Hoover Fence Drawing Calculator Help | home |
The purpose of this program is to allow a user to enter a basic drawing of a fence and have the materials and costs computed automatically, as it is drawn. The user can then send all his computations to Hoover Fence, saving faxes or other conventional means of communication to have a qualified estimator review all entries or to help the user place an order. As is said, "A picture is worth a thousand words". Once the user has drawn his fence, he will instantly have a quote saving us a lot of time and saving you money by reducing our manpower. The program was carefully designed to minimize the user's learning curve. It is possible to learn how to use the program by trial and error without ever reading this help text .
The program will figure number of sections based on the footages you input. It will figure gates and all appropriate posts. It can figure proper posts based on the angle of two fence lines' intersection.
It will not scale. It is not intended as an architectural drawing program. All computations are figured on footages inputted and gate selections. Posts are figured accurately, if the angles drawn between lines are close visual approximations to reality. In short, your angles are important, the actual drawn line length is not, since the footage you inputted is what is used. It is possible to draw a line 20 pixels long and call it 100' and then draw another 100 pixels long and call it 20'. Even though the drawing is reverse scaled and doesn't look correct, the computation for sections will be accurate based on your input of 100 and 20' respectively. You as the user must draw the approximate line length for your own visual benefit. Make sure your footage entry is accurate. Round up to the next highest even footage. Inches and fractions will be ignored. To figure any closer than that would be foolish because the actual installation may vary enough to short you in material. The real world application is not as accurate as the computer's ability to figure quantities.
The reason the program does not scale is one of necessity and is not really relevent to its ability to compute accurately. The drawing is for the benefit of the user, not the program, except for angle computations. If the program scaled, you would have to be exact in all your entries, including precise angles of lines, width of your house and linear measurements. That is outside the ability of most users, not to mention the complexity of such input for those that are able. Simply put, it isn't necessary and does not meet the objective of the program's author.
The program will not figure columns, wall connections or mounting posts on walls or non-dirt surfaces. Read the appropriate heading on this page for more information regarding these applications.
All drawing actions take place by entering three possible entries.
Draw your fence enclosure consecutively, starting from one side and proceed all the way around for best results. Avoid skipping back and forth with the 'move' tool.
You create a drawing by first measuring your yard and making a simple sketch. Duplicate the drawing online. Start with your house (large building tool) and all other out-buildings (small building tool). These two tools will not be available after you use another tool. Input your lines of fence and gates. Each time you enter a fence line or gate, scroll to the bottom of the page for a detailed material list and prices. The program will figure as you make each entry. Draw consecutive lines and gates in sequence rather than moving back and forth. It will take less time and less actions.
If you make an error, simply use the 'back' feature of your browser to erase the last entry. Draw what makes sense. The program assumes somethings and ignores others. It does not correct your illogical entries. If you want to draw a fence through your house or make intersecting fences that don't make sense, that is possible but not very accurate or productive. What you see is what you get, ignoring scaling factors. Draw your fence angles as close to reality as possible. The program will compute angles to recommend post types. Basically, if your drawing looks good, your quote will be accurate.
Available gate widths vary with each style of fence. Basically single walk gates are available in 3, 4, 5 and 6' wide and double swing gates (driveway type gates) are available in 6, 8, 10 and 12'. The program will tell you, if you have selected a gate that is not available. Vinyl fence gates are an exception to this rule. Pre-assembled gate sizes are 50" for single gates and twice that for double swing gates. Input those as 4' or 8' wide, respectively. Odd sizes are available, but they cost more and you must assemble them yourself.
Figuring Column and Wall Connections
The program does not allow you to figure column connections. You can't draw them, but you can draw the separate fence lines between them. You could use the "small building" tool to resemble columns and draw your fence lines between them. Draw all your columns first in this case. The calculator will figure end posts for each end of each fence line. You can then delete those posts offline and add fittings for the column or wall connections instead. Their cost is much less than an end post so your estimate will be a little high. Simply tell your Hoover Fence estimator what your intention is. To mount gates to walls or columns is not difficult. The program does not allow it. It will assume a post is needed on each side if the gate, but you can manually delete them offline. Hardware is included with gates, but you must specify that you are mounting to columns when ordering, so you will get the right ones. The cost of column mount hardware is less than two posts, so your online quote will be a little high.
Mounting On Walls Or Concrete Surfaces
You can do that in the real world, but not in your drawing. The only difference in your material is the addition of floor flanges, sometimes called deck mounts. You can add those offline, one per post is required to mount on concrete, wood or walls made of nearly any material.
This program is provided free of charge by it's author for use by anyone. It is accurate to the best of our knowledge. We assume no responsibility for any miscalculations due to programming errors.
The program is written in C language by Frank R. Hoover. Over twenty-five years in the fence industry and 15 years programming hobbyist has made for a unique combination of talents. Here those talents were used to solve a real world business problem and at the same time provide a useful, educational tool to the public.