More Favorites

I’m sorry to post back to back “favorites” but my schedule and the weather have made photography for my next ideas challenging. I promise you some non-fencing related posts soon!

Front yard privacy fences aren’t usually very interesting to me. For one, I’m much more a fan of fences that feel open and inviting, especially when it come to the front yard. Secondly, most privacy fences are down-right unappealing. You’ve seen them I’m sure. Six foot walls of cedar boards, packed tight and slapped up by your local Fence-Co inc, llc. However, if you insist on a privacy fence, or as some call them “spite” fences, than you might as well put some serious design muscle into it. It’s the only way a solid six foot high fence is not going to be a boring, blank canvas for the neighborhood graffiti artist.

The following fence is one of the most appealing privacy fences I’ve ever seen. I bike by it on my way home most days and I just love looking at it. Partly because, without stopping, and really dissecting how it was built, I just couldn’t wrap my head around how it was constructed. Of course, it’s the complexity of the design that makes it such a great privacy fence.

Just look at all the layers. The textural complexity saves this tall, solid fence from being a monotonous eye sore. A solid infill, cedar board fence painted this color would be improved with some graffiti, but this design needs no improvement.

As you can see, a “lattice” as laid over the solid infill that is centered on the posts. To make this fence appealing to the owner, as well as the passers by the lattice is repeated on the inside of the fence. I love a fence with two good sides.

The dual sided nature of the fence is largely responsible for the fantastic visual depth of the fence. The lattice windows at the top also open up the fence. Even privacy fences can make concessions which serve to visually pull you in.

The cherry on top of this fence, is of course, the arbor. It is substantial in size to say the least, but it balances very nicely the scale of the fence from which it springs.

I especially like how the arbor was treated at the entrance. Putting an additional arbor at the back of the coved entry way and then tying it to the arbor running along the side walk using those 2×2 rafters was a great design decision.  Much more interesting than if the arbor just made a turn at the corner. It really creates a dramatic entrance to this impressive fence. The arbor is also doing a great job earning its keep. This photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but those flowering vines look great cascading off the arbor. It’s especially dramatic when viewed from the corner.I hope you enjoyed today’s favorite and I really will try hard to share some different types of SLEs in the coming weeks so stay tuned.

Favorites

This week I just want to share one of my favorite fences. It happens to be only a couple blocks away from my house and I’ve always really liked the design. It is detailed, well crafted, and has that perfect time-worn look that really makes it blend well with the rest of the landscape.

The transition from the pickets to the lattice is fantastic. I’m particularly impressed with the decision to leave the pickets short of the top edge of the rail. This detail creates another visual line that effectively becomes part of the lattice.  In fact, on a walk last night (unfortunately without a camera) I saw a fence almost exactly like this one. However, the pickets were flush with the rail and it just wasn’t quite as nice.

This fence has lots of features that increase it’s interest. Like gate posts that are taller than the fence posts. These tall posts serve not only to highlight the gate, they also nicely frame the entrance to the house.  I’m sure I’ll say this a lot, but good SLEs should draw you into the landscape and this fence is doing a great job of it.  That dog is pretty cute too, he even matches.

Although the fence bays are stair stepped to run down the slope, the picket bottoms match the slope. This of course means more work, since each picket was made to measure, but a little extra work on details like this makes a big difference. Slowing down is often required when trying to improve your craftsmanship and good design deserves good execution.

Results like this are a testament to the last statement.

I hope you enjoyed one of my “favorites”, a category that I hope to make a regular.

Matters of height

Last week we ended with a little compare and contrast, a tool that I hope to feature regularly on theRustyHinge. I compared two similar fences and why I thought the last one didn’t work as well from a design standpoint. This week I want to share another compare and contrast related to one specific fence design element; height.

When not strictly determined by the function of the fence, the height of your fence should be an important consideration during the design process. During a recent outing I happened upon two very similar fences that illustrate the impact the height of a fence can have on the success of the design.

Both fences feature lattice sections, in cedar, that, as one commenter last week stated are “characteristic of being visually penetrable [and]  hints to the idea that the space being contained by the fence is still connected to its surroundings.” However, at about 5 1/2 feet the latter fence visually cuts us off from the front of the house.

Notice how this taller fence blocks off the view of the porch railing which seems to make the house feel less connected to its surrounding.

In contrast, by shortening the height of the fence a mere 18 inches, you end up with a fence that creates multiple layers that visually draw you in to the yard and the house. This design openness is further embraced by the lack of a gate.

The shorter fence also adds a few details that further enhance the design. This includes using two 2 x 1″ horizontal slats to sandwich the 2 x 2″ vertical slats that make up the lattice . This detail adds depth to the design of the fence and increases the visual interest. This detail also makes the fence appear the same from either side. Finally, gray paint is used to disguise the pressure treated posts which helps integrate them into the design.

Below the top-cap, the taller fence  features fascia that is too wide, a feature mirrored on the bottom. These two faces throw off the symmetry of the lattice as well as further blocking the house from view despite the overall open design.

It’s height, combined with intelligent detailing and excellent landscaping help make this SLE a real gem.

Welcome to theRustyHinge

A fence is the most basic structural landscape element, it is simply a barrier. Beyond its basic function it can also delineate an area as “mine” and tie us to a physical space. The fence, as a technology, is intimately tied to modern civilization. (For a compelling history of the fence and its role in the rise of modern civilization please see “The Culture of the Fence: Artifacts and Meanings” by Christina Kotchemidova.)

By defining a space, we can own it, and with ownership comes a myriad of emotional attachments and cultural expectations that motivate us to care for that space. Ownership is the back bone of the American dream. By encouraging home ownership our society is hoping that we, as citizens, have a stake in the space we call America. By owning our little piece of America it is the collective hope that we will care for and improve our space. That we will feel compelled to protect our space and that of our neighbors.

These symbolic and physical barriers can actually serve to tie our society together. As the proverb says “good fences make good neighbors.” But beyond their symbolic nature, fences are objects and they can be beautiful, well crafted objects that make our homes and neighborhoods more appealing places to live.

And with that, I welcome you to my first post on theRustyHinge where you can join me in the search for excellent examples of Structural Landscape Elements (SLE) in the Pacific Northwest. Hopefully this blog helps inspire you to improve your space.

Picking on pickets

A white picket fence is the icon of the American dream. Those three words instantly transport your mind to the front yard of a quaint house, where a picket fence frames in a lush, green lawn on which 2.5 kids are probably running around with their golden retriever.

No other SLE is so ingrained in the American psyche. Behind its pointed pickets you find America’s hopes and expectations. So, for the inaugural post on theRustyHinge I bring you an excellent example of an American classic:

It might lack the white paint, but it is a perfect Northwest twist on this perennial favorite.

Cedar posts perfectly frame the cedar pickets in well defined bays adding interest to an otherwise simple design.

The posts are mounted on galvanized pipe set in concrete keeping them out of the dirt. Not only does this mean these posts should have a much longer life, it also means that less material is needed making the purchase of high quality cedar posts a little easier on the wallet.

A fence fit for the dream.

In contrast to the above example, a picket fence can fall a little short of the dream.Lacking defined bays, the posts and rails are pushed to the background and visually interfere with the pickets. Notice where the picket’s spacing causes it to land randomly on the posts.

A little extra time spent with the layout can make a big difference when it comes to fence design. Something we’ll explore more next week if you care to join me.

Welcome to theRustyHinge.

Join me in the search for excellent examples of Structural Landscape Elements in the Pacific Northwest.

First post coming soon….