Hello my friends!
Since I’m sharing all our house progress, I figured I’d share one of the outside projects that we just had done. We hired this one out, got to know your limitations and so this one was one for the professionals and we found a local fence company to get this done. Apparently there is a big demand for fences, because we had to get on a waiting list for about 3 weeks, but it was done 2 weeks ago and we are happy to have that behind us.
Mark brought his dog, Hollie, over to live with us now since she’s been staying with his parents during the transition. She seems to be adjusting well to her new backyard and she and I are doing just fine together. We really needed the fence for her to have a safe place in the backyard.
We hired a local company called First Fence to do the job and we were very happy with how it came out. Mark wasn’t completely happy with a couple of the corners coming together, so he is going to add another board to a couple of areas to make them look better. I thought it was all looking good, but he has a different eye when it comes to things like fences, so he will fix it to suit him.
This type fence is called a Saddle Picket and I love the way it looks. We didn’t want a complete privacy fence, but one that you can see through the pickets and this one is a nice addition to our backyard. It amazed me that the installer drew the scallop on the fence and then used a skillsaw to cut them all.
And here is it all finished! We put the gate down the fence a bit because it’s a pretty steep hill coming down from the top so that area was the most level and we thought the gate would be better there for people coming in and out. We probably could have moved it up the hill a bit, but it’s fine right there too. Our property goes over to where those tall pine trees are so we didn’t fence it all in.
Miss Hollie is home with us now and doing just fine in her new space. She’s a 10 year old German Shepherd and Mark adopted her when she was a puppy. They have a very special bond. She’s a 100 pound girl and loves her people but can be very protective and sound very scary if she doesn’t know someone. She’s slowing way down at her age now and has joint issues, as most older dogs develop as they age.
I’ve mentioned my dog, Tara, before but I wasn’t blogging when I had her (I wrote a post about her way back in 2007). She was over 14 years old when her declining health brought her life to an end and I had to put her down right before I moved to Birmingham. She found a home with me when she was about 1 year old and she was the sweetest girl, I loved her dearly. She had a long life with me and we both gave each other lots of love. Mark and I are both huge dog lovers and always have been. I can see us getting a small inside dog one of these days, we both like lap dogs too (Mark has had Yorkies in the past) and I would love to have another furball one day too. My sister just got the cutest Shorkie (Yorkie and Shih Tzu mix) and he’s the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen. He looks like a stuffed animal.
So, back to the fence! They did a great job at enclosing our backyard. Our yard backs up to the Corp of Engineer property, a Federal agency I think that owns Lake Altoona here in GA. Our backyard fence borders that property and we get to enjoy the huge trees in the woods behind us. It’s nice to have all those tall trees that give us so much shade during the heat of the day. The corner of the fence had to be tired because of the wall that was installed by the Corp property when the house was built. I’m sure fill dirt was brought in back here and that created the drop.
The side yard that faces the neighbors on this side has a couple of pretty trees and a rock garden that has some shade plants in here. We’d like to add to this and make it really pretty back here.
We ran the fence along the back of the house and joined to to the side, enclosing the basement window for security purposes. Better to have that window inside the fence than out.
From outside the fence looking in. Hollie has a nice yard to enjoy and we’ll fix up our backyard to enjoy too.
I love these birch trees, they have the prettiest bark. It’s nice to have that large concrete patio and we have plans to really make it nice. We really want to add stairs down to the backyard from the deck, so we’ll figure that out eventually too. Depending on the costs, we’ll do a screened porch above and if not, below the deck will work too, but I’m pretty sure we’ll add stairs no matter what. I want to be able to go out from the kitchen to the backyard. We don’t want to spend a fortune on a screened porch and don’t want to over improve the house, so we will keep that in mind as we do projects.
There’s Hollie!
We will either do a screened porch on top of the deck or below, just have to figure the costs and what is the best use for our space for the money. We can see this backyard space as a big plus and the fence adds to the privacy and feeling of being in the woods. We will work on making our backyard a really nice space eventually.
So, that’s our backyard fence. We really love how it turned out and can’t wait to use our backyard as we get settled in the new house.
Those hydrangeas are a big plus too that the first owners planted. So big thanks to them for beautifying our backyard, I’m thrilled to have them!
