Last week, I spent most of the week at my daughter's house in Ozark, MO (10 miles from Springfield) putting up approximately 70 ft of privacy fence for my daughter. She has privacy fence around three sides but chain link to the house from both sides. With 3 large dogs, they bark when anyone walks on the sidewalk, so my daughter wanted to make the whole back yard to be privacy. She asked if I could do it if she bought the panels, posts, gate, cement, etc. She also rented a gas powered auger. I looked forward to the challenge.
I almost bit off more than I could chew. Concerning the work - I found out quickly that a single person auger does not like rocks and there were rocks galore double fist size. I had taken my hand post hole digger. I would run the auger 1 minute and stop for two or three minutes to remove rocks with my manual post hole digger. 5 panels and 7 posts (adding the gate at the right place.) The second side was even worse. The Gas powered auger doesn't like roots either and two trees almost in line with the fence line. I ended up doing something that does not match any code, if there were one. I attached the panels (4) to the chain link fence with some chain link to fence panel brackets.
Being 74, that was hard; I lost 7 pounds in 4 days of work, numerous leg cramps at night, drank tons of water during the day. But one good thing came out of it was that I got more motion out of my left knee that I haven't had in the last 3 or 4 years. (I had major surgery on it in the early '80s before orthoscopic surgery came along, and now arthritis has taken over it.) I guess I just need to exercise more and push the limits. I found myself walking down steps normally after all of that workout.
I did have some other frustrating moments, and so did my daughter. I arrived Tuesday evening and she had stayed home that day to receive ten 6ft by 8ft panels plus 14 bags of cement, about 12 4x4 posts 8 ft long, and some 2x4s. They didn't arrive Tuesday. We went to the local Lowes at 8:30 PM to find out why. We got the answer that "They ran out of time to deliver it but it would be out first thing the next day". I went to pick up the auger at the rental place and stopped by Lowes on the way back at 8:30 AM. They had just called my daughter and said they were out of the panels. My daughter gave them "what for" and said she paid for them 2 weeks earlier, so they should have had them. I got there and gave them "what for" also and made a scene. Never used profanity but let them know that if the Police chief or Mayor had ordered and paid in advance, they would have gone 50 miles to another store to make sure it was delivered on time, and I expected the same for my daughter! I also confronted them for lying. I told them that they knew the night before that they didn't have it and that was why they didn't deliver it. They were not expecting me to confront them for lying.
I also told them that I was going to be like their shadow, they were not going anywhere without me following them. I wanted those panels. I had driven 320 miles, taken 4 days vacation and I was expecting them to install the fence if they didn't deliver that day.
We had the panels, posts, 2x4s, 4x4s and cement by lunch, but it cost me half a day. OH and they did charge her a $20 delivery fee when she ordered, but I got them to drop that after they messed up. They didn't give her the exact panels that she had ordered, but gave her one grade up in expense.
Got the job done though! OH, I installed a doggy door for her dogs. They took to it like a duck to water. They learned immediately and come and go as needed.
I almost bit off more than I could chew. Concerning the work - I found out quickly that a single person auger does not like rocks and there were rocks galore double fist size. I had taken my hand post hole digger. I would run the auger 1 minute and stop for two or three minutes to remove rocks with my manual post hole digger. 5 panels and 7 posts (adding the gate at the right place.) The second side was even worse. The Gas powered auger doesn't like roots either and two trees almost in line with the fence line. I ended up doing something that does not match any code, if there were one. I attached the panels (4) to the chain link fence with some chain link to fence panel brackets.
Being 74, that was hard; I lost 7 pounds in 4 days of work, numerous leg cramps at night, drank tons of water during the day. But one good thing came out of it was that I got more motion out of my left knee that I haven't had in the last 3 or 4 years. (I had major surgery on it in the early '80s before orthoscopic surgery came along, and now arthritis has taken over it.) I guess I just need to exercise more and push the limits. I found myself walking down steps normally after all of that workout.
I did have some other frustrating moments, and so did my daughter. I arrived Tuesday evening and she had stayed home that day to receive ten 6ft by 8ft panels plus 14 bags of cement, about 12 4x4 posts 8 ft long, and some 2x4s. They didn't arrive Tuesday. We went to the local Lowes at 8:30 PM to find out why. We got the answer that "They ran out of time to deliver it but it would be out first thing the next day". I went to pick up the auger at the rental place and stopped by Lowes on the way back at 8:30 AM. They had just called my daughter and said they were out of the panels. My daughter gave them "what for" and said she paid for them 2 weeks earlier, so they should have had them. I got there and gave them "what for" also and made a scene. Never used profanity but let them know that if the Police chief or Mayor had ordered and paid in advance, they would have gone 50 miles to another store to make sure it was delivered on time, and I expected the same for my daughter! I also confronted them for lying. I told them that they knew the night before that they didn't have it and that was why they didn't deliver it. They were not expecting me to confront them for lying.
I also told them that I was going to be like their shadow, they were not going anywhere without me following them. I wanted those panels. I had driven 320 miles, taken 4 days vacation and I was expecting them to install the fence if they didn't deliver that day.
We had the panels, posts, 2x4s, 4x4s and cement by lunch, but it cost me half a day. OH and they did charge her a $20 delivery fee when she ordered, but I got them to drop that after they messed up. They didn't give her the exact panels that she had ordered, but gave her one grade up in expense.
Got the job done though! OH, I installed a doggy door for her dogs. They took to it like a duck to water. They learned immediately and come and go as needed.
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