# A fence well worth the money



## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

I've owned my present home since the mid 1980's, raised my kids here and now I am retired here too. But I only had this fence for a few years now; I love it! 

The fence solved a number of issues for my wife and me. We live in a HOA neighborhood and our HOA is well run and friendly. However, there are rules about storing things outside the home that are visible from the street. My garage and shed are maxed out in terms of used space. By fencing in one side of my yard I can now move a bunch of equipment out of my crowded shed and garage, put them outside and still not have them seen from the street. My wife never liked me to store stuff outside anyway, thought it looked unsightly.

I had this fence built to last 30 years or more. It is made of Western Red Cedar and pressure treated ground contact 6'' x 6'' x 10' fence posts that are set 40" underground in concrete. As you can see by the gate construction, it should be solid for a long time.

This fence was not inexpensive, but since it would only be built one time I was willing to pay the extra money to have it built to last. Having 6" x 6" post rather than 4" x 4" post only increased the total cost by 10%. The fence is about 98' in length and cost $3,400 plus the $600 land survey first :shock: I am totally pleased with it.

It gives me privacy from my next door neighbor and the adjacent busy street.

I plan to live in this home until such time as I am not healthy enough to manage the property.

Being able to have quality products for my home is very satisfying, I'm very thankful.

Note: I am only in my first year of creating a Tier 2 lawn and have a year or two until it is where I want it to be.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

That fence is beautiful. Well done.


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## jabopy (Nov 24, 2018)

WoW!! That is a nice fence LG. I used to use western red cedar in my carpenters job, it was very expensive then, I hate to think what it costs today. Does it still smell nice even after being treated?


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

jabopy said:


> WoW!! That is a nice fence LG. I used to use western red cedar in my carpenters job, it was very expensive then, I hate to think what it costs today. Does it still smell nice even after being treated?


I didn't treat the cedar with preservative until after 2 years went by. It had naturally turned grey, so I pressure washed out the grey and then treated it with preservative.

When new, the cedar aroma was awesome. The fence was built in the summer and the scent lasted into the fall. Later on, there was no longer the great smell unless it rained. Then the wonderful cedar scent would return while the fence was wet.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

That looks like a very well made fence. I agree, overbuild it and maintain it and it will last a long long time. 
Built mine 3 yrs ago, similar but used cedar for the 6 x 6 posts. Postholes have 12" of gravel in the bottom to provide drainage so the end grain of the post won't rot. I sandwiched the fence boards between the top and bottom rails so that there are no flat surfaces for water to sit on. It all drains thru. Important in our wet climate. Put end cut preservative on all end cuts and 3 coats of Sikkens clear finish on every board on all sides before assembly.


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

@Shindoman Wow, awesome outcome and great forethought to the construction.

In hindsight, I might have treated my cedar BEFORE it when up also and I might have upped the grade of the cedar too to reduce the number of knotholes.

All in all, I'm A-OK with it.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

@DIY Lawn Guy Thanks, keep in mind I'm a carpenter by profession and I have a great source for custom milled cedar. And I ran all the boards thru my thickness planer and sanded everything with a belt sander to get a nice finish.


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

Shindoman said:


> @DIY Lawn Guy Thanks, keep in mind I'm a carpenter by profession and I have a great source for custom milled cedar. And I ran all the boards thru my thickness planer and sanded everything with a belt sander to get a nice finish.


Well that helps me understand your forethought and the outcome on the fence, being a carpenter pro.

I looked at your fantastic fence and I was then having 2nd thoughts about my own fence choices :lol:

Either way, we both are proud of our fences.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

The planning comes with years of experience. 
I did about 120' of fence and spent almost 6K for just materials. That's why it 
Looks good. It was really expensive.


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Shindoman said:


> The planning comes with years of experience.
> I did about 120' of fence and spent almost 6K for just materials. That's why it
> Looks good. It was really expensive.


Lol, usually you pay for what you get.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

[/quote]

I didn't treat the cedar with preservative until after 2 years went by. It had naturally turned grey, so I pressure washed out the grey and then treated it with preservative.

[/quote]

I always recommend to not use a pressure washer on cedar. The excess pressure can possibly push all the natural oils out of the cedar. Making it more susceptible to decay. Just use a good quality wood deck cleaner.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

CenlaLowell said:


> Shindoman said:
> 
> 
> > The planning comes with years of experience.
> ...


Otherwise its called stealing.


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