the mistrust sticks. Quiet fixes can be loud problems.
How it went
By the end of the week the fence was straight, strong and on a line both neighbours had agreed. Fencers combine heavy physical work with measuring, planning and a lot of diplomacy. Would you enjoy being the person who puts up a boundary and keeps the peace around it?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The gate that would not latch
A fictional case set in a fencing contractor working on rural properties and suburban backyards across a fictional farming district.
The situation
Sandeep was finishing a pool fence for a young family in Cobb Heights. The gate was meant to swing shut and latch by itself, and he had set the hinges to do it. When the owner, Mr Pham, tried it, he said the latch kept clicking behind him and was annoying. He asked Sandeep to take out the spring, so the gate would stay open when they were out in the yard. The job was nearly done, the family had two small children, and the afternoon was running late.
What they did
Sandeep said politely that the gate could not be left open, and explained that the self-closing latch exists so that small children cannot wander into the pool area. Rather than argue, he offered to adjust the gate so that it closed more gently and the latch was quieter. He fitted a softer closing device and showed Mr Pham how to use it with a tray of drinks in his hands.
How it turned out
Mr Pham was still a little annoyed, but he admitted the gate felt smoother. The inspector passed the fence the following week. Months later, Mr Pham sent a short message to say his toddler had walked straight up to the gate and it had closed behind her mother.
What would you do?
- How would you say no to a customer who wants something that is unsafe?
- What did Sandeep do to be helpful while still keeping to the rules?
- Why do you think safety rules sometimes feel annoying until they matter?