Wouldn’t it be lovely if we all could afford a beautiful well crafted artisan styled fence around our gardens ?
It would also be lovely if we could all travel around the world and have world peace too.
But reality being what it is, not everyone can flitter across the country on a fantasy filled whim or have a highly detailed fence built around their home and garden.
So what’s a middle class homeowner to do ?
Well there are plenty of cost efficient and aesthetically pleasing options to consider.
One of the least expensive style of fences to install is a simple welded wire mesh fence with metal or wood posts.
Because of the open weave the metal panels are virtually invisible when viewed from a distance
Below is a 70 acre property in Sonoma Valley surrounded by woven mesh metal fencing ( barely visible)
The metal weave is about 3 inches x 4 inches wide and stands 6 feet tall.
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| From Sonoma Valley Project |
Same fence style seen up close :
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| From portfolioMay08.jpg |
Another inexpensive fence to consider is an open lattice style .
In the photo below in the foreground we used 2x2 redwood for the in-fill.
In the far background of the same photo is the same fence frame but a metal 4 x 4 inch wire mesh was installed as the in-fill
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| From Alexander Valley |
Another inexpensive style that might work with your exterior architecture is a simple picket fence.
In this photo below we extended the 4x4 posts and strung tension wire in-between the posts ( above the pickets ) to provide an extra 3.5 feet of height to the fence to keep the deer from intruding inside the vegetable garden.
It’s been working just fine for the past 16 years.
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| From Alexander Valley |
There are a myriad of open weave fence styles to choose from and many can be very affordable.
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3 comments:
Great ideas. We use wooden posts and woven wire out at our cabin for the dog corral. Works beautifully and disappears into the background.
Wire fencing, or in my area: cyclone fencing, has taken a bad rap over the years from garden enthusiasts who prefer wooden fences. People will often say that the first thing they are going to do to a new property is get rid of the ugly cyclone fence. But, in Northern climes, wooden fences often last only a decade (or much less), with their posts failing due to rot and their sections secuming to lack of maintenance and poor construction. I like wood fences, a lot. But at the cost of fencing two acres, I cannot afford to replace the fence every ten years, or less. A cyclone fence will last for many decades with no maintenance, and if it does start to look rusty, you can paint it with a roller. You can grow vines on them easily, shurbs grow through them, air flows through them. And they keep Kids and pets in, unwanted people and animals out. I have Border Collies, and they require a fence to keep them from running after every moving object that passes by the corner we live on. I am installing a cyclone/wire fence this year. I am putting in fancier gates than what you would usually see, but I want a strong maintenance free fence to keep my pets safe... Patrick
What a beautiful alternative to the typical redwood fence. That style saves resources, as well. I have to say, however that my attitude is altered at the moment regarding cyclone fencing as I've just returned from ripping overgrown ivy from the one edging our yard. Sigh.
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