Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/123858
30 • MAY 2013 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Mr. Homeowner is sitting there quietly drinking his first cup of coffee of the day when his wife hits him with a new project request. "I think I want a nice wood privacy fence in the back yard. What do you think?" His first thought is, "Oh boy, here we go again, another Martha Stewart idea." The next thought is, "How much is this going to cost me?" She says that she doesn't know, but she called a guy and he's going to be here in an hour or so to give a bid. Great, just great! Enter the fence man. This guy looks as if he is on his last leg. He is a Cedar Fence 101 Homeowner learns one of life's most important lessons – Why do it yourself? BY JIM FORRER , A-4 FENCE , CALDWELL , IDAHO sun-beaten grizzled old guy, but with a bright smile on his lined and wrinkled face. He walks around the property, takes a few measurements, then hands Mr. Homeowner the bid. The bid – my Lord, does he want to settle the national debt with this one job? He's polite enough, but gee whiz, that's a lot of money. The homeowner Good Fences Make Good Neighbors. PulJaks Make Good Fences! THE FENCEMAN'S FRIEND STRETCHES • LIFTS • ALIGNS • CLAMPS MODEL A–21⁄2 ® FOR: TIGHT CORNERS, SHORT PULLS, GATES ONLY Designed for those "Impossible" jobs $95.90 PulJak® Company LLC P.O. Box 449 • Branford, CT 06405 PHONE: (203) 500-2520 • FAX: (203) 738-1088 E-mail: puljak@comcast.net Visit us on the Web at www.puljakusa.com tells him that he and the wife will have to talk it over for a while. He thanks him politely and says to call at his convenience, then leaves. As he pulls out and down the drive, the guy tells his wife, "If you want a fence so badly, I'll just build it myself. I know I can do it just as good and a heck of a lot Jim Forrer cheaper." The preceding is my general impression of a few customer reactions that I have dealt with in the past. So, Mr. Homeowner is going to do it himself. Sounds easy, huh? I wonder if he's thought of everything. Well, let me provide him the skivey on the how and whys: First off, after you have cleared all your stuff from the back line, find all of your property pins and establish your boundaries. Stake out all corners. Then go in the house and call 811 to request the underground utilities be marked. If you don't call 811, then make sure that you designate a friend or neighbor to call 911 in the event you dig into an electric line or gas pipe. Next, while waiting for the utilities to be located and marked, order your supplies. Generally, the wait is no longer than two days. After everything has been marked, proceed with digging the corner post Quality Products for the Fence, Deck and Railing Industry™ Sold by the piece - full box quantities not required. Balusters / Spindles Porch & Newel Posts Caps / Post Skirts Railing Brackets Post Mount Towers Gate Hardware Faux Rock Pillars Post Wraps Tri Custom Manufacturing www.tricm.com Phone 435-563-0261 Toll Free 1-866-833-9589 holes. Please do not do a "shovel set." Only use a post hole digger. The depth should be 20 inches minimum. For a 4x4 cedar post, the hole should have a 7 or 8 inch diameter at the top. The bottom, however, needs to be of a larger diameter to prevent frost heave. Select a good straight post for the corners. Place a couple inches of gravel in the bottom of each hole for the post to foundation on solidly. This will prevent any water damage by affording good drainage. Proceed by setting posts with concrete or post mix while squaring the sides with each line. Always – and I mean always – dome the top of the set for water drainage. Oh yes, what to do with the dirt from your digging? Well, haul it out to the front of the house and make a pile on the side of the driveway. I'll tell why later. Now comes the time for the line posts. It is 8 ft. on center as recommended by most. Never stretch that measurement beyond 8 feet. I have always marked out to 7 ft. 11 inches so as to have a little wiggle room. After digging the holes for the line posts, you find that you're running out of daylight. You figure that you can finish tomorrow, but wait, you have to go to work tomorrow. You think to yourself, "well, I'll finish up in the evening after work. Boy, this is taking longer than I thought." The following evening, you find that sometimes a crooked post will throw your measurement off. Any post with a slight curve should be placed with the curve facing in line with the run. That is why you need a little wiggle room. While the line posts set, now is the time to get out your masonry string. Firmly attach the string to opposing end posts and pull taut until it sings in the breeze. Temporarily tack up any sags in the string with a nail. Stand back and eyeball the general overview of the ups and downs from one post to the other. Make adjustments to the string on each post until your eye appeal is satisfied. Then mark each post and cut the top off flat at the markings. The flat top will make for a good surface to enable the placing of the top rail. Next come the rails. I always use three fir 2x4x8 rails. Place one flat on top of the posts. This gives shear strength against buffeting winds. Place two rails vertical, "skinny side up," between the posts, with one close to the bottom and the other halfway between the other two. Doing this prevents sagging of each section. The bottom and middle rails should be set into fence clips. Simpson continued on page 60