Tuesday, October 6, 2009

New Fence, New Fence









Two weeks before C's parents arrived the landscapers called to say that they would like to remove the old chain-link and set the new posts starting the next day. We swiftly hacked away at the tangle of overgrown shrubs, sapling and vines that made up our "garden", creating a pile of brush taller than a person. The posts were set over the next 10 days(!), the fence wood was delivered and C's parents arrived. Forecast for their visit....rain every day! The sloping backyard was a challenge, but 6 days later and plenty of caked on mud, the fence is built. Gates will be tomorrow's task.

Old Fence, New Fence











In preparation of C's parents coming to build the new fence, we pried off all the old fence boards that were attached to the chain-link, hammered out the old nails, took the split boards and cut them down, then hatchet-ed the bits into kindling. All in all a very hands-on day. I felt a bit like a pioneer because once all the outdoor work was done, I headed to the kitchen to do some canning!

New Shed, New Shed






Once the old shed was gone, we pulled down the fence boards, which turned out to be beautifully aged cedar. We ordered a cedar shed kit (Outdoor Living), waited 3 weeks for it to arrive and got to work! It was sort of like a very lengthy Ikea construction that required more tools. Also, some of the trim plan was crappy, so it meant a lot of fiddle-y cutting and building. I installed the doors...first attaching all the hinged upside-down!

Old Shed, New Shed



C's parents planned a "working visit" for the Fall and it was decided that they would come and help build us a fence. In order to accommodate the new fence, the old shed needed to be torn down (it was in the way of a stretch of old fence boards that were attached to the existing chain-link fence). Of course, a new shed was needed and had to be smaller as the new fence was going to be built along our lot line. Hence, old shed out, new shed in. The existing metal shed was constructed to last and took 4 hours to dismantle.