New Fence, New Border

No one really knows how old the fence was. One neighbor speculated that it might predate the previous owner, who bought the house in 1987. Whatever its history, the fence's best days were long behind it. For nearly two years I watched one section carefully, awaiting the day that it would crash down on my hydrangea, a day that came this past April. At that point we knew that something must be done. I inspected the rest of the fence, about 300 linear feet, and determined that about half of it was likely to fall down in the next big wind, while the other half was probably good for another several years.

I'm tight with a dollar (I steal dead leaves, for crying out loud) so the thought of replacing 150 feet of fence that was not in danger of imminent collapse seemed wasteful. On the other hand, how much longer would it be before the rest of it needed replacing? Plus, our old fence had only one gate, which was conveniently placed as far as possible from the crawl space/toolshed, which meant that if I wanted to work in the front yard, I had to either drag my implements all the way around, or toss them over the fence and hope no one was standing on the other side. (The neighbors have small children and I have a pitchfork, so there was the potential for an awkward situation...)

Aesthetics and convenience won out over money, and now we have a brand new fence that cost slightly less than an organ transplant, but does look fine.

For the last month or so, I've been expanding my border along the fence line. Just for fun, I dug out my photos from July 2005, before I planted anything, to compare with how it looks today. Check it out below.

Fence Advice Wanted

I think we are going to bite the bullet and replace our fence. The existing one is about 15-20 years old and is really on its last legs. Two sections have already crashed, and four more are leaning at a perilous angle. I have a feeling that by the time I fix section after section, it would have been simpler to have someone who knows what he's doing put up a new one. (I didn't want to go to Europe anyway...)

So, I'm soliciting opinions. Cedar or Pine? I've always assumed cedar was better, but some people have told me that it's more prone to rot at the base, especially if you have mulch. Conversely, I've been told that pine warps more than cedar.

Then there's the environmental angle. Does pressure-treated pine have nasty chemicals that I don't want my critters (tame and wild) absorbing? Are they clear-cutting massive cedar forests somewhere?

What kind of fence do you have? What are the pros and cons that you know of? All advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Fence Bites the Dirt

Saturated ground and 60 mph winds are a bad combination. I came home from work to find two sections of our fence flat on the ground, and realized with dismay that a hydrangea, red-twig dogwood, and arborvitae were crushed underneath.

Still dressed in my argyle sweater and khakis (and by the way, where would an ESL student from El Salvador learn the word "preppy?") I seized my hammer and set about dismantling the fence to liberate the trapped plants.

They all seemed to suffer only minor damage, so I pruned off the broken limbs and am now seeking recommendations for fence builders. I know, replacing a fence section isn't too hard, but I have only two tools in my home repair arsenal: a hammer and a MasterCard. If I can't fix a problem with one, I fix it with the other. Life's just too short.