I love Fences-good ones, anyway.
Shooting my eye down 100 feet of pitch-perfect, parallel fence posts rising true and straight from the earth speaks to my inner carpenter. And, once connected by rails and slats, I love to see how this simple amalgam of boards ignites featureless landscapes and bolsters boring borders. I also enjoy that the mere presence of a fence is pivotal, because fences impact the homeowner and the homeowner’s neighbor. I really think it’s important that considerate attention be paid to designing and building a structure I’m proud to put my name on.
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I agree that a good fence can impact the homeowner and the neighborhood as well. I can see how having a well-built fence could not only help your house look good but also help you increase the value of your house if you ever sell it. I will make sure to find out more about the rules of fencing in my neighborhood and get a fence that adds beauty to my house. Thank you for sharing.
The way you wrote this article was almost poetry. It’s true that fences can “ignite featureless landscapes”. I really want to get a fence for my yard soon so that we can have an outdoor dog.
Hi Mark, we are a fence contractor and your right about hiring professional to do the job for 1 reason your fence can look good with the advice by the customer of course. In business good looking fence attract more customers. Great post!
On reading through Mark’s article, I noticed he mentioned putting two coats of oil based stain on the cedar wood. I agree with him, but he used a paint brush. I think this is fine if you do the staining before putting up the fence, but it is hard to paint all the way to the bottom of the fence without getting dirt on your brush after it is installed. I bring this up because the fence will have to be retained at some point. Does anyone know if using a spray tool will work for applying stain to the fence?
I agree that the presence of the fence has a big impact on homeowners as well as their neighbors. My neighbor has a basic chain-link fence around his property. It isn’t bad, but I would prefer to install one with more privacy. Would it be a good idea to build a nice wooden one, like the kind in your picture, along side his fence?
Hey Kairi – Absolutely it’d be a great idea to build a wood fence along side your neighbor’s. That’s what property lines (and taste) are for. The fence we built has two ‘good’ sides, so if the fence adjacent to it is ever removed the neighbor will still have an attractive fence facing their yard. I think that is hugely important in being a good neighbor and contractor. One carpentry thing to consider is to off-set your posts from his. Assuming there’s concrete footings in his fence, you want to miss them when you dig your post holes. Let us know how it works out. We’d love to see photos. Post them on Facebook if you like too. Thanks — Mark
I definitely agree that a fence is pivotal to a yard. One fence in a neighborhood can change the whole look of it for worse or for better. That is why we are a little worried to get one because we want it to be good. I’ve heard that vinyl fencing is really great. What do you think about vinyl fencing?
No joke, I’m working in a neighborhood that’s got (no kidding) a mile of vinyl fencing in it. Some fences are fine, if you like the modular look. Others have mold, grass, and mildew literally fused to their surfaces. I’ve seen other (and hugely expensive) composite fences fail wholesale. The posts warp, the planks gather un-pressure-washable mold. And then there’s the string trimmer-shattered picket bases on vinyl fences I’ve seen by the bucket load. Adding to my experience: Gates creak and sag. Several fences in this single neighborhood have missing picket tops (they’re just plug-in parts, not real pickets). I’ve seen the staining on plastic fences that are in contact with grass and that don’t have a blade of grass within 75-feet.
I guess i never thought of how my fence can affect both me and my neighbors. Choosing the right fence is important because you after factor in style and privacy. Personally, i prefer to have one that is sensible and allows my family to feel safe and secure.
My buddy and I are looking to put up a fence around his parents property. We are new to this whole process, so we are trying to figure out the basics of fencing. This helped, and I hope that we can figure out how to do this.
Jason–We’re here to help. Let us know. And share pictures. We love good work!
That fence looks incredible, especially with the nice finished top. I’ve seen a lot of fences that did not have good consideration put into them. The difference between those and nice fences like these are really drastic, especially when an inconsiderate neighbor puts their awful fence up next to a well-planned one.
It’s true that there’s not much better than a nice, straight fence. When a fence is smooth and flat, the beauty is just amazing. I should probably repair my fence so that I can enjoy that again! Thanks for sharing this.
This really makes a great fence. A friend of mine needs a fence built in his backyard. I’ll have to share a copy of this post with him. Thanks again!
Awesome Joel. Whatever we can do to help. Good fences make good neighbors.
I would love to be able have a new fence in my yard. It would really help make our home more private. This also would be a really good way to be able to split my yard from the neighbors. Hopefully I will be able to get a big project like this done soon.
I love how different types of fences can really make a yard feel so different! The vinyl fences of the suburbs, the wooden fences of the hill houses… And, of course, the feel is completely different if they are well taken care of!
I agree with you, a fence affects both you and your neighbor. It can add value to your house and make your home safer. I’ve never thought much about fences, but now we moved into a new neighborhood, and we want to get a fence.
I tried to build a fence on my own. The problem was that I don’t have really good woodworking or building skills. I’m almost at the point of tearing down what I built and just getting someone else to do it right.
