Dirt pile

As you know, we have a sand pit in our backyard:

It's the leftover base of an above-ground swimming pool that the previous home owners took when they left.  My big plan for the summer was to remove the sand and underlying tarps/burlap, fill in the area with nice dirt and either sow seed or lay sod. 

But then it got hot out.  And I got lazy. 

Okay, fine. I got lazier.

When the crew dug up the yard for the fence posts, I had them put the dirt on a sheet of plastic in the sand pit, so we'd at least have the dirt there when we got around to removing the sand. 

Now, instead of having just a sand pit in my backyward, I now have a dirt pile on top of a sand pit.  That's classy!

And to my dismay, the soil is really, really rocky. There are some decent size boulders in that pile. Here's an example:

That's a size 8 foot in that picture for scale. Not sure whose foot that is, though...weird.

This new dirt pile, on top of the sand pit, has really added something to my backyard.

I'm not quite sure what it's added, but my guess would be a lot more work. 

The finished fence

The fence is done!  And it only took two days.  Take a look:

Right now the fence is a beautiful reddish color, but the cedar wood will fade to gray over time.

The front and sides are 5 feet, and it tapers down to 3 feet in the back. 

I went with 3 feet in the back so the gorgeous view of the prairie wouldn't be blocked.  There is a gate back there for mower access.

Above, the crew is working on the large double gate.  They hung it as a single panel, and then cut out the opening and installed the hardware.  As a result, the gate sides are a perfect fit.

I just love the new fence!  What do you think?

The posts are in

Day One of fence construction:

First, the crew dug the holes and set the posts in.  Then, they came around with the cement.

And that's all that was accomplished on Day One.

I'm so excited about the installation!  If the weather is good, they'll finish the fence tomorrow.  

It's fence time, baby!

Way back in April, the TMI household began seriously considering getting a fence.  Some of us made a decision right away about the type, style, company and installation of that fence.

But someone hemmed and hawed and stressed out about this decision for nearly three months, putting the fence installation way behind schedule and possibly giving herself an ulcer in the process.

Okay, that someone was me.  But I finally made the decision on the fence, called the company and got the work scheduled.  Before work could get started, J.U.L.I.E. had to come out and mark all the underground utility lines. 

Now that J.U.L.I.E. has made her mark, it's time to get started on that fence installation. 

Tomorrow, the posts go in!

Fence me in

It's springtime. The TMI household has two small children, one of which is extremely mobile and moderately disobedient.  Our property backs up to the wetlands area and we are near a busy train rail.  Naturally, our thoughts are turning towards getting a fence. 

To see what was available, the Little Guy, BabyGirl and I did some recon in the subdivision to see what fencing styles are out there.  Here's what we saw:

I think the last fence (last two pictures shown) is the winner.  The simple, straight lines are attractive, and I like the cap on top.  Now, the Big Guy and I have to decide on things like height of the fence (I think 4' is fine, he would like 10' topped with barbed wire) and placement.  I'll be getting some quotes from various companies over the coming week to see if this is financially possible for this year, or if we could do it cheaper ourselves.