Fencing - Part 1

 

 

When Winnie was still a small puppy, we created a temporary fence out of chicken wire and wooden stakes.  It was only about 2-and-a-half feet high and occasionally collapsed under too much snow.  She was surprisingly respectful of her boundaries but we knew it was only a temporary measure.  Once the muddiest of spring was behind us, we paused the kitchen renovations and jumped into fencing mode.  Just to recap, here's our plan.

 

Hiring someone else to dig the 19 post holes was a very good idea but wasn't without it's pitfalls.  Our first choice was a young guy just getting started in landscaping and fencing.  He had completed a few projects in our neighborhood that looked great and his price was fair.  He brought a bobcat and auger over, marked the fence line, and started drilling post holes.  30 seconds later, he stopped.  On attempt one, 4 inches down, we'd struck rock.  Not lots of rocks... one massive boulder.  He tried again and again and again but each time, smoke was literally coming out of the ground and the poor bobcat looked ready to self-combust.  He and his partner gave it their best but in the end, we had to call it quits.



In spite of their efforts, our lawn took quite a beating.

We contemplated giving up or installing a chain link fence (the postholes required were shallower and easier to do) but it really wasn't what we wanted.  Last winter, we took a quote from a very experienced fence builder and ended up passing because we wanted to build most of the fence ourselves.  We called him up again, mostly hoping to get his opinion on our situation.  He offered to dig the postholes and set the posts in concrete for the same rate as our first guy.  And he could start next week!  He and his team definitely worked hard - I think that even they were surprised at the amount of rock there was to contend with.  But in the end, bounders were no match for their jackhammers, massive generator, rebar and tonnes of concrete! 

Posts being set!

 

Once the posts were set and the concrete had cured, it was our turn.  We started by installing all the stringers and cap rails.  It took the two of us the better part of a day to get everything in place.

 



Most of the stringers are in!  And say farewell to that temporary fence!

 

All in and looking perfectly level!

 



 

Day Two started with a trip to buy fence boards.  One side of our property is on a major hill and designing the fence so that it would look its best took some figuring out.  In the end, most of the fence is 5 feet high, but some parts are 4 feet.  We bought a mix of 5 foot and 8 foot fence boards, and were able to return everything we didn't use.

 

The first panel is in... and looks great!

 

 

By the end of the second day, approximately 2/3 of the fence boards were in.  The gaps above were the last to be filled; a few boards needed to be cut to fit on a table saw.  We left all of those until the end and cut them at once.  With only one weekend of work, our yard suddenly was looking pretty close to fenced in!  In a separate post, I'll share the completed fence and details about the three gates we built too.

 

Not everyone was happy about our property's increased security.

Sorry Winnie... it's for your own safety!