# Forum Home Renovation Fences & Screens  Help with Colorbond fence gaps and gate

## edam

I hired a fencer to put up Colorbond fence around my property. It's a corner lot so there are a couple of 45' corners. On completion, I checked the quality of the installation and noticed a couple of things 
1) Posts don't join together snugly leaving 1/2cm-1cm gaps where the fence line turns ~45' 
2) The gate. Well, you can see it in the 4th photo. He said the post was straight when it was cemented but rain overnight has caused it to sink slightly.   
I have just received his invoice. Aside from the initial deposit, I haven't paid the full bill. 
Q1 - What can be done to fix the gaps and the gate? 
Q2 - Is it reasonable for me to ask him to rework before paying him the full sum?  
Photos:

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## Uncle Bob

I'd be annoyed. But mostly with the terrible hanging of the gate and all the marks on it and the picture above.

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## edam

> I'd be annoyed. But mostly with the terrible hanging of the gate and all the marks on it and the picture above.

  @Uncle Bob, I'm not concerned with the marks, which are just mud that can be washed off. Yeah, the gate is an eye sore. What would you recommend i do? 
Is it bad enough for me to reasonably get him to spend more time and at his own cost to fix it?

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## cyclic

First pic, screwing the posts together at the top will pull them together, but may put them out of plumb.
All posts should be have been screwed together BEFORE setting them in concrete.
Gate can be set straight by resetting the lower hinge, AND, setting the hinge plumb with the post, then cutting a small amount from the top rail to level/plumb the gate.
Of course you will then have an even gap down the otherside. 
What makes it look worse is the dark colour with sunlight through the gaps. I have seen a worse fence than yours in Brisbane done by Jims Fencing. 
The sheets should be riverted together. 
Don't pay until you are happy.
No one should pay $100 for an $80 job.

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## Marc

The gate is unacceptable and must be rectified. 
The little gaps can be fixed easily with a few extra screws. 
Picture number 2 seems to be out of plumb? Hard to say from a picture. 
Sure you can ask for this to be fixed.

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## Uncle Bob

> @Uncle Bob, I'm not concerned with the marks, which are just mud that can be washed off.

  Maybe so. But if I was a fencing contractor, I wouldn't have left before I had cleaned that up (maybe not if it was pitch black dark). To me it shows an unprofessional finish and I don't operate that way or like it. 
+1 to what the others said.

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## edam

Yup. He also left cement bags uncollected, post cut-offs lying around, tap not shut off and just a general muddy mess. Just my @@@@@@ luck!!  
He's a keen young lad with the right attitude so I had no regrets giving him the job but he has to really sharpen his skills quickly. He has promised to come back to rework those things, which is good, but I seriously doubt the gate can be fixed without removing adjacent posts and panels.  
Alternatively, I'm thinking of attaching a black rubber sheet (think mudflap?) behind the door across the gap so it's less visible?

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## Uncle Bob

I think it wouldn't look so bad if the gap was 50/50ed each side of the gate. Well maybe  :Smilie:

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## phild01

Apart from the dodgy work, I would prefer not to have CCA sleepers in contact with the metal.

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## joynz

> Yup. He also left cement bags uncollected, post cut-offs lying around, tap not shut off and just a general muddy mess. Just my @@@@@@ luck!!  
> He's a keen young lad with the right attitude so I had no regrets giving him the job but he has to really sharpen his skills quickly. He has promised to come back to rework those things, which is good, but I seriously doubt the gate can be fixed without removing adjacent posts and panels.  
> Alternatively, I'm thinking of attaching a black rubber sheet (think mudflap?) behind the door across the gap so it's less visible?

  The right hand gate post is the wrong height - in addition to being out of plumb.   
I would also have preferred the gate height to line up with at least one side of the fence (probably the left side) so there aren't three sets of different horizontal lines.  I suspect that was the fencers intention, but he’s ended up hanging the gate halfway up.   
The colourbond fence installation brochure recommends tapering rather than stepping a fence - both for looks and strength (though perhaps yours was too tall for this?) 
Definitely get him back.  This is a good learning experience for him.  Don't pay until it is 100%.  And give the gate a hose down to be sure that mud isn’t t hiding a lot of scratches.

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## havabeer

can you get a couple of lengths of 1.6mm angle (steel or aluminium), paint it the same colourbond colour and put it on the outside of the 45's to try and hide that gap? 
i really don't understand how he has buggered up the hinges on the gate so badly and thinks someone would be ok with it?

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## plum

Looks like an Airtasker job.

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## rebuildr86

honestly i feel sorry for the installer, obviously did it on his/her own, and either not a lot of experience, or on his/her last legs financially and just trying to make a buck in any area of "expertise".
Without knowing the prices being paid, its hard to comment on whether or not its reasonable, but if it works out at something like 15-25 dollars an hour labour, then thats simpy a case of "you get what you pay for". If you are to pay a reasonable amount, like closer to 40 an hour, then thats enough grounds to politely ask him/her if they could please rectify the 2 minor issues before completion of payment.
Ive been in that position many times, and sometimes just a polite request in a freindly manner is not offensive and gets everything sorted.
Just dont bring up the issues like a snob, allways respect that they tried, and maybe didnt succeed, and lets be honest, you cant epect them to rip it out and say "SORRY I CANT DO IT DONT WORY BOUT THE MONEY"...

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## doovalacky

It may be the photo but that gate could be a touch narrower at the bottom which is creating the gap or making it worse. Just going by the lines on the tin.
If its the post that's out of line taking the top rail and tin out and digging down the side of the concrete will allow it to be straitened. Might have to trim the the rail by 10mm as well. 
All the horizontal rails need screws both sides. I can see quite a few missing.
I hope there is a decent amount of cement on each post and not 1/2 a bag of premix or it will start leaning over after a few decent storms. 
Some of those gaps are that wide he's not going to be able to fully close them when screwed. The posts should have been screwed together before filling the hole with concrete. 
You might describe him as keen but he needs to spend some time with an experienced fencer.

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## joynz

> honestly i feel sorry for the installer, obviously did it on his/her own, and either not a lot of experience, or on his/her last legs financially and just trying to make a buck in any area of "expertise".
> Without knowing the prices being paid, its hard to comment on whether or not its reasonable, but if it works out at something like 15-25 dollars an hour labour, then thats simpy a case of "you get what you pay for". If you are to pay a reasonable amount, like closer to 40 an hour, then thats enough grounds to politely ask him/her if they could please rectify the 2 minor issues before completion of payment.
> Ive been in that position many times, and sometimes just a polite request in a freindly manner is not offensive and gets everything sorted.
> Just dont bring up the issues like a snob, allways respect that they tried, and maybe didnt succeed, and lets be honest, you cant epect them to rip it out and say "SORRY I CANT DO IT DONT WORY BOUT THE MONEY"...

  Fence posts concreted out of plumb & gate hung badly aren't minor issues in a fence!

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## Pulse

agree, that job is hopeless, there is a treated pine plinth in the gate! Rain can't make a fence move from plumb. A few mm out is ok not a few cm.

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## rebuildr86

> Fence posts concreted out of plumb & gate hung badly aren't minor issues in a fence!

   yes but if OP approaches the guy like that, he will be on the backfoot.
IM saying the appropriate way to aproach him is to ask him to rectfiy some minor issues.
If OP sais, "get back here and fix ur @@@@ work", expect the guy to completely ignore the message.

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