How to Grow a Fence

Yesterday was our day to make some progress on the south side fence.  We really want to get that side finished because it will give us privacy from not only the street but also from the messy yard and running children who come to the in-home daycare next door.

So how does one grow a fence?  One load of cement and one panel section at a time.  What certainly helped was that we had the holes all dug and cleaned up, so we did not have to bother with any ground preparation.  We simply had to follow our routine for each hole: fit the bottom rail to the previously installed post and modify the terrain so it lies level, mix Batch 1 of the cement, drop down a layer of stone into the hole, add Batch 1 to the hole, fit in the fence post, slide in the bottom rail and level it again, add the fence panels and top rail, plumb the post, check level on the top, mix and gently pour in Batch 2 of the cement, add more cement as necessary to fill the post inside to ground level.

And this is how the landscape looks as we "grow" our fence:

This was the state of the fence where we started yesterday.

Then we added the first post and panel...

and the second post and panel...

and then the third and final post and panel for the day.

Snow dusts the front flower garden as the daylilies
continue to grow. 

Snow and bitter cold weather greeted us today, so we planned on not working outside.  Instead, I did my regular Friday cleaning chores while Rick went to Home Depot for another 30 bags of cement.  He also ordered some needed materials to finish the gates on the fence. Those materials should arrive at Lowes in Appleton in another two weeks.

Our plans for tomorrow are to brave whatever cold weather lingers as we add three more posts and panels to the south side fence.  I never dreamed that we would have a fence completely surround our property before June 1, but we seem to be on the right track to finish this project on time.  See?  Staying at home does have its benefits.