#1

This is the fence I put up a year ago. The top picture is what the gate looks like from outside looking in. The middle picture is from inside looking out. The bottom picture is what the fence looks like from a distance.

We used black welded wire fence stapled to the rails and posts. It blends in to the background well. I want to paint all the gates black as well in the future.

I forgot to mention that we rented a portable post hole digger that has wheels and see-saws so one person could theoretically use it. Two people are ideal to use it as it gets heavy picking it up and setting it back down again...repeatedly. We rented it for two months as I could really use it on weekends and after work during the week. It was cheaper by the month than by the weekend. With a Bobcat it would have probably gone faster but we had rocks in just about every hole we dug. Some were bigger than the hole diameter. If it wasn't for the rocks it would have been a breeze. This is a project I do not want to do again but am glad we did it ourselves. We saved about $10,000 by doing it this way verses hiring a professional to do it for us. Of course it would have done in a week verses 2 months.

Aluminum.

No maintenance.

Had it on my last two houses and have it now.

I’ve done wooden on a couple of houses and it’s just a pain to stain....warping. Sagging...especially at the gates.

No. For me it’s aluminum.

Thanks for the input so far.

Chain link is prohibited by deed restriction.

Stone would be amazing BUT, 800 feet of it would mean my 17 year old can't go to college...

My wife hates the look of vinyl.

I am leaning toward the Black Aluminum.

Being that you are on a wooded lot I would not go with the aluminum. I most certainly would go with option 2 and make sure all of your pickets are cedar.
Option 1 would be the most maintenance over time.
Option 2 would have little maintenance using cedar. Pine would be an absolute no go.
Option 3 too me is not worth the added expense. I also don't particularly like the metal look. It is much better looking on a small neighborhood lot.
But since you are wooded the wood fence would look much better and cost less.

I also think the Bobcat rental is overkill on the wallet unless you have a particular reason you can't use a gas powered auger or you also need the bobcat for other purposes. The augers pretty easy to use and more precise especially if you don't have much experience running a bobcat.

I would also not screw the uprights only the horizontals. I would use the pneumatic nailer with what I think are called rink shank nails maybe. Far faster, hold just as well, and are far cheaper than screws.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black92LX,

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Being that you are on a wooded lot I would not go with the aluminum. I most certainly would go with option 2 and make sure all of your pickets are cedar.
Option 1 would be the most maintenance over time.
Option 2 would have little maintenance using cedar. Pine would be an absolute no go.
Option 3 too me is not worth the added expense. I also don't particularly like the metal look. It is much better looking on a small neighborhood lot.
But since you are wooded the wood fence would look much better and cost less.

I also think the Bobcat rental is overkill on the wallet unless you have a particular reason you can't use a gas powered auger or you also need the bobcat for other purposes. The augers pretty easy to use and more precise especially if you don't have much experience running a bobcat.

My fence guys had a Stihl gas powered auger and that thing was a monster, it drilled 3' deep fence posts for 4"x4"s in about 10 seconds flat. It also looked like it was pretty easy to use and not a back breaker. I'd just buy one rather than rent a bob cat for 2 months, unless you need the bob cat for other uses.