Fence Sealing DIY

Ever since the fence was built last fall I've needed to apply a water seal to protect it. I started on this briefly a few months ago but didn't get a chance to finish. I finally got around to doing so this past week.
I used a five gallon bucket of Thompson's Clear Waterseal to get the job done. In retrospect I should have spent a little more and gotten a slightly tinted version. At times when I was applying it I couldn't quite tell what I had covered or if I had applied enough. (Especially with wearing sunglasses.) I also wasn't sure if it would be enough but I ended up having about a gallon leftover at the end. All told it was roughly 380 feet of six foot tall fence. (Counting both sides.)

To apply it I borrowed a Wagner power sprayer from my father-in-law. (I initially tried using a roller brush but I quickly found this would have taken a long time to complete this way.) Using the sprayer I was able to do all of it in under two hours. It would have been quicker had the paint container had held more. One important thing to note however with going this route. Take the appropriate safety precautions. I wore my sunglasses for eye protection and a respirator to avoid breathing in the spray.
I still need to take a brush to a few spots that I missed or undersprayed. I also need to hand paint the edges of the fence where it meets the house. I avoided spraying too closely lest I cover the siding in sealant.

It's a little hard to tell because it's clear but this was how the fence looked after applying the sealant.

Deck

When we had our 14 Day Meeting with our sales rep we had priced out what it would cost to have a deck built with the house. At the time however we were on the fence about whether we wanted that or a patio and after the sales rep told us we could get it done cheaper later than what Ryan Homes was going to charge us for it we decided to wait. I've regretted that decision to some extent since then because I felt like we were missing out on full enjoyment of the yard without one. (That and it's a pain to have to move our grill and other things that would normally be found on a deck every time I mow the lawn.) This week that was finally rectified with a 12x16 platform deck.

After some discussion and seeing a platform deck on a friend's house we decided that was the route to go with ours. We liked the look and on top of that it was cheaper (over $1,300 less) than a similarly sized one elevated one with stairs. After getting some quotes we went with the father of a friend from college that owns a deck building company.

Before photo. The steps are a set I built last summer.

The weekend before the build started.

Digging the post holes. For the holes further away from the house the posts sat on those large concrete blocks.

The holes against the house were dug down to the foundation footer and the posts sat on those. 

All the lumber needed. (It was less than I expected.)

Close up of one of the post holes showing the different layers of dirt.

Day 1 progress. Posts and outline frame completed.

Day 2 progress showing the completion of the frame.

End of Day 2. The diagonal placement of the boards looks so much better than if they were laid straight. 

Day 3: The finished deck.

To say we're happy with the results would be a vast understatement. The builder, Jerry Clay, did an amazing job and it was clear he took a lot of pride in his work and making sure it was done correctly. The diagonal look really sets it apart and I'm told by others takes more experience to do right. Now we just need some furniture for it. 

Another Round of Odds and Ends

A collection of recent things from our house.

At our old house we had crape myrtles lining two sides of our backyard. They looked really nice when they bloomed each year. With the exception of the one tree in our front yard that was included with the landscaping we were treeless but we finally fixed that recently. In the past few weeks we've added three trees to our back yard. It started off with planting a flowering cherry tree in one corner and then adding two apple trees (Winesap and Red Delicious) in the other corner. Planting anything in the yard with the amount of rocks in the dirt isn't easy. I have a mattock I bought years ago for use at the old house that's been invaluable anytime I've needed to do any sort of digging.

Flowering Cherry Tree

Apple Trees

Over the Memorial Day weekend I built a new workbench using the 2x4 Basics Workbench Kit. My prior set up was a smaller homemade bench sitting next to another square one that had belonged to Jenny's granddad. The set up didn't work very well for me so I sold the homemade one and moved the square one to the other side of my air compressor. In their place using the aforementioned kit I built a longer bench that is already working out much better. I also went a step further and stained it using a small cheap can of cherry wood stain. Eventually I'm also going to add a frame on top to support a work light using the included shelf link pieces but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Also over the Memorial Day weekend I picked up a miter saw. (Side note: Lowe's will price match Amazon. I saved $20 this way.) I don't do a whole lot of woodworking but when I do it requires pulling out a folding workbench, clamps, and a circular saw along with running an extension cord to cut anything. I used the saw to build the workbench and another stand to hold my yard tools. I really wish I had bought one years ago, it so much easier and quicker to make the cuts needed. Seeing as I have a four inch long scar above my right knee from an incident with an angle grinder years ago I think my wife gets a bit nervous when I get a new power tool.

