This post is part of an on-going series on Building a Sensory Garden. Be sure to head over to Sensory Garden – Part One – The Plan, to see how and why it all started!
Installing the fence for our project was the first logical step because we can use the fenced off area immediately and add to its ambiance over time. As I’ve mentioned, we have skunks that frequent our yard (one as recently as 6 am this morning) which makes middle of the night pee breaks, risky. We thought at the very least, installing this fence will help with that!
When it came to design, I did my research and decided what I wanted. I decided on a black, 6 foot tall, chainlink fence with two gates (one on each end) since the area is about the size of a city lot I wanted easy access at either end of it for a hose or the mower. I knew I would regret it if it was too much of a pain to get in and out of the enclosure.
For privacy, I’m decided on privacy slats on the side of the fence that looks onto our neighbours property. They also have 3 dogs (maybe more) and I wanted to make sure that the dogs on either side didn’t spend the whole day barking at each other. Whether or not this prevents it remains to be seen!
I chose chainlink because I believe it’s the most secure for the price point. I want to be able to put the dogs outside when the weather permits when I need to clean or get work done indoors. They tend to get underfoot and bored, so they’ll be happy to sunbathe outside.
Kingsley is a husky mix, and he’s always SO HOT. With this enclosure, he’ll be able to go outside on his own to cool down when he wants to.
Finding an Installer
You may find it hard to believe, or maybe not, but I actually emailed several businesses in Calgary to get a quote for our fence. After a few days with no responses, I did another Google search and reached out to a few more.
Within a day or so, Steve from Cottam’s Fencing and Contracting got back to me. He was out to see the space within a few days, and had a quote back to us quickly.
I am sure Steve would have gotten started right away, but we had to wait for Alberta One Call to come out and survey the area for utilities which they claim takes only 3 business days. After 9 business days with nothing booked, I finally called them and they had someone out the next day.
Unfortunately, I was just getting ready to leave town for a week which delayed things another week.
Installing the Poles
On July 22nd Steve and his son came out and installed the fence poles while we were at work. Ron is very mathematical and I am visually “picky” so we were worried the area wouldn’t be square or there would be something else that would drive us both nuts about the install. Thankfully, it’s a perfect rectangle and that made me happy!
Adding the Chainlink Fencing
After a few days passed to allow the cement to set, Steve came back to attach the chainlink to the poles. The custom gates were a little too big, so they came back a few days later and installed the gates and the privacy slats.
The Final Product
Voila! Here’s the finished product! A little barren, but we’ll get to working on making it more homey as time and money permits!
From here on in, I’ll pop in every so often to give you updates on the design of the space. Stay tuned!