We are settling in really well and our rooms are all starting to come together, so I’ll be sharing more and more as we get things finished and ready to show. It seems like it’s taking forever, but really it’s only been a month ago that we moved in, so I do finally feel like we are making progress. We are loving our new house and it’s feeling like HOME already! Thanks for sharing in our joy!
Hollies looks a amazing! I’ve always wanted a Shepherd … I’m a big dog gal! Truly a beautiful fence!
fence is cute, we had one installed like that for our puppy Muffin who lived to be 17 —she promptly jumped over it – oh well —–Hollie is adorable, know you fell in love with her also 🙂
Wonderful- so pretty
Enjoy enjoy
Hi, so happy for your new home and hubby. I love what you are doing with the house. We have a senior lady who we believe is 16. We give her two Cosequin DS every day with her evening meal which is a can of wet food. It can be pricey but I have had very good luck getting it on EBay.
Hey, Nancy, Hollie is on some supplements for her joints already.
And I should have said, it helps her a good deal!
Love Hollie. Our first child was a GSD. Love shepherds especially GSDs and Aussies. Fence looks great.
Love the fence and Hollie is a beauty. I notice you have ivy running up the river birch tree. I speak from experience when I say get rid of it while you can. We have lost many trees due to ivy killing them.
Hi, Judy, yes there is ivy in a few spots around the house that we are going to have to address. I’ve had it before and it’s a bear to manage, always wants to take on everything, so we are going to have to get a handle on all of it.
Holly looks like a nice dog. She certainly has a nice fenced yard to hang out in. I do hope that you get your screen porch. I know how much that will mean to you. Those mosquitoes are not nice! So happy for you friend.
Fence looks great – big yard! Sweet dog. My daughter just rescued what appears to be a shepard/lab mix – a WV Muttaineer. 😉
Wow Rhoda – that’s allot of fence! Are you going to paint of stain it? Very nice!! Hollie is a sweetie! My son got a pure black german shepherd puppy in June and he’s amazing – so smart!
You have a lovely home!!
Celia
HI, Celia, yes we will stain the fence eventually. Mark will probably do it by hand, but it needs to cure for a few months so it may be spring before we do that. I’m not sure what color we will do, but may try to stain it the natural cedar color it is now. It doesn’t stay that color though if it’s not sealed or stained, it eventually turns gray.
Your fence is beautiful and wow I had no idea that they are hand cut!
I love your back yard and seeing it develop. We had the opportunity to spend some time in Marietta and the areas near by…thanks to Irma I just did not want to leave the beautiful trees and mountains. Those river birch are so lovely.
Hollie is beautiful! I do remember Tara too from the Great Impressions decorating board. She was the sweetest cutest dog. Love the new fence & that will keep Hollie safe from traffic on the street. Beautiful yard and home!
I really like the look of the scallops on the fence! Very nice touch!
Hollie is beautiful! Bet she is really enjoying her new yard!
I’m a big animal person and Hollie looks like such a good girl. Enjoy her.
Very nice fence. Thanks for sharing a picture of Hollie! I have had dogs in my life for almost 40 years. In fact can’t imagine my life without the love they give. After the passing of a few big Golden Retrievers our puppy love right now is a mix Bichon Frisee and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (called a Cavachon). She is 19 lbs of pure joy, loves everybody and always wants to cuddle. We will always have a soft spot for our Goldens, but this is the right size dog for us now at this stage of our life. Oh and a Cavachon does not shed!
I hope you will share more pictures of Hollie on the blog.
Have a great day
Beautiful yard! Nice fence for Hollie. She is a beautiful girl. I have always loved Sheperds. Love seeing all your posts. 🙂
Hollie is beautiful. I grew up with German Shepherds and love them.
Miss Hollie looks just like my 11 yo – 98 lb German Shepherd. He’s been blind since he was 3 but gets around just fine. I bet you miss little Cody.
Yes, Cody is a cutie! He’s been to see us 3 times already though, so we will get to see him pretty often when Rhonda is back here.
Would love to see a picture of the Shorkie…sounds so cute! Your new home is looking just fabulous, Rhoda. You and Mark have quite the talents for making a house a home.
HI, Cheryl Ann, stay tuned, pics of Bailey will be up tomorrow! Warning, he’s a doll and you’ll fall instantly in love.
My husband’s parents had a beautiful German Shepherd. We cried like babies when he died. His name was Prince and he was a prince. Hope you have many years with your beautiful Hollie. She had the perfect playground.