The fence project is about 24 boards from being finished on all four sides… unfortunately, I'm out of stock and Home Depot has gotten in some super-crappy lumber the past few loads (I've been to 3 stores… oddly, all within a 15mile radius) and I'm presently unwilling to pay Dolan's lots more for only moderately better stock ($5 vs. $8). But here are some images…
I can also share a few experiences:
- A pneumatic nail gun is amazing: I used galvanized nails for the rails (toe-nailing) and face nailing in this stretch of the fence (as opposed to brackets and screws on the first). Installation went 5X as fast.
- Cutting all of the posts to the same height (thanks to the mason line and line-level) and then installing the top-rail on top on these (and face nailing into the post — creating almost a bridge-like look) is much easier, cleaner looking and potentially much more stable (than using brackets installed lower on the post). Then installing the bottom rail in the opposite direction makes for (1) a good place to face nail the kickplate and bottom of the fence boards but (2) makes for a more stable fence.
- Installation of kickplates (base boards) is initially a pain, but it
keeps the neighbor's terrier, Peaches, out of our yard and makes
installation easier, too… just set planks on top of the plate and
nail. - Rental of a 2-man auger — although expensive — was a real time and back saver for re-digging the post-holes.
- Hiring out a bit of the manual labor for the tear out is a good way to spend a few hundred dollars and not herniate a(nother) disc.
- On one side — to save the neighbor's pretty flowering crabapple tree, we jogged the fence half-way down the line, likely giving up about 3in of yard, but saving the trunk of the tree (and the sightline of the fence)… oh well.
- Zinc-based wood treatment smells funny… so it better work to help preserve the base of the posts and cut ends of the pressure-treated lumber.
