Gotta love a large backyard
 

Hey I'm Tony, got here from the Ecomodder Forum.

This year, I spend one heck of a lot of money putting up a privacy fence around my back yard (about 3/4 of an acre).

Why? To keep out the neighbors, trash, dogs, etc.... plus i like the privacy. so now i have a blank slate to start working on.


here's what i started out with, this pic was taken at the back corner of my property looking toward the house

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/100_2384.jpg

I'll skip all the "in progress" of the fence building, and go straight to the finish. i still have some little things to take care of, latches and stuff, but its 99.9999% done. I saved a lot of money by hauling all materials myself, and doing all the work. i was even to cheap to rent a digger, so all holes were dug by hand with a $20 post-hole digger.

lets begin the tour, shall we?

out front
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1117.jpg

open the 4' gate
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1118.jpg

not enough room? throw that 10 footer open for 14 total feet
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1119.jpg

just inside the gate, check out the distance to the back
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1120.jpg

a little turn towards that far left corner
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1121.jpg

turn around about halfway back, damn thats a long walk! and check out that hand-me-down pool! 18' x 4'
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1122.jpg

lets resume our trek toward the back of the property and take a trip behind the fence
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1123.jpg

back here, i still have around 20' x 150' of usable space
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1124.jpg

got a buddy that does tree work thats going to trim this back about 15' and up around 12'. this will be where my scrap metal and compost piles will be located. eventually i will fence this in with a cheaper form of fence :laugh:


heres the view looking back toward the house from the gate i just went through
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1125.jpg



now i need to mow it again..............

That is quite the fence. Can I ask around how much it cost?

Now you need to fill it up with trees, garden, flowers, solar panels... :)

Can you say 'lawn tractor'? That's huge and amazingly flat. You have a lot of options. Your soil must be better than ours. I would still be digging the first couple of holes.

Welcome!

I missed what part of the world you live in.

You need some trees man.

Very nice fence.
I'm sure that it cost a pretty penny even with you doing all of the labor.

I definitely don't wanna know that cost. I spent $250 just on a gate that my father an law and I put up that only spans my driveway (two cars wide)

definitely a nice size amount of property you got there. I wouldn't want to mow it.

Thanks everyone!

trees, garden, etc..., is all in the plan. gotta save back up, though

the pickets cost $1.70 each, i think i used 4 or 5 pallets of 250. i don't want to think about the other costs (posts, 2x4's, gate hardware, nails, screws, concrete). I spread the cost/build over the course of 6 months. each paycheck i bought a little more.

my tools
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_0479.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_0482.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1115.jpg

i used to mow it with a push mower (took 6 hours total, split up over a couple days, including the front yard) until i got a hand-me-down riding mower............


i tried to time digging right after a good rain (or during).

I live in NE Arkansas, outside of Jonesboro.



this winter i'll be working on the area behind the back of the fence. lots of poison ivy, need to wait until it dies back. then I'll continue the sides about 15-20 feet back, either with more pickets or welded wire topped with barb wire. the very back property line is a drainage ditch with nothing but woods/fields behind it, so i'll think of something to close that off too. i'm thinking about laying gravel in that back area for ease of maintenance, but thats pretty far off. basically i'll use it for a compost heap, soda/beer can bins, scrap metal, spare auto part storage, etc.... basically all the stuff i dont want in the yard.


I'll probably only live here for about 2 more years, but everything i'm doing will help resale. I'm the only one in the neighborhood with the FULL backyard enclosed.



oh yeah, digging about 75, 2' deep holes by hand is EXCELLENT exercise!

Nice place, Tony - Glad to see you here too.

Welcome to the boards Tony! :D I agree, that is a great clean slate you have there! The possibilities are endless for you. Your backyard is quite large, too. Should give you plenty of room for solar panels, gardens, tree groves, or whatever you're planning :) You'll defiantly have to keep us updated with the progress you make with the house! I'm excited to see what you do with it :D

Woody

Tony, I fenced in my backyard, and it's only 150 linear feet of fencing. I know what you mean about digging those post holes. I had half a dozen that were near a huge water oak, NOT FUN! A buddy gave me the idea of using a saws all with a long blade to cut the roots in the hole. Talk about a time (and back, shoulder, arm, etc, etc.) saver! So if anyone is planning to put up a fence and you run into root problems, get a saws all! You can thank me later.
Nice backyard by the way! There are so many things you can do back there. I hope you'll continue to take pictures as you complete your projects.

coming soon, a 12x16 shed/workshop......

Weighed my options on a storage building/garage/shop. Eventually I plan on building a real workshop I can pull my truck into, but I needed storage quick and i haven't had much free time. So I picked up this gem. 12x16, real framing (not home depot stapled plywood crap). plans include filling the back half with junk, and the front half with tools. Also going to build a lean-to off the side facing the rear of the yard (right side wall) to park the b2 and lawnmower under.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1203.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1204.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1205.jpg

weighing my lighting options between a bunch of cfl's, or florescent tubes.

Nice shed. You have your first lawn ornament. :)

A bunch of CFLs would probably be cheaper, but the long tubes are nice for more even lighting.

<--Jealous

Very nice man.

Thanks!

