Behind the Scenes of a Colorbond Fence Install
Most homeowners see two moments in a new fence’s life: the quote, and the finished product. Everything in between happens while you’re at work, inside on a Zoom call, or peering through the kitchen window wondering why there’s a bloke staring at a piece of string.
That day in between is where a fence is made or ruined. Knowing what happens, in what order and why, helps you prepare properly, ask better questions and spot the difference between a crew that does it right and one that cuts corners.
Here’s a walk through a typical install day. For an average suburban run of 20 to 30 metres on reasonably flat ground, most of this happens in a single day. We’ll cover the jobs that take longer near the end.
Before the crew arrives
A smooth install day starts a week or two earlier. A few things need to be sorted before anyone picks up a shovel.
- Your neighbour is on board. If it’s a boundary fence, your neighbour usually shares the decision and often the cost. In Victoria, the Fences Act 1968 sets out a formal notice process if you can’t agree informally. Most people never need it, but a quick chat and a written agreement on height, colour and cost-sharing saves a lot of awkwardness later.
- Underground services have been checked. A good installer will lodge a free request with Before You Dig Australia, or ask you to. Gas, water, power and NBN lines don’t always run where you’d expect, and an auger finds them the hard way.
- The fence line is clear. Move pot plants, outdoor furniture, bins, kids’ toys and anything else within a metre or so of the fence. Trim back shrubs and creepers growing through the old fence. If you can’t move something, tell the crew in advance.
- Pets are secured. For part of the day there will be no fence at all. Plan for the dog accordingly.
- Access is sorted. The crew needs a way to get sheets, rails, posts and concrete to the fence line, plus somewhere to put the old fence. Leave the driveway free and side gates unlocked.
- Colour and height are locked in. Your sheets will have been ordered in your chosen colour, whether that’s Monument, Basalt, Woodland Grey, Surfmist or one of the others. Changes on the day usually aren’t possible.
7:00–7:30am: Arrival and the site walk
A good crew doesn’t start pulling things apart the moment the ute door opens. The first job is a walk along the fence line with you, or with you and your neighbour, to confirm the details.
That includes where the fence starts and finishes, where any gates go and which way they swing, the finished height, and how the fence will handle any changes in ground level. It’s also when the crew points out anything that wasn’t obvious at quote time, such as a big tree root right where a post needs to go, a retaining issue, or a slope that’s steeper than it looked.
If you’re going to be out for the day, make sure the crew has your phone number. Questions do come up.
Pulling out the old fence
Next, the old fence comes down. Palings are stripped, rails are knocked off and the old posts come out. Timber posts set in concrete are often the slowest part of demolition, because the old concrete footings need to be dug out or broken up so the new posts have clean holes.
The old material is stacked for removal, usually onto a trailer or into a skip, depending on what was agreed in your quote.
A note on asbestos: Many older Melbourne homes have fibro or corrugated “super six” fences, which may contain asbestos. This is not part of a standard fence demolition. It must be handled by a licensed asbestos removalist and is usually done as a separate job before the install. If you’re not sure what your old fence is made of, ask your installer at quote time, not on the day.
Setting out: the string line
This is the part that looks like nothing is happening, and it’s one of the most important steps of the day.
The crew runs a tight string line along the fence line, from one end to the other. Everything that follows is set against that line. It’s what makes a Colorbond fence look dead straight from one end to the other, rather than wandering slightly as it goes.
Post positions are then marked along the line. Colorbond panels come in set widths, so posts are spaced to suit, typically around 2.3 to 2.4 metres apart. Any leftover length is handled with a cut panel, ideally at an end or behind a shed where it won’t be noticed.
If your yard slopes, this is where the crew decides between stepping the panels (each panel sits level, and the fence steps down in stages) or raking them (the panels follow the slope). Stepped fences usually need plinths underneath to close the gaps, which we’ll get to shortly.
Digging and concreting the posts
Holes are dug at each marked position, either with a powered auger or by hand where access is tight or there are services nearby. Depth matters. A solid steel fence acts like a sail in the wind, and shallow posts are the most common reason Colorbond fences lean or fail after a few years of Melbourne weather. As a general guide, posts for a standard 1.8m fence go in roughly 600mm deep, with deeper holes in soft or sandy soil.
