You Need A Fence -Yes You Do!

Adding a fence to your home may seem like a non-essential project. "You've lasted this long without a sturdy fence around your home or backyard. Why add one now?"

There are reasons to fore-go a fence in certain situations - budget and time being the most prominent. However, if you consider that outdoor home improvement projects lead the way in improving resale value, a fence addition can certainly be worth the investment.

I know that for some, the addition of a fence means added security. For others it's simply improving a home's aesthetics. Whatever the reasons, now is the season to look into the cost involved with adding the right fence for your home. Fencing companies in the Northwest specifically are bringing out their summer materials prices and may offer good deals on installation as well.

Not worried about security or aesthetics? Here are a few other reasons a cedar or vinyl fence installation may the right home improvement project for you:

• Reduce street noise: If you live along a busy street, the traffic noise can be reduced quite a bit with the addition of a solid style cedar fence or picture frame.
• Backyard Veggies are Disappearing: If deer and other wild animals are using your vegetable garden as their personal buffet, a fence will do the trick to keep them out so that you can enjoy your harvest before they do.
• Reduce Bug Problems: Cedar fences have a surprising ability to reduce bugs in your backyard. The wood contains natural insect-repelling oils.

Shield Your Fence from Northwest Weather

The Pacific Northwest’s gorgeous scenery and surroundings make it a beautiful place to live. Yet there’s one caveat for all that natural beauty – the rain!

Whether it’s a drizzle or a downpour, rain is a constant concern on every Northwestern citizen’s mind. For cedar fence owners, the rain can be a real threat to the longevity of a newly installed fence.

To keep all that precipitation from raining on your parade, put these core maintenance tips into practice and preserve your fence for many seasons to come:

1. Protect Before You Build

Preserving your cedar fence begins before it’s even installed. Before you start any work, examine the building site for any tree roots, rocks, concrete, or other solid obstructions that could be obstacles for the planned fence path.

When you’re setting your fence posts with concrete, don’t use more than you need to fill the hole. When temperatures drop below freezing, the ground can push up any excess concrete, causing severe damage to the fence’s stability.

2. Look Out Above!

Airborne hazards are an often overlooked aspect of protecting your fence. Keep these tips in mind to guard your fence from attacks from above.

• Before winter sets in, remove any dangling tree branches hanging over your fence line. Frozen branches can scrape the fence boards, and heavier branches can fall and cause significant damage.
• Clear out any leaves, acorns, twigs or other material wedged between the rails and fence boards. Organic matter can speed up wood rot when in close contact with fencing materials.
• Take care to remove any debris covering up the concrete post supports. Any dirt or mud can increase the chances of decay setting into the concrete.

3. Inspect Regularly

Inspections at regular intervals are a great way to keep your wood fence free of potential trouble spots. Get in the habit of checking on your fence when the seasons change to catch any problems before they spread.

• Broken or cracking boards, crooked nails or splinters should be addressed as soon as possible.
• Trim any grass that borders the fence to keep it from spreading rot to the fence boards or posts.
• Check your fence at the end of winter for knotholes. Knotholes can fall out of the fence itself, giving the opportunity for insects, termites, or birds to move in.

4. Use a Fence Stain

Coating your cedar fence in a protective fence stain is paramount to keeping it around for a long time. Because of the heavy rainfall, consider using a stain formulated especially for the Pacific Northwest. Re-stain your fence if you notice the protective coloring is fading.

5. Post-Storm Care

As we know by now, rain causes the most widespread kinds of damage to Northwest wood fences. This is most evident immediately after strong storms.

To avoid any unwanted surprises, check your fence after major storms to make sure it’s in good condition. A helpful tip is to run a piece of string along the tops of the fence posts. If the string appears level, your posts are secure.

By keeping on top of your cedar fence’s condition, you can prevent the rain from wreaking havoc on your wood fence and keep it looking brand new—no matter what the weather throws at you.

Wood Retaining Wall Options For A Home

If you're currently trying to discern whether or not you could benefit from building a retaining wall, try answering the following questions:

1. Do you own a home or property situated on or near sloped, uneven ground?
2. Do you live in a particularly wet climate where flooding and soil erosion are prevalent?
3. Are you looking to add a touch of uniqueness and beauty to your yard and/or property?

If you've answered "yes" to any one of the questions above, it's time to consider installing one.

The Benefits of a Retaining Wall
Retaining walls have a number of uses as well as offer many practical advantages to the homeowner. Generally, the main purpose is to prevent the erosion of sloped earth that may threaten to shift and slide; thereby, potentially damaging or destroying your home or property. They are also particularly effective tools in climates with heavy precipitation, e.g., the Pacific Northwest. Not only will an effective one properly support sloping earth, but it will also act as an effective means of draining water runoff and reducing hydrostatic pressure. Furthermore, they provide a number of agricultural benefits. For warmer, dryer climates, a wall can delay seepage of water from land, and for wetter climates, properly drained walls can divert water from areas prone to flooding.

In addition to practical purposes, these structures maintain a certain aesthetic value as well. As such, adding one may increase the resale value of your home, while also enhancing your own enjoyment of your property. For example, a wall can be constructed in a series of steps or levels, granting you unrestricted creativity to include all kinds of plantings, flowers, or other elements that will add texture, color, and new life to each successive level. Not to mention, stepped retaining walls have proven to be a more effective form of erosion control.

Retaining Wall Options
Since these structures provide support for vertical grade changes, an effective one must be constructed in such a way as to accommodate and redistribute the lateral pressure caused by sloping. As a result, they vary in size and type, and often include materials like stone, brick, concrete, vinyl, steel, and pressure treated timber.