Fence Brothers, a family-owned fence installation company serving West Michigan since 2013, is encouraging homeowners to schedule fall fence projects now, before winter frost sets into the ground and makes setting posts slower and harder to complete.
The advisory comes down to how the ground behaves here in winter. Michigan's frost line sits at 42 inches under state residential code (MRC R403.1.4), which marks how deep the soil can freeze in a hard season. Posts set shallower than that depth can heave during the repeated freeze-thaw cycles that run through a West Michigan winter, leaving a fence line leaning or uneven by spring. Once the ground freezes, reaching the proper depth takes more time and heavier equipment, so fall is the last practical stretch to start a project and finish it in workable soil.
Timing a project now also lines up with the company's current schedule. Fence Brothers books free estimates within 48 hours of a request and is starting new projects in roughly two weeks. Jobs that need a municipal permit add about two more weeks. On those, the company files the applications, schedules MISS DIG utility locating, and reviews property lines and homeowners association rules before crews arrive. MISS DIG, Michigan's underground marking service, requires three full business days' notice before any digging. A homeowner who begins the process in the coming weeks can have posts in the ground while the soil is still open.
Homeowners can move a fall project along by settling a few decisions early. It helps to know where the property lines fall and to have any homeowners association approval in hand before the estimate. Gate placement is worth deciding early too. The company reviews those items during the free estimate and handles the township and utility work from there.
Wood fencing makes up the largest share of the company's residential work. Fence Brothers builds these fences on-site piece by piece rather than setting pre-fabricated panels, using white cedar from mills in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that is planed in-house before it reaches a yard. Crews evaluate post depth lot by lot, since the sandy, well-drained glacial soils common across Kent County hold posts differently than heavier ground, and getting that depth right matters most before the frost arrives. Rails are cut to a true two-inch by four-inch dimension and pickets run 11/16 of an inch thick, heavier than the stock many installers carry.
The company works across West Michigan from a shop in Kentwood, run by brothers Alec and Kyle Trierweiler, whose family has spent 34 years in the regional lumber industry. Fence Brothers holds a 4.9-star rating across 21 Google reviews and a 5.0 rating with Angi Approved status, and it was named a 2025 Angi Super Service Award winner. Every installation carries a five-year workmanship warranty covering structural issues such as post movement and picket separation, and the coverage extends to wood fences, a material many area contractors leave out of their warranties. Short term financing with low monthly payments is available for homeowners who want to spread the cost of a fall project.
"Most people call us in spring when the ground thaws, but fall is honestly the better time to start," said Alec Trierweiler, co-owner of Fence Brothers. "The soil is still open, our schedule is a little shorter, and a fence that goes in this fall is settled and standing straight before anyone is thinking about their yard again in April."
Homeowners and property managers can request a free fence estimate through the Fence Brothers website or by calling (616) 348-9988. Recent projects and customer feedback are posted on the company's business profile.
About Fence Brothers
Fence Brothers is a family-owned residential and commercial fence installation company located at 4477 E Paris Ave SE, Kentwood, MI 49512, serving West Michigan since 2013. The company installs wood, vinyl, aluminum, chain link and ranch fencing, along with driveway gates, gate operators, bollards and temporary fencing for commercial properties. Fence Brothers is insured, holds a 5.0 rating and Angi Approved status on Angi, was named a 2025 Angi Super Service Award winner, and backs installations with a five-year workmanship warranty. More information is available at https://www.fencebrosmi.com/.
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For more information about True Wrap, LLC, contact the company here:
Fence Brothers
Alec Trierweiler
(616) 901-8492
alec@fencebrosmi.com
4477 E Paris Ave SE
Kentwood, MI 49512