nazSTUFF - Replacing That Old Fence 01

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Home Improvements and Experiences

Some of my Experiences as a Homeowner

This is an ongoing report of my experiences doing maintenance and dealing with some adversity around the home. My experiences are not unique, in fact the universality of what every homeowner must face is why I decided to make this journal. We all buy a house with dreams and aspirations for our family and our financial investments. Very soon we become aware that everything requires repair and maintenance, be it landscaping, paint, roof, etc. Everything begins to deteriorate from the day it is created. I've taken photos of some of my bigger projects and I'm posting them here with captions as part of a contribution to an invisible support group, other homeowners. Some of this is therapy with the intent of creating empathy and humor regarding our shared experiences.

Home Sweet Home.

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Repairing Your Own Fence... Should You ???

The day will come when you'll realize that your existing fence has had it, it's about to fall down. The gate won't open any more, there's no more room for repairs and patches. The original redwood posts have long since rotted away underground and one strong wind and over it will go.

The neighbor's dogs have had their way, the baseball practice has knocked out several pickets. Cement blocks are keeping the bottom in place. You've spent a fortune on bolts, nuts and big washers.

You have no choice, it's time to budget for a new fence. What to do?

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For a brief time one actually fantasizes about upgrading the design, what other fence designs are possible? So, you drive around town looking at other people's fences for ideas. You can also puruse the internet where hundreds of examples are displayed.

This is a little like shopping for a new car. Sooner or later you have to settle for "What do you really need?" and "What can you afford."

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Sticking with our original idea of building it ourself it was time to shop for materials and tools. So off we went to visit the local home improvement stores.

Of course, the first temptation is to buy these pre-assembled sections. Except, gulp, we've had experience with them before. They do NOT accommodate any kind of slope, custom sizing where perfect multiples will not fit and they are generally not built to last. We had an entire yard fence made of these years ago that just weathered and fell apart... they were assembled with a large staple gun. See photos at top of this story. It cost us over one hundred dollars in hardware to reinforce them to keep the fence up until we could replace it the first time.

It was all there, materials and tools. No labor nor experience. No knowledge. Suddenly saving money by doing it myself isn't so attractive. Even if I had the energy I lack the knowledge to dig the holes spaced properly, and what if I hit bedrock, what heavy duty tools will I need?

Read on...

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