Dawnp, I'm happy you're happy! Now that you've ordered, you'll get e-mail announcements for the sales. He runs them fairly often, usually for holidays. There should be another coming up for Presidents' Day or Valentine's Day or some such. This time I ordered some small cuts to use for pillows or table runners or something. I do that a lot, and sometimes I even use it! The DL-1000/1001 drapery lining is nice for the $1.99/yd price. I use it whenever I can get by with a basic lining. I haven't tried the others, but I will!

Couple of things..... Is it only Fun2BHere's yard they are playing in and only her drive and side walk they are chalking up? If so....why is that? and if not...what do the others think....have they gone ballistic over the "intrusion"? And did it ever occur to you that by washing the chalk off the sidewalk you are providing them with a nice clean surface to draw on again? Just try leaving it there....I'll bet they won't add to their drawings. When I was a child I was allergic to all manner of stuff and it was a rule that I couldn't eat anythning without showing my mother what I was given and getting permission. So when my kids and grands were little, my words were.."Run home and ask your mother if you can have a cookie". Of course the answer always was "she doesn't care"...but I would insist....or say "well then I'll save the cookies until you are ready to go home then give you some." Another thing, often when there is something that "annoys the hell out of me"...I discover that the problem is my attitude and if I adjust that, I am a much happier person. Linda C

Thanks for the good news, Woodsy 1! Good wishes for things continuing to go well, and for the best outcomes possible, given the circumstances. As for you - feel free to come to just to gab, to offer your opinions or advice, or to share whatever, any time that you feel like it: we always enjoy turning a lurker into a participant. ole joyful

Does your fence add value? Absolutely. Probably not as much as the fence cost, as that type is expensive, but it is something buyers will notice and prefer it over something cheaper like chain link. It looks like it is built well and should last a very long time. I like natural color fences, but a white stain would look nice too. It doesn't detract from your home, but it doesn't look quite right either. As others have said, the arbor is top heavy. In the photo Annie posted, the posts are 4x4 like yours and the lintel (or top cross piece) is a 2x8 (double the width) where yours is a 2x12 (triple the width). And the posts are set behind the fence rather than in line with it. Just a suggestion, but I think the easiest fix (and husbands doing the work wouldn't call it easy) would be to double your 4x4's, like this. The posts can be set into the ground, or just attached to the existing posts since they won't show from the front. I like the window inset idea, but it would mean rebuilding most of the fence since the slats support the top rails. You could build your own window out of the same material as the rails, and simply cut out the back slats, or every other slat in the upper part of the gate. I would also extend the bottom rail, just because it looks better. Something like this: Also, it looks like the top is only attached to the posts by nails. I'd suggest bolting the lintels to the posts. If the nails worked loose, that could crash down on someone opening or closing the gate, and two 2x12s are heavy.