Conference 7.286::home_work

    
    My dad was a contractor who did many a contracting for Sears which
    included installing fences. The fences are done by private contractors
    who get paid by sears, by the linier foot they install. It all depends
    on the person who they send to install the fence. Not to sound biased
    but my dad did a great job.
    
    Mike

    2-3 years ago sears did my parents yard.  Mighty fine job too. 
    Right down to moving the VERY LARGE BOLDERS that were in the way.
    I am not quite sure but the contractors were something like "chicky
    & son" or something or other.  I will ask my parents and put the
    correct names in.   al

    RE. .02    Did your parents have the 9 gauge or the 11 1/2 gauge.
    Does anyone out there have any experience with the 11 1/2 gauge
    fence?  Will it hold up as long not being the weight of the 9 gauge?
    Price wise, is it worth the extra $1000 to go with the heavier fence
    in the long run? 
    
    DAN
    

    I put the Sears 11-1/2 gauge fence around my pool nine years ago
    and have had no problem.  The fence is not subjected to much stress,
    except an occasional kid trying to climb over it.  I didn't have
    the extra $$$ for the 9 guage after putting in the pool and would
    probably consider it ill-spent if I had had it.
    
    BTW Sears installed the posts and I did the rest.  It was no problem
    at all.  The only reason they did the posts was to make up for loosing
    the order and all record of it on two occasions.  Having pre-paid
    for the material, I was mightly displeased at the time.
    

    Well, its me again.  I got the name for you.  Chick Beaulieu.
    It appears that they do an assortment of things.  Yes they had the
    11-1/2 put in.  My dad said that he would rec them.  Great job they
    did.  I have heard horror stories (the neighbor) about the contractors
    not bothering to bust rock ledges to put the posts the proper debth.
    I recall Chick's people working VERY, VERY hard to make sure they
    were right.  Hope this helps.
                                           Al

    			SEARS GOT THE JOB
    
    	I just signed for Sears to install the 369 feet of 9 gauge fence.
    One thing though,  I cancelled the Sears contract from Leominster
    and went with the Burlington Sears.. Why?  The Burlington Sears
    gave me the same exact thing for $290 less.  Can you believe it?
    I even showed them the Burlington estimate.  Is there really that
    much of a difference in contractors?  I also got a private fence
    companies estimate written out  and that's what Burlington matched.
    I will post the results when the fence is completed in about 4 weeks.
    Thanks for the responsed from everyone.
    
    DAN
    

This is such a dumb question that I don't believe it's been asked before, but 
I'm not bashful, so I'll ask it now.

I've picked up some 1" mesh chicken wire for fencing in some of my flower
beds, to keep out the local critters.  I'm not worried about them eating
the flowers as much as just wandering through, snapping fragile tulip stems as
they go.

What should I use for stakes?  I first thought about angle iron, but wouldn't
they rust?  I'd like to avoid wood, because the soil is so rocky that it's a
non-trivial task to get wooden posts into the ground.  Is there such a thing
as a galvanized angle iron that won't rust?  Are there any other clever
alternatives?

   Gary

    There's pre-fab post for garden posts made out of steel usually painted
    green.  They look something like (from the side):
                                                    +---\
                                                    |    \
    +-----------------------------------------------+     \----\
    |                                                           \
    |  O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O                 >
    |                                                           /
    +-----------------------------------------------+     /----/
                                                    |    /   
                                                    +---/
    
    Where the "O"s are little metals tabs used where you connect the
    chicken wire.  Yes the rust but very slowly.
    
    -al

    
    Might want to consider using those bamboo garden sticks (green about 3' 
    long).  They hold up well for light duty use, which sounds like your 
    situation.  Just thread the stick through the chicken wire every 6" or 
    so.  I've used this technique to build "cages" around my dwarf fruit 
    trees, it seems sturdy enough and it's a cheap way to go.
    
    /Jeff

re: .1

Thanks.  My local hardware store carries them ($1.50 for a 3 foot stake), but
they keep them in back, which is why I didn't see them earlier.

Now then, any useful hints for cutting the chicken wire to size without leaving
dozens of dangerous wire spikes sticking out?  I've done my best to weave them
back into the fencing, but it still seems dangerous to me (having punctured 
myself once already).

   Gary

        Its been a while since I played with chicken wire but isn't one
    side/edge finished and the other side where you made the cut to width
    the dangerous side?  If so, put the cut side down towards the ground
    and the finished side up.  The dirt gets cut up instead of you.

