Although building a fence is one of the easiest projects that you can complete on your own, you will still be quite hard pressed to find a guide that tells you all you might need to know before you start one. This is because of the number of options that you have when building a fence. There are dozens and dozens, possibly even hundreds of different kinds of fences, so no one can claim to be expert on each and every one. If you want to learn how to build a fence, you must first decide exactly which type it is that you wish to build.
If you are just looking for a way to separate your house from the houses of your neighbors, or to fence in your dog, or to stylishly enclose your property, and you live in a low crime, suburban neighborhood, I would probably suggest building a picket fence. Building a fence of this type is easy, if time consuming. You must simply hammer in the individual spikes of wood, then attach them together with a horizontal cross-member. Then all you have to do is paint your fence, and you are ready to go. Many residential communities have very strong and specific rules governing building a fence, so often the picket fence is your only option anyway/
On the other hand, if you are building a fence for security purposes, you might want to consider a few other options as well. Building a wrought iron fence can be a way to get some security, while still preserving style. Although these type of fences are far from unbeatable, they are stronger than picket fences, and can be bought tall enough and sturdy enough to keep out most unwanted visitors. Many iron fences have spikes that are both decorative and functional, making them almost impossible to climb. Although someone who is really determined to get into your house will no doubt find a way past this defense, building a fence of steel is enough to scare away most perpetrators. After all, the crooks are looking for an easy target. A more common option that combines the affordability of a wooden fence with the greater security of metal is a chain-link fence. building a fence out of chain link is easy, because it can be bought premade. All you have to do is to sink it into some concrete, and you are ready to go.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Building A House
Some years ago, my husband and I moved to the country to build a house. Plots of land were going cheap near the East coast of England., and we took the plunge. We had considered many possibilities of building a house or converting an old one. We did look at a number of old, run down properties which were advertised for restoration. The problem was there was so much work to do on the roof, the wiring and plumbing, that it would have been easier to knock it down and start again.
We decided to start from scratch, and be rewarded with the exact house we wanted. It had to be a house that fitted our particular needs. I wanted an office and my husband paints, so he wanted a studio with plenty of light. He also wanted a room with a pool table but we never did manage that! Building a house is a lot of hard work, unless you have the money to pay contractors to do everything. We were on a tight budget, and fortunately my husband is very handy and he can do just about everything. He is a trained electrician and has also picked up other skills having worked on lots of construction sites.
The only practical way to accomplish this was to buy an old caravan, which we put on the land and we lived in for six months whilst building a house. It was ok in summer but the winter months were tough. One morning, we woke up to find our bedding had stuck to the caravan wall and frozen. It was desperately cold and we took it in turns to be the one to jump out of bed, and put the gas heater on and fill the kettle for tea. When you start building a house, you're exposed to the elements and it's dusty work. I remember my husband stoically laying bricks in the snow.
Work parties were frequently organized, when friends kindly volunteered to come over at weekends and lend a hand. This was in exchange for hot meals and a night down at the village pub. Laying the foundations is the most tedious and time consuming bit of building a house. Once that's achieved, you feel like you're getting somewhere. Then there's the bricklaying, plastering, putting the roof on, plumbing and painting. It all takes time and it always costs you more than you think.
At last, and within our time limit but over budget, we got our dream home and moved in. Building a house is probably the most difficult but satisfying thing we have ever done. It was a glorious day when we saw that old, clapped out caravan rolling away.
We decided to start from scratch, and be rewarded with the exact house we wanted. It had to be a house that fitted our particular needs. I wanted an office and my husband paints, so he wanted a studio with plenty of light. He also wanted a room with a pool table but we never did manage that! Building a house is a lot of hard work, unless you have the money to pay contractors to do everything. We were on a tight budget, and fortunately my husband is very handy and he can do just about everything. He is a trained electrician and has also picked up other skills having worked on lots of construction sites.
The only practical way to accomplish this was to buy an old caravan, which we put on the land and we lived in for six months whilst building a house. It was ok in summer but the winter months were tough. One morning, we woke up to find our bedding had stuck to the caravan wall and frozen. It was desperately cold and we took it in turns to be the one to jump out of bed, and put the gas heater on and fill the kettle for tea. When you start building a house, you're exposed to the elements and it's dusty work. I remember my husband stoically laying bricks in the snow.
Work parties were frequently organized, when friends kindly volunteered to come over at weekends and lend a hand. This was in exchange for hot meals and a night down at the village pub. Laying the foundations is the most tedious and time consuming bit of building a house. Once that's achieved, you feel like you're getting somewhere. Then there's the bricklaying, plastering, putting the roof on, plumbing and painting. It all takes time and it always costs you more than you think.
At last, and within our time limit but over budget, we got our dream home and moved in. Building a house is probably the most difficult but satisfying thing we have ever done. It was a glorious day when we saw that old, clapped out caravan rolling away.
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