Fences

• hasbeen

  

  Since my Lawn Mower thread was such a hit and the more threads not started by Belly the better, here's another topic of conversation.
  
  Please share experiences putting in a fence. I don't have a massive yard, but the way my house sits on my property, all the yard is in one location versus split between front/back/sides. It'd be a decent amount of fencing.
  
  I'm not looking at a privacy fence because no way I could afford it. I'm also considering fencing a smaller area to start and expanding as the years go on. I back up to a corn field and I thought about using the poles (some are broken) that the farm has on that side. Obviously, I'd need to discuss that with the owner. By the looks of the condition of the fence, the farmer doesn't pay much attention to it.
  
  My brother-in-law is probably going to help me so as to save money on labor. He just put his fence in last year.
  
  What has your experience been?
• Belly35

  

  What is the reasoning for the fence?
  Is it for protection, keeping the kids / dog in the yard, or just aesthetic?
• FatHobbit

  

  Not really helpful, but I have a funny story. A coworker of mine (let's call him Ryan) was fencing his back yard. Another coworker (let's call him Dave) was helping him. They bought the lumber and measured out where the posts were supposed to go 8' on center. Dave had to leave and Ryan was supposed to dig the holes and they would finish the fence when Dave came back. When Dave came back the holes were not where they were supposed to be. Dave said some of them were 12' apart and some were only 6'. Ryan thought they were close enough. I probably would have left, but they went and bought 12' fence boards and made it work. It had to look ridiculous though.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  I've fenced in every back yard I've ever owned, to keep out the riffraff. It's not hard.
• Apple

  

  Key to putting in a fence that will last, at least in most places in Ohio. is to set the post in concrete below the frost line. This goes for privacy fences and shorter yard fences.
  
  I've put is some fences with mixing the concrete and have also seen where the bag of secrete is poured into the hole dry after the post is stabilized and the moisture in the ground eventually sets the concrete. I prefer mixing, one bag per post, letting the concrete firm-up/set, then finish the fence a few days later.
  
  Renting a post hole digger can really shorten construction time and is worth the expense. A half-day rental should be able to give you time to put in a decent sized fence.
• bigkahuna

  I'm actually looking into fencing in my backyard for the dogs. Our old house had it, and both the dogs and I miss it. I'm just going for a simple chain link that will contain them and allow me to open the door to let them out without worry.
• ZWICK 4 PREZ

  

  ernest_t_bass;1751008 wrote:I've fenced in every back yard I've ever owned, to keep out the riffraff. It's not hard.

  Wouldnt it have been cheaper to just ask your sister to quit bringing them around?
• ernest_t_bass

  

  One would think
• sportchampps

  I was going to fence in our yard for the dog but we have been seeing foxes daily so we wouldn't let him out on his own anyways.
• Benny The Jet

  

  Moved into my house in August and first thing we did was put up a privacy fence. Rented a 1 man auger from Sunbelt, dug the holes about 30 inches, and set the 4x4x8 treated posts all in 1 day. Came back couple days later and put in rails across top,middle, and bottom. Then used a nailer and put on the individual pickets myself using a spacer. Easy but tedious work. Wasn't cheap either. 30ish posts treated, 40 bags of concrete, 90 2x4x8 treated, and 550 pickets = a lot more than I was thinking. It is nice being able to open the door and let the dogs roam around and my daughter can run around without worry of her wandering off.
• Uz2Bon36

  

  Belly35;1751000 wrote:What is the reasoning for the fence?
  Is it for protection, keeping the kids / dog in the yard, or just aesthetic?

  Best question ever by Belly.
  
  Fences are for trashy people who live in bad areas.
• HitsRus

  

  Not a big fan of fences if there is not a damn good reason.... Good reasons such as a pool or animals that need to be contained. I would rather place natural barriers such as bushes or flower beds for aesthetic considerations.
• Classyposter58

  

  HitsRus;1751044 wrote:Not a big fan of fences if there is not a damn good reason.... Good reasons such as a pool or animals that need to be contained. I would rather place natural barriers such as bushes or flower beds for aesthetic considerations.

  I agree. Just such a harsh border around your yard and makes you feel confined. Nothing worse than playing catch or frisbee and having to climb over all the time
• BRF

  

  I've found the old saying true.
  
  Fences make good neighbors.
• Ironman92

  

  Our fence is 15 years old and had to replace a few posts. I was just a helper in the task as I am not very handy at all.
  
  One kinda funny story. The head coach and I were breaking ground of our high school softball field (highest point in town and pretty much on top of a rock lol)...he rented a huge post hole digging machine that you had to put a lot of pressure on. We weren't getting anywhere and both of us pretty much laying out body weight on it (he is a big one)....all morning long we did 11 post holes and it about killed us. He had to leave town so I went back to mess with it....I figured out a little better way and powered through 58 more holes all by myself and 20 inches deep. He couldn't believe I did that without him, got nervous and went back to try to prove he could do it and get the 20 inch holes to 24 inches....first hole he hit a gas line. $3,000 in repairs later and we were ready for the fence.
• hasbeen

  

  Belly35;1751000 wrote:What is the reasoning for the fence?
  Is it for protection, keeping the kids / dog in the yard, or just aesthetic?

  Fence is for my beagle. Same one that ran away a few years ago. I posted it here. Definitely is a must
• DeyDurkie5

  

  Classyposter58;1751046 wrote:I agree. Just such a harsh border around your yard and makes you feel confined. Nothing worse than playing catch or frisbee and having to climb over all the time

  I imagine you as the smalls from sandlot type of catch player
• Belly35

  

  I have a wooded area, lot of branches fall plus my property has many older trees, alway a problem with falling branches also.. So for a aesthetic looking I built a "waddle or wattle fence" to edge around the wooded area and the yard. The waddle/ wattle fence provide a great way to use the fallen branches and create a nice look as a boarder area.
• HitsRus

  

  you could always use an "invisible" electronic fence to keep your beagle in. Most people have success with those.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  HitsRus;1751098 wrote:you could always use an "invisible" electronic fence to keep your beagle in. Most people have success with those.

  I don't know if I have a shitty one, or what, but my beagle always ran through. He's an idiot (pug/beagle).
• FatHobbit

  

  ernest_t_bass;1751099 wrote:I don't know if I have a shitty one, or what, but my beagle always ran through. He's an idiot (pug/beagle).

  Beagles are notorious for following their noses and not paying attention to anything else until they are lost
• hasbeen

  

  FatHobbit;1751108 wrote:Beagles are notorious for following their noses and not paying attention to anything else until they are lost

  Yep. This is why I want a physical fence.
  
  My beagle is used to an electric fence at my GFs moms place, but I feel there are too many risks with animals and different scents in my new location.
• Uz2Bon36

  

  hasbeen;1751063 wrote:Fence is for my beagle. Same one that ran away a few years ago. I posted it here. Definitely is a must

  Ever consider one of those shock collars or is your dog too smart? Friends dog learned once it broke through the initial shock, he was good to go.
• hasbeen

  

  Uz2Bon36;1751130 wrote:Ever consider one of those shock collars or is your dog too stupid?

  lol. Move along.
• j_crazy

  

  If it's just for the dog, and you have no other need for it. a good perimeter fence shock collar is probably what you want. really cheap considering the alternatives.