Gleave Construction, a family-owned fence and construction company based in Fort Wayne since 1970, is now offering residential vinyl fence installation across Northeast Indiana. The company serves homeowners in Allen County and the surrounding region with privacy, semi-privacy, picket, and lattice-top vinyl styles, using the material standards and installation process it has applied to commercial projects for more than five decades.
Vinyl is the most commonly specified material in Allen County's newer residential subdivisions, where HOA covenants often require white or tan solid-panel fencing in consistent profiles across the neighborhood. Indiana winters create specific challenges for the material, though. Fort Wayne regularly drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit between December and February, and polyvinyl chloride becomes noticeably more brittle in that range — a panel that flexes on a summer morning can crack under the same impact in January. Allen County's frost line runs approximately 36 inches, meaning footings installed above that mark will heave with each freeze-thaw cycle and cause the fence line to rack and shift within a few winters.
Gleave Construction sets posts below the frost line on every residential installation and anchors them in high-strength concrete. The company sources vinyl from trade suppliers rather than box-store vendors, specifying a minimum wall thickness of 0.100 inches — the residential standard. Premium grades run 0.120 inches or thicker, adding rigidity and impact resistance in the temperature range where thin-wall vinyl is most vulnerable to cracking. UV inhibitors built into the material prevent the surface yellowing common in economy-grade products, and the company backs each vinyl installation with a lifetime material warranty tied to the specific manufacturers it uses, reviewed with each homeowner at project close.
Installation execution determines how the fence performs after the first few winters. Gleave Construction leaves expansion gaps at the post receiver slots — the spaces that allow each eight-foot panel to move roughly half an inch as summer temperatures build. Without those gaps, panels bow and buckle along the fence line by midsummer, a correction that requires pulling and resetting posts rather than replacing panels alone. Every hollow post receives a cap to prevent water from collecting inside and cracking the post when it freezes, and gate hardware is specified in aluminum or stainless steel to avoid corrosion at the contact points where metal meets vinyl over time.
Before work begins on any residential project, the company contacts Indiana 811, the state's utility-marking service, at least two business days in advance in accordance with Indiana Code 8-1-26. A foreman with at least 10 years of field experience manages each job from the initial site review through the final walkthrough with the homeowner. That visit, completed before crews arrive, covers post placement, grade changes along the fence line, and any drainage or soil conditions that affect the installation. Permit applications and HOA approval coordination are part of the standard pre-installation process, handled by the company rather than the homeowner.
"Vinyl holds up for 25 or 30 years if it goes in right, but the things that determine that aren't visible in the finished fence," said Adam Gleave, co-owner of Gleave Construction. "Post depth, expansion gaps, wall thickness — we walk every homeowner through what we're doing and why before we start, because those decisions get made before the first post goes in the ground."
Fort Wayne area homeowners can request a free estimate at (260) 744-2757 or view completed projects and customer reviews before scheduling a consultation with Gleave Construction.
About Gleave Construction
Gleave Construction is a family-owned fence and construction company founded in 1970 by Terry and Karen Gleave in Fort Wayne, Ind. Now run by the second generation — Wendy Vie, Adam Gleave, and Seth Gleave — the company provides residential and commercial fencing, concrete work, decks, and gate operators across Northeast Indiana. The company is licensed, insured, and incorporated in Indiana since 1981 (Entity ID 98112-490). Gleave Construction is located at 532 E. Hawthorne St., Fort Wayne, IN 46806. For more information, visit https://gleaveconstruction.com.
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For more information about Gleave Construction, contact the company here:
Gleave Construction
Adam Gleave
(260) 744-2757
Info@gleaveconstruction.com
532 E. Hawthorne St, Fort Wayne, IN 46806