The Fence Post

It is way past time to write about our BIG summer project -- biggest in time and expense.  Our new privacy fence!  Now that summer is over, we can officially say that we've enjoyed the new fence and it was worth every penny. 

First, Jason had the awful task of digging 43 post holes.  The "Call Before You Dig" crew came out and marked all the electrical, phone and cable lines.  Our backyard had flags everywhere, especially since the electrical boxes for four neighboring houses come together in our back yard.  Those flags were not a good sight when you're wanting a fence and digging the holes yourself. Jason and Alex carefully started digging around all the wires.  They dug 8 holes in two part-time days.  Not fast enough for us -- and we even had an auger. 

So we called in the big dogs -- a contractor with an awesome pull behind auger.  He dug the remaining 35 holes in 45 minutes.  That was money well spent in our minds!  See all the tree roots and electrical lines we had to dodge?  I wish I had a better picture, but the whole perimeter of our yard was either a wire or a root that had to be dodged.

After the holes were all dug, it was time to set the posts.  We took advantage of Alex's muscles to help carry the posts.  He placed a post at each hole for us, which was so helpful according to Jason and Don!  After mixing 50 bags of concrete, the posts were finally set.

Jaycie was even glad to see that part was over.  Here's a pic of her doing the happy dance.

It was time for the guys to put up the 2x4 stringers. 

Next was picket time.  Jason and Don only had 750+ pickets to hang.   

Jacob and Jaycie were good helpers.  They loved the huge box of nails.  This kept them entertained for about an hour, even if I did have to pick up 20 or so nails out of the grass.

Jaycie did her usual job of supervising and giving orders.  She's good at that! 

Here is a picture of the guys admiring their work.

It was a wonderful feeling to get all the pickets hung.  The yard finally felt enclosed and closer to being finished.  Now it was time for the trim boards.  The outside view only has 2 trim boards visible.

The inside has 3 visible boards.

Now we just need to trim the posts and finalize the post cap decision.  Final pictures coming up as soon as we choose a post cap.