Friday, April 25, 2014

{DIY} Front Yard Fence

We are currently in the process of installing fencing in our front/side yards.  Mostly to keep the munchkins in our backyard when playing outside, this fence also helps add to our fabulous landscaping (ha!) too.  With the way our home is positioned on a hill, we don't really need a fence for privacy purposes.  So, we decided to go for a non-traditional look with a cedar board + hog wire fence.  Partly inspired by the hubs's uncle's fencing, partly inspired by Pinterest... and we're definitely sold on the look.
We started our fence by installing four pressure treated boards with cement as our fence posts.  And by we, I mean the hubs.  He used a post hole digger and dug about two feet down.
All of the lumber and fencing staples were purchased from our local hardware store and we found the hog wire at a local farm supply store.  It is a thicker gauge wire, which comes in sheets (not rolled).  We borrowed a pair of wire snippers to cut the wire panels down to the size we wanted.
The cedar boards were added to finish the look... they hide the snipped wire ends and the fencing staples.  We plan to stain the cedar and are thinking of using a clear finish.
This weekend we will finish building our gate door (to go between the two panels we currently have installed). Then, we are going to build this fence down the side of our home toward our backyard approximately 12 feet or so. We won't build it to fully enclose our yard, but just enough to create a more finished look.

As I mentioned, we are pretty pleased with how this fence is turning out.  So far it seems to be doing it's job.  The boys haven't tried to run around to the front yard with it up... which helps me have more peace of mind when they are playing outside.

We will also add this type of fence on the right side of our home, which will connect our already existing standard wooden fence to our home and enclose that side of the yard.  And, if we ever decide we want a little more privacy than what this fence currently provides, we may take some of the ivy we have abundantly growing around our home and weave it through the wire in the fence.  But for now, we will keep the wire exposed.

This fence is a pretty easy answer for our needs -- and relatively inexpensive too.  The most difficult part of the whole process was leveling it all.  When your home is built on a hill, you get that added bonus of trying to decide how to make everything square and in line.  So proud of the hubs and his patience on this project.  I'm hoping to share an updated photo of our fence progress soon!

3 comments:

  1. I love the simple look that the wire and the cedar give, and it really compliments the rest of your backyard. The thing I like most about this is just how crisp and clean the fence is, and how it doesn't fully enclose your yard like normal fences do. Your yard still looks really open and spacy, it just now has some supportive barriers to keep your little guys in.
    Cedar Fence

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  2. Hi, what are the dimensions of the cedar boards you used to hide the nails ?
    Thanks! Janice

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  3. We don't see many of this type of barbed wire fence around here anymore. I suppose it's because farms have grown larger it isn't necessary to fence off their property. It is still used where farmers have cows and horses, but most of them have wooden fences.building a privacy fence

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