Fence & Gate Installation in Tiki Island, TX

What we install in Tiki Island

Tiki Island is a waterfront canal community of 1.4 square miles, with about 1,000 single-family homes on the 2019 tax rolls and one road in and out, to I-45. It was incorporated on August 30, 1982 as a Type A general-law town governed by a Board of Aldermen, and it writes its own building and fence rules. We install new fences and gates here for full-time homes and weekend houses:

• Open metal fences: ornamental iron and steel in picket or flat-top styles. The ordinance asks for see-through fences, and metal has to be hot-dipped galvanized steel.
• Open vinyl and wood pickets where a see-through style suits the house: vinyl or wood.
• Chain link for dog runs and storage areas, in hot-dipped galvanized steel.
• Gates: walk gates and driveway gates, with openers and access control if you want them.

Thinking about aluminum? The ordinance says metal fences shall be hot-dipped galvanized steel, so ask the Village building official how it treats aluminum before you settle on it. We’ll raise the same question at the estimate.

The Village fence ordinance, line by line

Division 6 of the Village Code of Ordinances (Secs. 6-300 to 6-303) is short, and every line of it can change a fence plan:

• Approval first. Before fence plans are used or work starts, they are approved by the board of aldermen or the building official. The rules cover land inside the Village and within one-half mile of its limits.
• Six feet, no batter boards. No fence may exceed a total of six feet in height, and batter boards at the bottom are not permitted.
• See-through. Except as the section otherwise provides, only a see-through type fence may be built or replaced. The ordinance doesn’t define “see-through”, so check a semi-private style with the building official before you order it.
• Galvanized. Metal and chain link fences must be hot-dipped galvanized steel, coated after fabrication, with every cut or damaged surface painted after installation. Nails, spikes, bolts, screws, fasteners and hangers must be hot-dipped galvanized too.
• Anchored for 110 mph. Posts, corner posts and supports must be anchored so the fence withstands 110 mph winds; the ordinance recommends setting them in concrete or driving them to a suitable depth.
• Neat and attractive. Every fence must be built properly, so that a neat and attractive appearance is conveyed and maintained.

For comparison, the City of Bayou Vista next door has a different ordinance, and the City of Galveston has its own height table. Rules from one don’t carry over to the others.

Survey, easements and the property line

On Tiki Island the survey comes before the fence, not after a dispute. Before construction, a registered public surveyor licensed by the state surveys the lot. The survey has to show the property limits, every utility easement and any other easement, and the surveyor stakes all the corners so the boundaries are easy to see.

Then three location rules decide where the line can go:

• No fence beyond the property lines of the lot.
• No fence within a utility easement.
• No fence in the part of the lot beyond the inside boundary line of a utility easement, meaning between the easement and the lot line. Aerial and drainage easements don’t count for this rule.

The permit application includes a drawing of the fence line, and the building inspector inspects the fence during construction and again when it’s finished.

Repairing or replacing an old fence

Older fences that don’t meet today’s ordinance can stay, within limits. If a fence along any perimeter or property line is more than 50 percent damaged, the entire fence along that line has to be replaced under the current rules. After a storm, that can turn a repair into a new six-foot, see-through, galvanized run with a survey and a permit.

That makes the material choice matter: open styles let wind through instead of taking its full force, and galvanized hardware is what the ordinance requires anyway. No fence is hurricane-proof; see hurricane-ready fencing for the design choices and their limits.

From estimate to finished fence

1. Free on-site estimate. The fence line is measured against your survey, and the easements, bulkhead, grade, utilities and gate locations are noted.

2. Design to the ordinance. Height, a see-through style, galvanized steel or hardware, and post anchoring for 110 mph winds. Anything the ordinance leaves open, such as aluminum or a semi-private style, goes to the building official before you order. You get a written estimate after the visit.

3. Survey, permit and approvals. A current survey with the corners staked, the Village building permit with a drawing of the fence line, and Community Association approval if the lot is inside its territory.

4. Installation and inspections. Posts are set, the fence is built and gates are adjusted to swing and latch. The Village building inspector inspects during construction and on completion.

What affects cost and timing: the length and height of the run, material and hardware, the number and width of gates, access around the house and bulkhead, removing an old fence, and how long the survey, Village approval and any association approval take. Financing is available through the providers on our financing page, subject to credit approval.

Questions we get about this