Yesterday, our fence guys surprised us and finished the job! When we spend a lot of money on a project–especially when we hire it out–our expectations are so much higher. And I’m relieved to say, we’re all so happy with the results.

I wasn’t able to find the exact fence I wanted locally and I was getting so frustrated. But then I struck gold when a company down the road (Western Fence, for you locals) said that I could come up with a new design that wasn’t on display, as long as I used all the same parts. I spent some time in the warehouse looking around and drawing pictures and they were so helpful all the times I asked “Do you have something like this?!” I was able to choose a slightly thicker top border, how far down I wanted the center line (I decided on 19″), the caps! And then some details, I had a limited selection on. For instance, they only make 1″ or 3″ pickets–so I went with 3″ and the spacing had to be 3″ apart so that we met code for our corner lot of 50% visibility since we are kind of the corner lot of a cul-de-sac.

Over the next year, we plan on landscaping in front of the fence to soften things up, but we’ll save that for a different post.

Update: Per request here’s a 3 minute “drawing” of what our property looks like so you can get a better idea of how things are laid out.

The caps we decided on were the “Federation” style and ran us $6.39 a pop. Every time I see a vinyl fence without caps, or just with the standard flat caps–I secretly hope they’re saving up their money for some. It makes such a beautiful difference if you can swing it.

Around back, we decided to install a 4′ fence, instead of a 6′ to better line up with our neighbor’s existing fence, plus there is such beautiful landscaping back there, it felt a shame to cover it all up.

It’s basically the same, but without the extra middle border.

Part of us wishes we could have extended it along the other side of our backyard, but we couldn’t justify the expense and aren’t even sure our neighbor would be up for that. So, here they are peacefully cohabiting. Note to self: that gnarly bush has got to go!

The biggest splurges and cost actually come from the gates. In the eleventh hour, we decided to add another one on the north side of our property. Just a small 3 footer that is wide enough for a lawn mower, or person to pass through.

We also put a large 8 ft gate (two 4ft french door style) to the right of the driveway in case we need to move larger things into the backyard. A swingset or small shed (our current one is way too big–we’re contemplating selling it) comes to mind.

After they finished up, I opened the back door and Charly looked at me curiously. Since we moved in 10 months ago, she always had to be on her wire before going out. It was the best feeling once she realized she could run freely in her yard. Greta and her played for a couple hours out there and I didn’t have to worry once where they had gone. It has been a long time coming (and saving!!) for this fence, but it already feels worth it.