Jananas

I’m looking at adopting a doggo this winter. However once its winter the ground will be too cold/frozen to be able to put a fence in. So, if I want to adopt this winter I had to think far enough ahead to have a new fence put in this summer.  We’d taken down my back fence to get some deconstruction junk out of the backyard but this meant that the yard was no longer ‘secure’. The old fence was also 1.5 feet too far into the laneway (which is public) and I wanted to rectify that.

Gus Sinclair had done some work for my neighbours and at the recommendation, we contacted him. He was super quick to get back to me and come out for an initial consult. The estimate took about a week to get to me (by e-mail which was great). I okayed it and within two hours guys were at my house getting started. There was a bunch of rock/rubble that prevented the fence from being built right on the property line so the workmen removed that first. The next day the carpenter came out and got started building. Within a week everything was built and it looks awesome. The carpenter even spent the time to put in little wire loops on the gates so that we can open them from the other side!

First up is the new gate into the little alleyway between houses. The old one got caught and frozen shut in the winter. Sadly, I wasn’t able to replace the entire fence along this side as my neighbour is old (think 91!) and on a very limited budget. The dark brown fence is on the wobbly side, but the new gate will hold well enough to keep a dog secure in the backyard.

This is the new back fence. Its definitely improved as there’s now a gate so that we have access via the laneway out back! The lilac tree is now on the other side of the fence, which is a little strange. Sadly, the workmen trampled some of the plants out back (the big dirt stretch used to be plants). Thankfully my roommate transplanted the nicer ones so that we can easily replant. You can also see how well the thyme she planted this spring is doing – its on its way to becoming a dense groundcover.

The end result? I’m super happy with Gus’ communication and the quality of work! I’d definitely recommend him to other people and use him again myself next time I need work done at the house.

In terms of dogs, there is a bit of a gap under the lefthand side of the fence. I don’t see this being a problem as I’m a big fan of, well, big dogs. So well something small and toy could more than likely squeeze their way out, there’s no way my previous dog (an 80lb lab) would have been able to.

This is the sort of experience where I feel like I’m living an interview question. It shows forethought, an ability to plan, and responsible behaviour. And this is all so that I can adopt a dog in 5+ months…

More from jananas

• Homemade Lilac Jelly
• Introducing Lila, the dog we found at the side of the road
• Fibonacci & Golden Rectangle Afghan