phaeton wrote:
Thanks Lawrence.... I was thinking the same thing- this might be too
much for me to bite and chew off, even if it is a small fence. True
this is something you want done *right*.

As a side note, the cable guys ran new cable from the
cable pedestal to our house, and now we have this bright orange run of
coax across the back yard. I know I should probably bury it or do
*something* with it.

Depending on how long the run is you can either just make a slit with a
shovel or possible rent a trencher on a longer run.

The other issue is that there is a tree that needs to come down that is
about 2 or 3 feet from where the fence will run. I wonder if we ought
to take that down *first*... it has all kinds of houses to fall on too,
but if it wipes out the fence it might be insult to injury as well.

I think a tree that close to the fence probably has to be removed,
first obviously. If there are houses it could fall on then that is a
big deal which has to be taken seriously. There are people who do this
for a living who have the necessary insurance. I removed a large oak
that was near my house but there are no other houses so the only risk
was my own.

Once a fence goes up, are they usually untreated wood? I see a lot of
grey wood fences, and IMHO it looks more 'ramshackle' than 'rustic' to
me. Should it be painted right away (brush, sprayer, roller) to match
the house? Stained and then clear lacquered? Just clear lacquered?

Most wood fence are built of treated wood. Cedar is also used and
makes a more attractive fence that is possibly more environmentally
friendly. It is maybe 3 to 4 times the expense however. Most folk
don't bother to paint or stain but it is a good idea. Most use a
penetrating stain on decks and fences. It will look better and
possibly last longer if you do. You could rent an airless spayer to do
a job like that.