Fencing
17Sep07
When we ordered our siding we had to order a whole pallet because we were having it painted at the factory. We knew it was going to be more than we needed, and figured we could find something useful for the excess. This weekend we put it to good use. We put up around 24′ of fencing on our side yard using the same detail as we did on our siding. It looks really nice compared to what used to be there, and best of all, it only cost us around $200 in cedar and concrete to do. Once we get the back done, I think it will really change our yard. I’m just trying to figure out the best gate to use so we can still park in our back yard if we need to. Any suggestions?
16 Responses to “Fencing”
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Very, very cool. My in-laws created a moveable back fence so they could get the sailboat next to the garage during the winter months. And there is also a gate back there so you can just walk into the backyard from the alley when needed. I’ll try to get photos of it this week and post it so you can see what they did.
Creative re-use! Very Dwell
you know you folks are amazing! i totally dig the $200 cost factor. great idea.
questions: how far did you dig your holes for the posts and did you set them in concrete?
That fence looks great! We are considering something similar to match our home. How long are your fence sections (6ft ?) and how wide is the gap between slats?
Thanks!
Fencing? Do you guys sword fight back there?
The cedar post are 8′ posts buried and set in concrete 2 foot deep. I used 8 bags of concrete for 4 holes, so they should be pretty solid. The spans are 8 foot between posts, but there is a 2×4 frame between post to help make things a little more solid. I was pretty worried about how the Hardie Board would hold up spanning that far, but I think it will be fine. The gap between boards is the same as our house, 1/4″.
Ned, We prefer to dual with muskets.
What kind of screws are holding the Hardi in? We have a crapload of Hardi sheets in our garage that we need to get rid of. We were considering not a fence, but a garden shed. Don’t want to end up paying $1499 for a plastic shed made to look like a tiny colonial cottage.
Is the siding on both sides or just the outside? For a gate, why not just build another section and put it on heavy duty hinges with a gate spring?
The screws are #10 Pan head stainless steel from McFeelys. The siding is just on one side. We considered a large swinging gate, but I worry about how much torque a 10′ gate would put on a post. We may do two 5′ gates, but I would prefer a 10′ gate that slides open parallel to the fence.
you could put the gate on casters, then you wouldn’t need to worry as much about the weight. they make some with springs for this kind of situation. or hang it like a sliding barn door. i think you’re right, it would be a lot of torque on a single post.
i’m brainstorming a modern, affordable facade for my ugly (although new) cookie cutter vinyl fence that the homeowner’s association won’t let us take down. the vinyl fencing already has posts, of course. do you think i could simply mount rain screen onto the posts? this would leave a slight gap for leaves and junk but i could easily clean it out from time to time and use as mulch. if so, can i ask how much your rain screen cost per sf?
or would it be possible to use hardie siding, cut into squares and then mounted onto the vinyl posts with additional reinforcements? would this application be weather-resistant and more cost-effective than rain screen? can the rain screen be cut into squares?
could i ask anymore questions? let’s hope not! this is what you get for inspiring people, sorry.
thanks!
Love the fence… just curious… did you just use the smoothopie hardie lap siding? also what width did you use and color? i want to look at building a very comparable fence for my backyard… i appreciate it! thanks again!
Cameron,
We used the smooth hardie. From memory I think it was like 7 3/4″. You could probably look at some of my siding posts for details, it’s the same stuff. The color is straight from hardie, it’s “Iron Grey”.
Awesome… Well I will start a post on here with our updated fence as we proceed…did you order from home depot/lowes or direct from hardie? Also do you forsee or seen any weathering related issue? In Dallas we would be the first around here with that style fence.. We have a modern house but every neighbor of mine has vertical old school fence… This is just a great modern and cost effective way for a fence.. Looks great… if you have any more finished pics i would love to see them..
Cameon,
We just got it through a local building supply place. The stuff weathers great, thats really the reason we used it. Very little upkeep. Our only concern is that someone would lean on it and break it. It isn’t super strong for spans.
Well the project is starting this weekend for me… so i will keep you posted.. this site is good inspiration though…. i noticed the hardi plank (smooth) only comes in 12 ft length>>> did you just cut those down to 8 ft and use the rest for somethin else? also what was the height of your fence you built?
Yeah, we cut them down to 8′ in most spots. We did have a section where it worked to do a 12′ section. Our fence is 6′ high, which I think may be the max by zoning for our sideyard.