Setting Boundaries

Nick and I have been talking for a month or two now about having a portion of the backyard fenced off.  Not to provide privacy or wall the neighbors out, but to provide a safe place for a dog to play off-leash (we did not have a dog at the time).  Many folks out here have beautiful paddock or split-rail fencing, and we really liked the look of both.  We had a large local company come out and give us an estimate, but it was significantly higher than we were looking to pay, even with interest-free financing.  We were feeling a bit discouraged, but once we adopted the puppy we had extra motivation to start looking again.  A coworker of mine recommended Triple-K, a smaller local company that she had used and was pleased with.  Their estimate was significantly less, and Nick liked the guy they sent out.  So they came out Tuesday morning, and by the time I arrived home from work at about a quarter to seven Tuesday evening, we had a fenced backyard!

It is three-rail split rail fencing with galvanized mesh wire along the inside so that animals cannot go between the rails.  From a distance you cannot see the mesh, and close-up it still looks pretty good!  Along the left-hand side of the home our neighbors already have a fence, so we ran ours across to meet theirs but did not double-up on the fencing.  There is a gate at the back of the fence that opens to the rest of the property.  Facing the street, we have a single-width gate on the right side and a double-width gate on the left.  The double-width gate is so that our tree guy can get his cherry picker into the backyard the next time we want some work done.  The fence comes up to about halfway along the house; between that, the large front yard, and the slope down to the street you can't see much of the street from the fenced yard, meaning that if and when we do leave Westley (the pup) alone in the yard he won't find much in the front to bark at.  Not that our cul-de-sac has much traffic anyway.  In the back the fence does not block the view of the trees or the little creek at the back of the property.

We (and Nick especially) are very excited!  He's already planned what scrubby areas we should clear out to open them up for additional sunlight, gardening, and a potential chicken coop.  Westley loves being able to be off-leash, and he has already figured out what the gates are even though they've only been there for four days!  He and I were in the front yard this morning and when he wanted to go to the back he trotted right up to the gate and sat down, which is what we are making him do any time we go in or out of a door.

I grew up used to fences that were five or six feet tall and blocked any view.  This is very different.  I think I like it better.  This sort of fence wouldn't work in Los Angeles, though - it works better when you have a larger, more rural property.  Good thing that's what we've got!