Justice Kelly

LOL- freedom walk- they like to hang out and take smoke breaks in their back yard au natural, birthday suit, etc. I'm all for being free, but not what I want to see. I'm not the kind to call it in, -dont like it, dont look- so screening is preferred. And their backyard is the trash pile. To each his own, long as it doesnt affect me.

We are considering everything, including vining plants, trellis, hesco (fence material used as barricade), hegulculture, etc. Ground still froze, so its plan time. New house going in, plus garage, so its a total rework.  My work is typically working on large scale operations, so the challenge is on here.  So many things to consider- house design, attached garage design, w/ incorporated green house, aquaponics, exterior; long term grid down self sufficient for heating/cooking, solar, water collection, etc.


The animal access is through the old rotting pallet fence on their side, which is their side of zero lot line area.  They dont care to fix it, so it's our call to do what we want. Strays, wild rabbit, feral cats, raccoons, etc usually dont last long around us.

6 max height of concealing or solid panel.(ch 17 of city code) We are zone 5a USDA, so limits our shrubs. And their is growth time, and moves towards limiting space, but we are looking at everything.  I did see a cedar panel fence that had galvanized pipes @10' with crossbars, and owner said they used for vining plants (beans, kiwi, nasturium, etc... that might fit the bill. Ideal would be 2-3' width of shrub, cut to fit @7-8'. Blueberries, Rasberries and other edge species for the approach, as they handle that well.  

GF likes the shrubs, so that may be the option with the most points so far.  Another 2 months to make final decision!

Just closed on a city lot & house here in SW WI, lot size 100x118...  The neighbor to the south has already identified themselves as hostile, unkempt and their dogs are significant problems to gardens, livestock, etc.  Not to mention privacy issues (and we haven't even moved in!!!). I am looking at fence options for the south 118' and 30' of the SW corner that I can do.  Professional builder, so woodworking not an issue. Throw some ideas out, pictures or links!!  Goal is 1) privacy- I don't need to see their backyard full of trash. Nor their freedom walks, and trash tossing. 2) Keep our gardens and livestock safe from dogs. 3) vertical space for garden, even if on the shade side.

As a log and timber frame builder in MN/WI, unless you are able to procure and prep materials and perform the labor, it may be cheaper to build stick frame. You can go hybrid, with log and timber components around and in stick frame methods.  Our rule of thumb to 'ballpark' a price is $120-200 for log, and 80-200 for stick frame in per square foot prices for turn key operations. And upkeep can be a major headache, unless it is good design and done right ($$$). Figure 4 weekends a year on upkeep, and a 1500 bill every 3-6 years for stain and caulking/chinking.