I'm thinking about 2 rows of 3 cfl's close to the roof, and one additional cfl over my planned workbench area.

oh yeah, the shed is yard ornament #2

this is yard ornament #1 parked next to it.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1206.jpg

looks like I have plenty of room to add on a simple tin roof lean-to right under the eave, and still have enough room for a decent roof pitch.

lookin good Tony. do you alot of auto mechanic work?

thanks!

i used to work on other peoples rigs as a hobby. putting on lift kits, minor motor work, etc..., but only if it was to help them learn to do things themselves. but too many people just wanted me to do the work and weren't interested in learning anything, so i stopped. now i just work on my own stuff.

you can follow the build-up of my Bronco II HERE

Man, I wish you lived near me. I'd love to learn from you.

the best way to learn is to grab a repair manual and jump in. I started working on that Bronco II when I was 12 years old. got a socket/wrench/screwdriver set for my birthday and started taking stuff apart. all by myself. my stepfather had no interest in doing anything with me. My mom helped out some, taught me how to rebuild the carb and some other stuff. but mostly it was trail and error.

I'm 25 now, and theres still a whole lot i don't know. most of what i do know is carburated vehicles. i have a feeling cheap, simple vehicles may play a big hand in my future.

currently gathering up parts to run power to the shed. i work with a couple electricians that are giving me some advice along the way. one told me to run everything to the breaker box, and he would hook everything up properly and double-check my work.

i'm going to dig a trench and bury the wire in pvc pipe. code is 18", but i'm outside city limits so i don't have to worry about that. i'll put it as deep as i can, though. there will be some kind of marker at the beginning and end, that way i can just run a string line if i ever need to dig in that area again. oh yeah, keeping with the DIY theme, trench will be made by me and a shovel.

picked up some "porch light" housings (that will fit cfl's rather nicely) for $2 for the outside. gonna see what kinds of stuff i can find amongst the people i work with. should be able to find some indoor light fixtures of some kind, and maybe some switches and outlets. may even put a ceiling fan/light combo in there, i've got an extra one thats kinda small.

did some measuring, and formed a different game plan.

heres the deal. i have a spare bedroom thats mostly storage. someone uses it maybe once a month. its only power draw is one overhead light with one cfl. and its closer to the shed than the main breaker box. and it has an outlet right under a window.

130' from house window to shed.

so i'm going to take out the outlet, drill a hole through the wall to the outside, slide some pvc through, and silicone it up. then just install a blank plate on the inside. that will be my start for the wiring. from there, i can 90 degree elbow it into the ground.

I'll probably go with 12 gauge wire. haven't priced it out yet, but i'm sure it wont be cheap. i may downgrade to 14 if there is a big price difference. i've seen whole houses wired up with thinner, so i think it will be ok.

the shed itself will probably be wired with 14, mainly because i can get shorter scraps for free.

i think i'll just dig up some regular light bulb fixtures (cheapest possible), and use some of the old cfl's from my house, and buy some new ones for the house.

i'm about to draw up a general plan, i'll scan it later.

Here's my backyard. I don't mow it very often.:D The goats keep it trimmed up for us these days.
http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/r...6/backyard.jpg
Sorry Tony, I just had to be an a s s... I am jealous of all your flat space though, you don't realize how nice it is until you try to figure out where to put the shed and how you can drive to it...
Ian

i like that "yard" indyian. i'm used to living on 40-120 acres, this little stuff is still new to me.

got some new "to me" stuff to help organization. helped a buddy clean out a storage shed, and he said i could keep whatever i wanted that he would otherwise throw out. i also gave his parents a jar of homemade peach jam, just to be nice.

some of the goodies include:

some scrap lumber for making shelves (and some shelving brackets)
basically everything wood in this picture. some random plywood, 2 SOLID wood doors (about 50 years old), a 4x4 post, and some pegboard. one door will be a workbench, i'll make shelving out of the rest of the stuff, and whatever's left will be a nice warm bonfire.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1414.jpg


a working electric pressure washer, and a little air compressor/tank combo that his dad took apart and couldn't get back together again. i may just put a gauge and chuck on the tank, and use it as just an air tank for little stuff (i can fill it with my big compressor). i'll probably just give the motor away if i can't fix it.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1415.jpg

and this metal cabinet and metal shelf. the cabinet is rusted out on the bottom, but i'll just screw some plywood around the base to reinforce it, and leave it at that.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1416.jpg

kind of unrelated, but i also grabbed one of my old bikes from my parents house. its an all chrome kawasaki frame, just needs to be polished.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46...e/IMG_1417.jpg

Tony,

Where are you located? If live somewhere with a 'real' winter and plan to use the shed year round then insulation should be next on your list.

You might also consider installing a used skylight (craigslist, freecycle, Habitat Re-Store) on the North side of the roof (if the shed is facing the right way) for daylighting.

FWIW,
Tim

i live in arkansas. but i'm originally from upstate new york. so the winters here are pretty mild for my standards. granted, i would love to insulate it. but unless i get a great deal (aka free) its pretty far down on the list.

the shed wall that faces the house, faces north. eventually i will put in a window in the wall above where the workbench will be. that way i get the light, and a good view of the house (when i'm inside working)

fruit trees. lots and lots of fruit trees all along the northern edge of the fence (so that they get plenty of southern sunshine). Free food (eco friendly), pretty (eco friendly), and they'll help a little to slow down wind (which could lower your energy bills indoors) as well as giving birds a place to be.

I don't envy you the mowing task, but I like the large open space.