this was quite the big weekend, folks!

16 years ago

WOW! So much good stuff went on in my little slice of heaven (ie, my yard) this weekend. I almost don't know where to begin.

1st and foremost, as of 7:05 pm yesterday I have a fully fenced in yard. Yup, 'tis true. About a year ago, hubbie & I decided that two dogs leashed in the backyard was NOT working (especially after I sprained my ankle getting tangled in their leashes). So, we decided to fence in our yard. Hubbie HATES the vinyl fence look. He's a purist. So we called a fencing company & requested an estimate. Scalloped, cedar privacy fencing along the property lines. Matching scalloped picket fencing in the side yards. Oh, and an 8 foot privacy gate that'll fit hubbie's sailboat.

One very jaw dropping estimate later (over $22K) we decide to do the project ourselves. Did all the measurements. Read up on all town rules & regs. Talked to our neighbors & got their enthusiastic go ahead (once they saw pics of the fence we wanted to install they were ALL on board). And set to work.

It took so long to install the 1st half of the privacy fence that we ran out of decent weather. So we stained it, planning to finish up this year. Well, we've been digging fence posts, setting posts, etc. etc. off and on every weekend for a month now. And yesterday, we set the last panel. And I jumped around the yard for joy w/ two happy, leash free dogs.

Still need to stain the fence but, hey, I'll take this small victory ANY day of the week! And now, I have the perfect backdrop for my garden beds! Hooray!

In the midst of all that, guess what else happened this weekend?! MY HIBISCUS BLOOMED! Oh my goodness are they beautiful! We were on the last of the panels yesterday and, yes, gettin' alittle cranky when I happened to look up and there they were...in all their glory. That made my day.

A new fence...a blooming hibiscus...life, is good.

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Comments (8)

terrene
16 years ago
Congratulations on your new fench and your hibiscus blooming!

How much did it cost you to do the job yourselves? I am a big do-it-yourselfer too, with the help of some handy friends sometimes. I find it costs much less in $$, but it takes lots of hard work and MUCH longer to get the job done. :)
sooey
16 years ago
Wow...you had a great weekend! I'm sure you feel like you have accomplished a lot, and you have.

You are happy, the dogs are happy and the hibiscus is happy. All is well.
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ponce418
Original Author
16 years ago
Terrene,

All in all, it probably cost us about $8,000 to do the job ourselves. Maybe a bit more. But we definitely saved ourselves over $12,000 doing it ourselves.

And honestly, sure it was labor intensive (although I gotta say that those hydraulic post hole diggers are SOOOOOOOO worth the rental fees). But not too bad. If we hadn't been doing the majority of the work on weekends, in between social functions, we would've had the fence up sooner.

Though I will admit, staining the fence is the worst part. We're looking at a good 4 full days of staining ahead of us.
lise_b
16 years ago
Ponce, congratulations! Want to come fence my yard next? ;-)

Seriously, though, that's fantastic that you saved that much. Go you!
ponce418
Original Author
16 years ago
very funny, greening.

ok, i admit it. now that the fence has been successfully installed i'm alittle paranoid. paranoid that family and friends that have been wanting to fence their yards are going to come out of the woodwork and start requesting our help for their projects.

not that i'm against helping fam/friends out. but, this took a LONGGGGGGG time and honestly? once that last panel is stained i don't even wanna think about fencing for a good long while. :oP
hostasz6a
16 years ago
Congrats on the fence. We had to replace a stockade fence around our property a few years ago. I don't think it was as large an area as yours. We did it piecemeal...one run one year...the rest the following year. My husband isn't that handy or ambitious. The dogs must be thrilled to run free.

I have a few hibiscus blooming. The plants were seedlings given to my daughter about three years ago. The blooms are just breathtaking. It is a shame each bloom last only a day.
mskee
16 years ago
Ponce,
Good for you! Not only will your gardens look great with that stockade fence backdrop, but, the plants closest to the fence might enjoy a zone higher, depending on the sun/wind exposure. I have found that my plants along the sunny fence bloom earlier...the heat and light reflected from the warm wood creates a mini environment!

And, I know your dogs must be very happy! Life will be easier for all!

Emily
diggingthedirt
16 years ago
Good for you, ponce.

Aside from the extra warmth/wind protection, you may find that plants along the fence need more water than others; at least if it's a stockade fence. The "rain shadow" effect is the down side, not a major problem but something to be aware of. I'm always re-working the plants along my fence, and I make sure they're well mulched. If I ever get an irrigation system ...

Fences are really great for dogs - good move.

this was quite the big weekend, folks!

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terrene

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this was quite the big weekend, folks!

Comments (8)

terrene

sooey

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