Home Made Fence Building Decisions

I can't decide how I want to finish constructing this home made fence. At first, I was certain that I would be building a temporary fence that i would tear down at the end of summer. Looking at the diameter of the posts I used, I may be able to get much more out of it than I was originally expecting. I just can't make a decision.

Maybe my problem can be your solution, or maybe you have a solution for me? I'll go over my current options and if you have an idea, please comment below. 


Option 1

A temporary fence build out of the current posts and re-purposed decking to create a horizontal wood fence. The lumber I would be using, lets just say it's not high quality.

The benefits would obviously be expense. The posts were free, lumber from the property. And the salvaged lumber I got for free on craigslist. So I would only have to potentially spend money on nails or screws. pretty simple and cheap.



Option 2

One suggestion a family member had was to use greenhouse plastic as a "fence" because it holds in warmth. Here in the Pafic Northwest that is vitally important as our summers average around 70 - 75 degree with rare heatwaves into the 90's. So it stays pretty cool here, even in summer. 


The downside is that plastic sheets are obviously not very durable and more difficult to attach. My approach would probably be to put horizontal beams from post to post on the head and foot with spaced rips in between. The posts are currently spaced about 8 feet apart from each other, so rib posts spaced at 12 inch intervals should work well.

This is where I find this option could become somewhat expensive.

20 posts X 2 beams per post = 40 (2x4x96 inch) @ about $2.50 per

Total = $120 for 2x4 beams alone

This doesn't even include the rib posts which would roughly double this figure!

Total Cost = $240

Lucky for me I already have greenhouse plastic material? Considering the price would probably increase to about $350 at least. Now that's getting a little out of hand, but then again, over the coarse of maybe 3-5 years this option would probably pay off.



Option 3

Go for the standard wire fence that slightly expensive to purchase but easy to install and very reliable at keeping pests out. This option would costs somewhere in the range of $50 - $170 depending on quality and height. I could go for a low fence since i'm only try to keep the pooches from digging up my hard work.


These are my current options that I've been think over again and again. What do you think would work best? Do you have a similar problem? 


Leave a response below with your questions or suggestions