Each post is set plumb against the string line and concreted in. An experienced crew checks every post with a level, because once concrete sets, there’s no adjusting it.
Depending on the concrete and the conditions, the crew may give the posts time to firm up before loading them with rails and sheets. On many jobs, this is the natural point for a lunch break.
The fence goes up: rails, sheets and plinths
This is the satisfying part of the day, usually somewhere between late morning and mid-afternoon, when it suddenly starts to look like a fence.
The bottom rail is fitted between the posts first. The Colorbond sheets then slot into the rail and the channels in the posts, and the top rail is fitted over the top to lock everything together. A skilled crew moves along the fence quickly at this stage, checking that the sheets sit straight and the rails run level.
Where the ground isn’t perfectly level, plinths are added along the base. These are panels (often concrete sleepers or steel) that fill the gap between the bottom of the fence and the ground. They stop soil washing through, keep pets from digging under, and stop the bottom rail sitting in damp soil.
If you ordered lattice or a fence extension for extra height or privacy, it goes on now as well.
Done properly, this stage is fast and neat. Done badly, it’s where you see uneven panel tops, sheets that rattle in the wind, or rails that sag. It’s worth choosing Colorbond fencing contractors in Melbourne with a track record you can actually look at, such as photos of finished jobs and reviews from local homeowners.
Gates and finishing details
Gates are their own small project. The frame is built or fitted, hinges and latches are installed, and the gate is adjusted so it swings freely, closes cleanly and doesn’t drag on the ground. If you need a pool-compliant gate, it needs to self-close and self-latch, and you should confirm that it meets the relevant standard.
Some crews come back on a second visit to hang gates once the concrete in the gate posts has fully cured. Gate posts take more load than any other post on the fence, so this is a sign of care, not a delay.
Finishing touches include end caps, trimming cut edges and making sure every join is tight.
Clean-up: the step that separates good installers from bad ones
If there’s one thing to watch for on install day, it’s this.
Cutting Colorbond produces swarf, which is fine metal filings. Left on the fence, swarf rusts within days, and those rust spots stain the paint finish. It’s one of the most common complaints with new Colorbond fences, and it’s entirely preventable. A careful crew sweeps and blows swarf off the sheets, rails and the ground beneath, on both sides of the fence.
After that, offcuts, spoil from the post holes and the old fence materials are removed. Your yard should be left tidier than it was when the crew arrived.
The last step is a final walk-through with you. Check the line is straight, the panel tops are even, the gates work properly and the area has been cleaned up. Any reputable Colorbond fence installer will be happy to fix small issues on the spot rather than leave them for a callback.
When a Colorbond install takes more than one day
Plenty of jobs wrap up in a day, but some don’t. Expect a longer timeframe if you have:
- A long fence run, or several sides of the property being done at once
- Steep slopes that need lots of stepping and plinths
- Rocky ground, heavy clay or big tree roots that slow down digging
- Retaining walls that need to be built before the fence goes in
- Asbestos that has to be removed first
- Rain, which can stop concreting and make sites unsafe
A good installer will tell you upfront if your job is likely to run over, so you can plan around it.
After the crew leaves
Your new fence needs very little from you, but a few things help it last:
- Avoid leaning heavy items against the fence or hanging anything from it for the first few days while the concrete fully cures.
- Keep garden beds, mulch and soil from building up against the bottom of the sheets.
- Wash the fence down with plain water occasionally, particularly in coastal areas. Avoid abrasive cleaners and harsh chemicals.
- Keep a copy of your invoice. Colorbond steel carries a manufacturer’s warranty, and most installers offer their own workmanship warranty on top, so you’ll want the paperwork if anything comes up.
If something doesn’t look right in the weeks after the install, such as a post moving or a sheet working loose, contact your Colorbond fence company early. Small issues are much easier to fix before they turn into big ones.
Quick install-day checklist
Screenshot this one for the week before your install:
- Neighbour agreement confirmed (for boundary fences)
- Before You Dig Australia check done
- Fence line cleared and plants trimmed back
- Pets secured for the day
- Driveway and side access clear
- Asbestos question answered for any old fibro fence
- Your phone number given to the crew
Install day can look chaotic from the kitchen window, with the old fence on a trailer, holes in the lawn and a string line pulled tight. But there’s a clear order to it, and when it’s done well, you finish the day with a straight, solid fence that should look good for decades.