RE: .3
	I haven't down this in a while but I use thick work gloves and I
don't get punctured. The thick gloves are the leather work gloves for about
$2 and up.

	The only way is to fix the ends of the wire is to fold them back
into the wire. I usually don't bother to change the height of my chicken wire,
but the suggestion in .4 sounds like the right thing to do there.

   Bill

I didn't mean that I was cutting it on the long edge (top or bottom).  I have
a long roll of chicken wire, and I have to cut lengths to fit each area I'm
enclosing.  So it's a vertical cut, not a horizontal.

The time I punctured myself was when I took off my gloves in order to undo
the places where the roll was fastened by the manufacturer.  I cut two of the
wires, but silly me, I thought I could just unbend the third and last wire.

   Gary

I'm hoping some of you people who have done fences can advise me.  I want to
put about 120 feet of 4' chainlink around my small inground pool.  I went to
Sears and they gave me a worksheet that allowed me to determine what parts I'd
need, but when I went back to get rpices they said that someone would contact
me.  I wasn't very happy about that - I'd like to calulate the prices and fool
with the numbers myself, but...

Can anyone comment on the relative goodness of various brands (I have heard of
Anchor) and verify the "Hometime" estimate of $8/foot installed as a general
rule-of-thumb?

Recommendations for central-Mass installers would also be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete

    Feel free to comment about fencing here but please post recommendations
    for Fencing contractors in note 2034.  Thanks.
    
    Bruce [moderator]

    The Sears chain link fence around my property was already installed
    by the time we bought the house.
    
    Now, however, it is pitted in some areas with salt marks from winter
    salting and such.
    
    Does anyone know how to remove salt stains from a chain link fence?
    
    Bo

re: .7

>I went to
>Sears and they gave me a worksheet that allowed me to determine what parts I'd
>need, but when I went back to get rpices they said that someone would contact
>me.  I wasn't very happy about that - I'd like to calulate the prices and fool
>with the numbers myself, but...

	The reason for the worksheet is to understand the cost of "extras"
like gates, corner posts, etc...

	If you have a sears book you could figure this out yourself...Let me
try to remember......

	The fence itself comes $/foot.  I think mine was $2-3/foot
	You pay for each corner post.  ~$12-15/each
	You pay for each gate. Remember each gate requires a corner post
	or an end post to attach to.  ~$25/each + posts (end posts are ~$10)

	So you see from the above numbers you could minimize costs by
making your fence with minimal corners, minimal gates and placing
gates in the corners (saves a corner post)

	I have over 700ft of sears fence the cheapest one they sell. It
seems to be holding up good. I've had it now for 5 years. It is not located
near the road like .9 is.

				Bill

I'm gonna make a fence with the following: 4x4 posts, 4x4 timbers on the
ground, 2x4 top rails, and 3' high chicken wire.
          _______________________________
         |_______________|_______________|<<<<<<2x4 rails
	| |		| |		| |
	| |  chick w.	| |   chick w.  | |<<<<<4x4 post
	| |		| |		| |
        | |_____________| |_____________| |
  ======| |   4x4       | |    4x4      | |
 vege   | |_____________| |_____________| |======lawn level
    gar | |             | |             | |
        | |             | |             | |

On the outside of the fence, there is a lawn. The level of the vege garden
is a bit higher by a few inches.

A major concern I'd like to solve is keeping a good looking lawn all the
way to the fence.

The above design would allow a weed wacker to be used to cut the edge of
the lawn next to the fence. I *don't* want a situation where grasses,
weeds, etc, grow and entangle themselves in the chicken wire. 4"x4"x4'
posts every 8', with about a foot below grade. 3' chicken wire tacked
from post to post. And a 2"x4"x8' top rail.

My main concern now is how to arrange the chick wire/top rail. For
easy lawn maintenance, I would like to have the wire running along the middle
of the horizontal 4x4's. I'd have to wrap it around a post, past the corner,
along the post for 2", and then span between posts, and then back around the
next post. Tacking the chick wire to the middle of the 2x4 top rail
seems a bit awkward too.

Any ideas to arrange this differently so its not so awkward for the chicken
wire?

    What is the spacing on the posts on a straight run?
    
    If I were to put up a section of fence, with the idea of continuing the
    fence later, what kind of post would I use at the end of the straight
    run?  

    Usually, 10 feet with 4' fence.  Not sure about other heights, but
    supplier should know.
    
    Probably depends on how long is later.  Shouldn't be a problem to use
    a regular post and save the bother of digging it up.  The end or splice
    bars might not be where you want them though.
    

