A completed project...

We’ve been thinking about doing this project for several years now, and finally it has been completed!  Just this morning, in fact, and we’re quite pleased with the way it has turned out!

This fence around the yard/meadow was in place for a LONG time.  We have several old aerial photos of the farm that were taken years ago that show it.  Although undated, the pictures were taken when Jim’s grandparents lived here, so they have to be well over 50 years old...maybe even 60!  Over the years, posts and fence boards have been replaced, and the fence has been painted many times.  There comes a time, however, when the old can no longer be repaired, but must be replaced! 

Neither Jim nor I used to be thrilled with the idea of using PVC fencing…we didn’t think it looked as nice as a wooden fence.  And while we still do prefer wood over PVC, the lower cost and the lower maintenance won out in the end!

Here's the old fence...falling down in places and in sore need of some "help"...

This is the "corner hutch" where we keep some young heifers in the summer time if we need extra space...complete with a ruined calf hutch that blew over in a wind storm.  This is a great time to get it out of there when the fence is down...



Even though the fence might not look so bad from a distance, the posts were rotting off at ground level, the boards were rotting where they were nailed to the posts, and it was bad news if anyone would try to climb over it!

Last Thursday, the old fence was reduced to a pile of rubble…

The guys cut off the fence boards (simple to do, and leaves no nails in the yard/meadow!)…

And pulled out the old posts…

On Friday, amidst snow flurries, they dug new post holes and cemented the new PVC fence posts into place…

Today they returned to finish the job.  The fence rails are now in place…

There are new wooden posts and wire around the “corner hutch...

And a new gate into the chicken pen that will save us a bunch of steps...

Now the "big" question is...next spring when it's time to weed the bed of irises that runs along that fence...and when it's time to trim the rose bushes...will it be more fun to do because it looks nice?! 

 But I guess more importantly, if it keeps the chickens and the calves "in" and the cows "out", it's been worth it!