A
few blocks from my house there’s a fence. Runs along three of
the four outer edges of the property. From one corner of the front
heading back, along the furthest stretch of the yard, and then
back up to the road and the other front corner.
It’s
old. It was old and fairly beaten down when we arrived about a
decade ago. Temperature extremes, wind, rain, snow, strolling
wildlife, sunshine and the passage of time have done it no favors.
While
I pass it a few times a week, I have never been in the yard to
see it up close. It looks somewhat nice in design, from large
panels to a decorative run along the top. While I cannot attest
to the craftmanship involved, it feels impressive in ways even
now.
All
appearances lead to a few observations:
First
– Even if you attempted a repair, the features seem to be a bit
unique to this fence. I don’t know if you’ll find matching posts
or the decorative trim to match what exists.
Second
– It’s likely beyond repair. It’s not just a post and a few random
pieces of wood that needs to be addressed. It has cracks and snaps
and issues throughout. There are two different stretches of at
least thirty-feet where the fence has fallen to the ground, and
what is standing is not standing straight.
Just
these two elements bring us to a really difficult realization:
While there may be a lot said for routine care over the years,
I can see why it’s falling apart and not being rebuilt.
It’s
not simply that you might not find the stock you need. Have you
priced home fencing lately? The owners might want to buy a new
car or pay for a few years of college tuition instead. Jokes aside,
a fence ain’t in any way cheap.
Still,
it’s sad. It doesn’t look right. Even the simple act of a full
demolition and cleanup would create a massive improvement. The
time has simply come.
But
what if it could be repaired?
If
you could see the decorative touches used in the top foot or so
of the fence, you’d be impressed. Often a fence around a yard
can look incomplete, say when it’s only running along three out
of the four edges. Even in its current state you can tell it was
quite stunning when it was built. If there was a fence you could
repair, this is one you would attempt.
And
that leads me along to this: Why do we put off repairs around
the house? Why do we hesitate to make changes when we want them?
I know we may want the pool or hot tub, can’t afford either just
yet, and that makes sense. But the stairs on the deck seem like
a different category of consideration. A different level of priority.
Maybe
I’m not the one to be considering this run of observations. At
least not while the shed needs to be painted and the deck needs
to be stained. Perhaps not when I’m walking around the outside
of my house with repair patches in hand to place on the window
screens.
A
couple of years ago, I needed to repair two posts on a post and
rail fence along our driveway. I lost count after the fifth stop
trying to find ones that were the right height and had precut
holes for the rails in the proper spots. Fixing existing items
isn’t always as simple as finding the time to do the work. Sometimes
finding the supplies takes longer than the actual work.
Repair
or replace isn’t always a simple decision. (As much as we wish
it could be.)