    I have a 6' chainlink fence with a gate that opens into my back yard 
    where there is an inground swimming pool.  For safety reasons, I would like
    to install some type of locking mechanism that would be accessible from 
    either side.  My brothers live next door and I would want them to have
    easy access but still be secure from small children wandering in etc. 
    Any ideas will be appreciated.
    
    Bob

    
    
    
    I assume "lock" means a device that is kidproof and needs a key
    of sumsort to remove??
    
    If so and the gate has a horse shoe type latch, you could drill
    a hole about the close position.  Place a pin thur the pipe and
    put a small padlock on the other side.  If not, just use a small
    chain with a padlock...
    
    JD

I don't know what "the code" might require, but having just returned from 
sunny CA, I noticed that they often have a simple latch mechanism up high on a 
tall fence.  Easy enough for an adult to work from either side, but not for
a kid.

    We are considering getting a dog.  If we do we will have to fence in
    our back yard.  I am wondering if anyone can give me an approximate
    cost per foot to have a 4' high chain link fence installed.  I live in
    Maynard, MA.  Also, if anyone can recommend a reputable and reasonable
    fence dealer I would appreciate it.

    What kind of dog are you planning to get?  Most medium sized dogs
    can easily jump a 4 foot fence.  Little dogs (terriers, dachshunds)
    have a tendency to dig under fences.
    
    You might want to check out the canine (dogs::canine) on fencing.
    
    Good luck selecting a dog -  fencing is absolutely the right thing
    to do.  It is also expensive, so you want to get it right on the first
    try.
    Margaret.

    Not to start a rat hole here, but you may want to talk to some
    breeders, even if you do not want to get a pure bred dog. There are
    some exceelent arguements for keeping a dog in a small kennel type
    enclosure, no more than 7' x 10'. It surprised me too, but the dogs are
    supposidly much happer with this provided that you give them regular
    exercise outside the cage (while you are there to control them.)
    
    	The cost for these types of enclosures can be in the $500 range if
    you buy them used. (Try the Want Advertiser if you are in the Eastern
    Mass area.)
    
    

    There is another advantage to a kennel - they are traditionally long
    and narrow, which makes the fence look higher than it really is to the
    dog.  So a large dog is less likely to jump a 6 foot fence  in a long
    and narrow run than he is a 6 foot fence around a yard.
    
    Also, the long narrow kennel gives the dog less space in which to build
    up a head of steam with which to jump the fence.
    
    You know how you see German Shepherds climbing or jumping 6 foot fences
    on TV? Well, a dog that size does not necessarily need special training
    to do that.
    
    I think the standard kennel size is abour 3' x 12'. This narrow enough
    that you can cover it (with more fencing) if you have a determined
    jumper.  Some kennels come with a cover.
    
    Margaret.
    

I appreciate all of the input and suggestions regarding
getting a dog but, for the moment, let's just assume that
I want to put up a chain link fence for some unknown
reason.  Can anyone tell me what the approximate cost
per foot would be?

Thanks

    
    ...and there are also those "Electronic Fences" that are made to keep
    your dog within the perimeter of you yard. I don't know how well they
    work but it may be a bit cheaper than putting up a huge chain link
    fence.
    
    Steve B.

    Ok, we had our back yard fenced in about 4 years ago - 5 foot
    chain link to surround the back yard with pool and for dogs, 
    and we divided the back yard down the middle to spearate the
    two areas.  What it translated into was:
    
    Out from the house 50 feet
    Across the back yard 60 feet
    Back to the house 50 feet
    Dividing the back yard  50 feet
    3 Gates
    
    Installed price for all above was like $1400 or thereabouts
    
    This was the 5 foot fence (dogs have never gotten out), galvanized
    with pipes that are about 10 times thicker than sears/grossmans
    style.  Had Gate City Fence in Nashua install it in 2 days.  So far
    it still looks as good as it did when installed and still strong
    as can be.  The corner posts are about 4 feet into the ground and are
    huge - the running posts are a bit smaller but just as strong.  The
    dogs have, over the years, dug at the posts but never loosened them.
    
    Hope this helps,
    Andy
    
    ps - The dog side of the yard is 50 x 30 and the dogs just love running
    around.  They never tried to dig out, but just like to dig for fun
    and to make me work during the weekends to fill in their golf course.
    We chose the 5 foot height because, even with snow in the ground,
    the dogs we had couldn't jump out (had a Samoyed, now have a Keeshond -
    and 2 pugs but they can't jump anyway  :-)  ).