Monday, November 2, 2015

Department of Da Fence

  When we had the yard redone back in 2000, one of the additions was a white stockade fence, replacing the combination of chain link and unpainted stockade that had been there before. Over the ensuing decade and a half, some sections have stood the test of time and others not so much.
  The major damage came three years ago when the winds of Hurricane Sandy took out two sections on one side and another 8-footer across the yard. The damage to the fence sections was actually minimal, as the posts holding them just snapped at the base. It was a relatively simple job to have new posts installed and the sections reattached.
  Much more of a hassle was dealing with the individual slats that rotted or cracked. We've made annual trips to Home Depot to get a dozen or more replacements, which Laurie painted and I installed -- one here, two there, and you would only notice if you were looking closely.
  This year, with one section pretty much disintegrating because of a tree that grew too large and too close, along with the usual number of single slats that needed replacement, we decided it was time to take major action. Thus, this morning, the wooden fence on the two sides of the yard is being replaced with a PVC version.
  We opted to leave the wood along the back perimeter because a) virtually all of it is hidden behind the evergreens that line the border and b) our neighbor's chain link fence is on the other side of it. For whatever reason, this section of fence does not need the level of repair the two sides did, so I'll continue to do some annual maintenance, but a lot less than I have been doing.
  And when we return to sitting poolside next spring, it will no doubt seem like the fence that's there has always been so.

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