Back in April I picked up a 22 foot telescoping ladder when it went on sale for 35% off. I mainly needed it to reach the outside dryer vent up on the second floor to clean it and for hanging Christmas lights on the top of the house at the end of the year. I also was finally able to reach the crappy little CFL light bulb Ryan Homes puts in the garage. It didn't put out much light and also took a little while to reach full brightness. I replaced it with a 100 watt daylight LED bulb that Home Depot is selling for $10. (Best price I've seen anywhere.) It made a big difference out there. (Excuse the mess.)

Three other significant upcoming projects: staining the fence and sealing the driveway. I've been putting these off all spring and really need to get them done soon. I'm also going to be adding additional shelving in the garage above the door. We still don't have a shed yet and I've got too much stuff still sitting on the floor. (As the picture above clearly shows.)

One Year Anniversary, Lawn Care, and Garden

One year ago today, April 24, 2014, we closed on our house. While we've had a few issues here and there, the past twelve months living here has only reinforced the feeling that we made a good decision in deciding to build where we did. We've got a house that far better meets our needs along with having friendly neighbors that compared to our old neighborhood are actually neighborly. Even now I still find myself sometimes wondering in amazement that this is home.

That's not to say the past year hasn't been without issues. We've had our share of minor problems (soft spot in the floor and microwave repair among other things), a fairly major one (furnace breakdown on the coldest night of the year), and that issue with our fence.  But overall we've been really happy with how things have gone so far. We dealt with a lot of stress in our mid-1950's old house worrying about what would be the next thing to break and to say it's been a relief the past year not having to worry about such things would be a huge understatement. (I will also never own another house with a septic system. Ever.)

I hate to boast but I've got to about my yard and how it's one of the nicest looking ones in our neighborhood. It's amazing what a bag of fertilizer every few months and a little weeding can do. While some of my neighbors are spending money (significant money at that) on the services of TruGreen and other lawn care companies I've simply been following the care schedule outlined in the homeowner's manual regarding feedings along with smart mowing (mulching the clippings), and periodic watering. And the results have been just as good if not better.

On that note I don't understand why people build a nice house that comes with a nice sodded lawn and irrigation, and then let it (the lawn at least) go to crap. Just do the basic maintenance on it. Everything is outlined in the aforementioned manual. Compared to the cost of the house it's a very tiny expense. At least with the size of the front yards in our neighborhood a $20 bag of lawn food or fertilizer is enough to cover it adequately. 

One of my honey-do chores this spring was to build a raised bed garden a few weeks ago. Using three 2x12 pressure treated boards with sections of 2x4s at the corners I built this in about an afternoon. I also dug out the grass within the perimeter as best I could (hard to do with the amount of rocks in the yard) and lined it with landscape fabric. I'll probably add a second one next year and I also want to put install a rain barrel on one of the downspouts so it's easier to water. (Since the water spigots are on the sides of the house on the other side of the fence.) I then borrowed my dad's truck and went to the local landscaping place for a load of leaf compost to fill it. I think it turned out nicely.

Yes, that's duct tape holding the fabric to the sides.

Speaking of the rocks, our yard is littered with them. When the house was built and the French drain installed around the perimeter of the foundation there didn't seem to be much effort to contain the gravel used. (I'll give Ryan Homes the benefit of the doubt that there's probably no way around this.) I've gotten into the habit of picking a few up whenever I'm out in the yard and even paid my son a few times to go out and pick up as many as he can find. I always wear goggles when I use my weedwacker as I've been hit more than once by flying gravel.

We have some really amazing sunrises over our neighborhood. This was the latest from a few weeks ago.