"phaeton" wrote in message oups.com...
| Hello...
|
| I need a fence, probably about 6 feet tall to hold back a couple of
| dogs. It won't be that large of an area at first (about 40' by 20 feet
| or so), but we intend on expanding the fenced in area in the future.
| I'm not a very 'handy' person, I've never installed a fence before,
| but i think I have an idea how it goes. We're probably looking at some
| of the wooden privacy type (called dogear iirc). I see that you can
| buy all the materials and assemble it yourself, or you can buy
| pre-built sections from Borg.
|
| Is it ever a better idea to install the fence yourself, or is this one
| of those things that you can do yourself, but usually turns out being
| more trouble than it's worth unless you've already done it 100 times?
| I might just have it professionally done.
|
| (sorry for the open-ended question).
|
|
| Any direction is appreciated.
|

If you have small dogs 6' will work.
My vet says a Husky can clear 6'.
Seems 7' can keep the big dogs out or in but, I know for a fact, it cannot keep clawless cats in.

That said, DIY isn't all that tough a job if you have a "pro" set the posts. They have the equipment and can supply all the requisite sweat.

I bought the 4X4, 2X4, and 1X6 green from the local lumberyard at as good a price as I could have gotten from the BORG.

Had I bought pre-assembled from the BORG, the 42 post holes would have had to be spot-on. Because I bought individually, the holes could be set to about 7'6" thereby allowing for the occasional rock or other impediment to digging without affecting the look of the fence.

I installed the top, middle and bottom rails plus all the boards myself. I only had to true 3 posts and then only because the greenwood had warped.

Because I had previously listened to the experts and used "specially coated" deck screws on my deck and found them to be wanting, I opted for stainless steel for the fence. I am glad I spent the extra for these as there are now no signs of weeping around the screw heads.

From the quotes I received, I calculate that I saved some $3000 by DIY. Looks better in my pocket than some contractor's.

As for equipment:
1 sliding compound miter saw
1 3 foot level
1 try square
1 pencil
1 skill saw
1 3/8" drill - for screwing
1 tape measure
50 feet of 1/4" rope to bring posts in line and plumb as required.

Before doing anything have all the locates done and marked and verify with the locaters exactly what was found and where.

I had mine done twice because I could not believe what I was told:
they failed to find a hydro line that I knew was there and
they mislabeled a TV cable line as hydro.

As for the posts:
6 had to be hand dug
2 shifted due to tree roots


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PDQ

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