That is very true that everyone loves a good fence. That is because they want to know that they can rely on it. If it is not reliable, then it is not worth having. Plenty of times I have seen both good and bad ones out there though.
I like how you mentioned that the fence someone chooses to install not only impacts them but also their neighbors. We actually asked our neighbors for some ideas before putting in a fence. We wanted to make sure we didn’t bother them in any way with our choice. We ended up going with a black steel fence and we all made the decision together. Thanks for your insights!
My wife and I want to put a wooden fence in our yard, but we aren’t sure how to make it last as long as possible. That being said, I really appreciate the information you gave about this and letting me know how I can prolong my fences lifespan. I’ll make sure I follow the tips you gave, and see how it all works out.
Thank you for sharing the article here on fencing contractors. I was about to leave the site until I saw that the whole page wasn’t displayed here. I am glad that I stuck around! I especially loved the section on jigging the fence cedar staining as that is likely what we will be doing. Thanks again for the information.
We are going to build a fence in our backyard. I am not good design, but I pride myself in functionality and precision to make sure that everything looks straight and neat. I just skimmed through this guide, and it is fantastic! I will be sure to use this in more depth as I start this upcoming project. Thanks for sharing!
I think you are right about having a nice fence is a good eye appealing. Especially if it’s that wood stained one that you have on your picture. My kids are getting older and my wife is currently asking me to put up a fence in the backyard so she can just let the kids roam free and not have to worry. I’ve been going back and forth between wood or vinyl. How often do you have to re-stain a wood fence to keep it nice looking?
My uncle lives on a ranch and asked me to spend several weeks this last summer building a fence for him. It was a lot of hard work. I did a lot of digging and lining things up. However, in the end it wasn’t as perfect as I had hoped that it would be but it was sufficient enough. I really wish that he had used a contractor instead of me but I really feel accomplished for being able to get what I did done.
One of the things I always look for in a fence is quality. You don’t want to put a fence up and then have a slight breeze knock it down. It doesn’t mater if the fence is made out of wood or metal, it’s always better to do it right the first time. There are those who are capable of putting up a new fence themselves, but for the rest of us we cannot. That’s why there are fencing contractors out there to help us out.
When we put in a fence in our yard, it wasn’t put in very well. and leaned because of it. After about two years we got sick of it and took it down. We installed one ourselves, and did it right. Now our fence is straight and parallel with the ground, and you are right, it looks great!
The process of putting up a fence is not easy and takes a lot of time. Depending on what kind of fence it is, some could take longer than others. It’s just a matter of finding the fence you want and then making plans to put it up.
That’s a beautiful fence project! Good job!
I have been wanting to put a new fence up in my yard for a long time now. I really like the one you did. I think I might look into putting something up like this. Thank you for your help.
I love the picture of that wooden fence that you included in your post. I prefer fences that don’t have gaps and provide a lot of privacy. I want to install a solid wooden fence to keep in my dog and keep my pool area a little more private.
These tips were so helpful to me! I have been wanting to install a fence in my backyard for a while now, but I wasn’t sure on how I’d go about doing that. So I really appreciate you talking about this, and giving me some great tips on how fences. I’ll definitely try these tips, and see how well they help me out.
Mark, I am with you about the importance of a nice looking fence. Like you said, it is a pivotal part of a home. My husband and I are hoping to install a fence soon. We really want it to look nice. We have heard that hiring a contractor can be helpful. Would you recommend that?
I agree that a fence has a big impact on the homeowner and their neighbor’s. I want to put a fence in my backyard because my dog keeps trying to run away. Where can I find out if my city has any rules about fencing?
Meg–It sounds like we’re of like minds when it comes to the ‘good-side-out’ theory of fences and neighborliness. Thank you for writing.
Fitz–You rock. Thank you for your kind words. If there’s anything we can help you with, please let us know.
Hey Fencing Works–I don’t remember our materials cost. This project was bundled with a pergola and some other projects. The best source, as I’m sure you already know, is to check with RealCedar or your local supplier.
I agree that it is important to be conscience about the type of fence you put up because of your neighbors. A fence can either enhance or deflate the outward appearance of a property and that can have an effect on the future selling power of that house, as it does for the neighbors since their yards are often included with the property line the fence sits on. It is always important to take into account what you are installing and how you are installing your fence, so thank you for your additional insight about this.
Hello, and thank you for having shared this information on how to repair fences in these situations. There are many reasons why it is good to know how to repair fences and other parts of the house effectively. I think it’s good to research and find out what kind of reparation is needed for your specific fence situation.
Looks great. May I ask how much it did cost you?
Sounds like a great project Wally. Please let us know how it turns out. Goof fences, good neighbors. Nice work.
I agree that a fence should be designed and built properly, or else it becomes an eyesore. I am in the middle of getting a fence built around my property, and I can’t wait until it is finished. I have all of the designs and materials in mind, I just need someone to come and do the installation for us. Hopefully we can get the fence up by next week.