Two things to talk to your fencing contractor about before they build your fence
Fencing contractors have a wealth of knowledge about fencing, and it's important to take advantage of this when using their services. Here are two things you should talk to your fence contractor about before they build your fence.
The speed with which you want the fence built
Before you talk about materials or the fence design, you should talk to the contractor about how quickly you'd like the fence to be built, as this may influence what type of fence you can construct. For example, if you own chickens and there are wild foxes coming onto your property and attacking these chickens, or if you've experienced people trespassing on your property multiple times, then you may need to have the contractor build the fence around your home very quickly.
If this is the case, then they might advise against opting for any type of masonry fence, as these can take a few weeks to build (especially if you have a large property) and instead, they might advise you to opt for a chain-wire fence that they could erect in a matter of days. In contrast, if you're building a fence that needs to be incredibly sturdy so that it can withstand storms and hurricane-level winds but you're having it built in the summer when the weather is good, the contractor might recommend going for a masonry fence, as they'll have plenty of time to build it before the weather starts to get tumultuous.
Whether the fence you want them to build will be a short-term or long-term structure
You should also talk to the fence contractor about whether you're planning to keep the fence for years or for a much shorter period. For example, if you eventually want to build a wall around your property but don't want to embark on this demanding project just yet, then the contractor might tell you to put up a cheap-and-cheerful pine fence, that will be easy and inexpensive to install, but which will suffice until you're ready to take on the much more challenging process of building a large wall. When the time comes to take the fence down, you won't lose out on too much money, as pine fences are very affordable and you can always reuse the wood for other projects.
In contrast, if you'd like the fence to stay in place indefinitely, then the contractor might steer you towards higher-quality fence materials, like wrought iron, which can withstand heavy winds, rain and pests without being damaged, and which will take a very long time to succumb to age-related deterioration.