Good Fences Make…

Chuck has moved on to some important projects in the yard, now that our interior is done. Like the backyard fence. Here’s what it looked like before. Ugh. It was in rough shape, with many boards beginning to rot. A coat of paint wouldn’t solve the problem.

And don’t get me started on the chicken wire side fence. Who exactly thought this was a good idea when they built it? I can imagine the previous homeowners’ conversation now: “Oh honey, let’s go buy some chicken wire and wrap it around a couple of random stakes shoved in the ground. That will add just the je ne sais quoi our garden needs.”

So here was the first step: a new series of sturdy metal posts in firm concrete footings, just inches from the old fence. It was a fairly delicate operation, as we needed to avoid disturbing the existing plantings and irrigation that just went in last spring.

The old retaining wall is an interesting example of amateur masonry. It’s not bad looking, and although it’s crumbling in a couple of spots, it’s structurally intact.   Even unfinished the new fence looked better than the old chicken wire.Next Chuck installed a LOT of redwood boards. He had to pre-stain them to match the new fencing on our side yard, because if we tried to paint them in place, it could have killed the plants.And here are the final results! I especially love the clean, modern look Chuck achieved by mounting a solid horizontal board to cover the dog-eared fence palings. The landscaping has already doubled in size since spring and the new fence is a handsome backdrop. We still have some work to do in the yard with more plantings, furniture and decking, so stay tuned.

Sometimes Stains Are A Good Thing

We just applied a stain to the redwood fence that screens the view from the kitchen into the neighbor’s house. It’s beautiful. Chuck specifically chose the silvery gray to coordinate with the interior color scheme. It’s a semi-transparent stain that still lets the beauty of the wood grain shine through.

As a reminder, this is what the fence looked like unstained. Redwood is a handsome material, but when really new there can be wide color gradations that look garish. Eventually the fence would have naturally faded to a grayish color, but in our mild California weather with no rain for months at a time, the process would have taken years.

And here’s what the view looked like without a fence. Clearly we needed a privacy screen!

We love this new entrance to the backyard, and can’t wait to finish the landscaping and hardscaping.

 

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Our new fence is going up quickly in the side yard. Because we created a new entrance to the yard through the kitchen, the fence is essential for privacy.

Here’s how the view looked before the fence.

Going back farther in time, here’s the space when we first installed the door. I’m glad they put walls around it!

And to refresh your memory, here’s how the space looked when we bought the house. It used to be a cramped bedroom with a low ceiling. Chuck’s imagination completely transformed it!