Accessorizing Walls & Fences
Building fences and walls is an art form, it could be argued. Here's why. It's different than, say, installing roofs, framing homes, or wiring or plumbing houses, which are also specialized construction fields. Building fences and walls is one area where a constructionist can really get creative, use his or her imagination to come up with some neat and nifty projects. Builders can truly showcase their talents by not only installing attractive and durable fences and walls but also adding special touches to them to make them a one-of-a-kind creation. Doing so also helps to really impress the customer, get notice from potential customers and hopefully increase profits. On the following pages are some fences and walls that exemplify just that.
As part of a project in Orange, Calif., that included removing the existing pool and fence, installing a composite deck and outdoor living area with a solid roof patio structure, fireplace and buffet service counter, Bryon Meyer of Land Mechanics built this residential fence out of 2" x 4" cedar boards with 4"x 4" posts and 2" x 6" caps. The posts were all set in concrete footings. Six-feet-tall for part of the run, the height was increased to eight feet to provide more privacy for the spa. A semi-transparent stain was applied to all the wood.
The custom planter boxes are made of recycled plastic decking on the outside and lined with pressure-treated lumber. Filter fabric at the bottom of each planter keeps the soil in but lets water drain out. A Rain Bird six-outlet drip irrigation system was installed with adjustable stream-spray bubblers set in each box. For the drainage channel beneath the planters, filter fabric was topped with Mexican pebbles. One box was planted with herbs and the rest with a variety of ferns, ivy, impatiens and other plants that do well in shade.
The entire project transpired over the course of five months as the owner made many changes on the fly. Meyer estimates that the fence took his four-man crew, a total of 30 to 40 hours to complete.
Washington Tribe's Symbolic Entrance Wall
The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, who reside in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle, built a new Community Center to serve as a gathering place for tribal and community members. This project was a collaborative effort between tribal elders and other members, the tribe's cultural department, and BankSavers, the landscape and nursery division for the tribe.
The wall at the entrance was designed by the tribe and built by Reese Excavation, a Native American contractor in Tulalip, Wash.
"Because we are a tribal entity, we try to hire Native American contractors when possible," said John Carroll of BankSavers. "This is a standard practice for most tribal projects."
With 14 permanent, year-round employees and a nursery that grows over 450,000 containerized native species every year, BankSavers was responsible for the design and planting of the wall, the installation of the irrigation system, final grade soils and turf settings.
The site was first excavated to grade, and then compacted to grade. A trench was dug, the base material - crushed stone - was installed, and the first course of block was set almost to grade. This was backfilled with washed stone a minimum of 1'-deep behind the wall, and then compacted. Geofabric was set and secured. The next block course was laid down, and this process was repeated until the project was finished. A Caterpillar small excavator assisted with the digging, and placing the blocks.
The retaining wall blocks were from Redi-Rock and were 28" deep. Eighteen freestanding garden blocks facilitated the plantings.
The fence on top of the wall consists of standard four-foot, black vinyl chain-link and black-powder coated pipe and hardware. It came from Security Contractor Services out of Seattle. The fence is set back 4'-6' from the wall to allow maintenance people access.
Dave Tremco of Alaska, a well-known artist in the Pacific Northwest, carved the decorative king salmon out of Western red cedar. First, each fish was rough cut with a chainsaw. They were fine cut with hand tools, and finally sanded and stained. Steel mounting brackets were bolted to the concrete wall, and then each fish was bolted to the bracket. The fish were mounted two feet away from the wall to create the illusion that they are flying in midair. Photo John Carrol
Ketti Kupper Conscious Life Design of Los Angeles designed and installed a renovation of her yard, which originally was bounded by what she said was typical for the area – a low gray concrete block wall with block columns and steel pickets between the columns. The block portions were kept in place but the pickets were discarded. After the crew added blocks to create a solid wall, it was given a smooth stucco finish and painted. Rust patina steel panels were attached and the block wall was enlarged with stepped redwood fence sections on top. Copper planters attached to the steel panels created a multi-dimensional wall with several different elements. Varieties of drought-tolerant Senecios are in the planters. Photo Ketti Kupper
This project is located in Bucktown, a section of Chicago. Initially the outdoor space had a very simple set of tables and some plants, with a large area of grass. Urban Rooftops improved the outdoor space with a wooden slat fence and gabion wall for privacy, layered with perennials to create a secondary layer of screening.
There are wider wood slats in the lower portion of the fence, and slimmer wood slats at the top. This creates a visual barrier to highlight the vegetation layer and brings the eye towards the gabion wall, a focal point that is placed halfway through the total length of the fence. The word gabion is derived from Italian word "gabbione," which means "big cage." A gabion wall is a cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building and landscaping.
The 7' tall wood slat fence is comprised of 4" x 4" metal tubes, grounded with 3' deep footings every six feet across the length of the property. The lower five feet of the fence has 1" x 6" cedar slats. The top two-feet of the fence has 1" x 4" pine slats. For the gabion wall, a metal post was placed on either side of the gabion. This allowed the cedar slats to span into the gabion. Two more metal posts are centered within the cage of the gabion wall. Each of the gabion baskets is assembled with tie wire or spiral binders. Stiffeners connect the panels of wire mesh. Then 3.5"-12" clean stone was installed in 12" lifts until all of the baskets were filled. Materials came from a local Menard's and Gabion Supply.
Debbie Gliksman of Urban Oasis Landscape, designed and supervised the installation of a fence, drought tolerant garden, deck, steps and more at this home in Tarzana, Calif. The job also included a decorative screen that was installed against an empty slope too steep to plant. The screen is made of COR-TEN, or weathered steel, which has a naturally oxidized finish that forms a stable rust-like appearance. Jamie Gracia, of Gracia Design, fabricated the screen, and also cut out the house address numbers, creating a graphic visual statement.
The numbers that were cut out were then applied to this COR-TEN raised planter bed at the entrance of the same home: another good example of how imagination and innovation can come from fencing projects.
David O. Lightfoot of David Lightfoot Landscapes, designed and built the fence behind the planter box. It was designed as a swimming pool security fence that would be pleasing to the eye and not block the view from the property. The redwood frame was made with 4" x 6" posts and 2" x 6" caps. The fence has 5' x 5' panels with 1-1/2" square steel mesh fastened to the back of mitered 2' x 4' redwood frames. The wood has a semi-transparent finish, while the metal mesh was left unfinished.
A concrete continuous grade beam was poured with steel (Simpson PB) post bases set in. The 4' x 6' posts were mounted and the 2" x 6" caps were fastened to run continuously. The 5' x 5' panels were fabricated on site and suspended in each frame with uniform spacing (long construction screws and cylindrical spacers). The finish was applied after construction.