Sleep, Shamrocks, and Spring.
Sleep, Shamrocks, and Spring. What a week. Lose an hour of sleep. Then celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and the arrival of Spring. In keeping with the green theme, Tahoe’s decorated its office door with a chain link Shamrock (Shamrock means young clover.) Why not a 4-leaf clover? Because a 3-leaf is hard enough to cut into shape. And Tahoe’s crews are getting into the spirit with this green, slatted wire enclosure. It’s an 8-foot high, chain link ladder enclosure with barbed wire, green privacy slats, and an egress gate with panic hardware in Yerington (Lyon County.) Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Spring. May more of your life’s blessings show than the number of shamrocks known to grow.
Redwood Kicked Up a Notch
Redwood Kicked Up a Notch Sometimes a dogear fence needs to be kicked up a notch. Not too much, just a little. Take this redwood, dogear fence Tahoe’s crews built in Gardnerville (Douglas County.) It has a 2×12 bottom kicker board. Typically, kicker boards are used to raise the height of a fence. Or when the fence also acts as a retaining wall. When fence boards sit on top of a kicker, the structure gets additional support to resist sagging. This can be beneficial in snow laden areas such as around Lake Tahoe.
Beaded Fences
Beaded Fences This week it’s Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday,) the last day of Carnival. If you are fortunate enough to be in New Orleans celebrating, you might see some of the city’s ornate iron fences decorated in beads, a Carnival tradition. The colors of Mardi Gras – gold, green, and purple – represent power, faith, and justice. Although we don’t typically decorate Tahoe’s fences with beads, we feel they’re still something to look at and worth celebrating. Pictured: Aristocrat style iron with an arched, double-rail gate Tahoe’s crews installed at Lake Tahoe. Let the good times roll (Laissez les bons temps rouler.)
Happy President’s Day
Happy President’s Day It’s snowing again here so if you are fortunate enough to have the holiday off from work, enjoy it. Tahoe’s crews did a great job with this install (before the current weather) of a white, picket fence using the customer’s PVC material in Carson City. The fence has a scalloped (negative arch/smiling) picket top. It complements the trim and house features nicely. In addition to dressing up the front yard, the fence helps secure the property. Did you know that President Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the first White House fence? In the early 1800s, he had a wood post and rail fence erected to keep livestock out of the gardens. Happy President’s Day.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Happy Valentine’s Day. Sending you a fence installer’s Valentine from Tahoe and wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Be Positive
Be Positive Tahoe’s crews did nice work on this patio gate in Carson City. This redwood gate has a positive arch cut along the top. It allows the gate to be taller and still maintain clearance for the buildings’ eaves. 2x6s were used for the framing. And everything is built on steel posts which are hidden in the construction. The gate secures the patio for pets and provides additional screening for the spa and sunroom.
Someone See a Shadow
Someone See a Shadow Whether a groundhog sees its shadow this week (February 2 – Groundhog Day) meaning the possibility of six more weeks of Winter weather, or it doesn’t see its shadow meaning Spring may be early, shadows are still awesome. Shadows are dark, but only visible with light. If an object is moving and casting a shadow, its shadow moves too. Even if an object isn’t moving, its shadow made in the sunlight will change throughout the day. This shadowbox-style, cedar fence Tahoe’s crews built is also awesome. The pictures show the fence as it’s being built on pressure treated posts and rails in Yerington (Lyon County.) Shadowbox fences look similar from both sides which is ideal for shared fences. And their design allows for changing visual points of interest depending on the viewing perspective.
Historic Build
Historic Build Rail-type fencing has been used in America since the original 13 colonies. Primarily used for boundry demarcation, rail fences were made from readily available, and durable materials like cedar and pine. Untreated cedar and pine materials have the added benefit of being animal friendly. And most rail fences work well on uneven and difficult terrain. During the American Civil War, the Confederate and Union armies discovered another benefit. Both armies used existing, rail fences as a source of firewood. Tahoe Fence had the opportunity to replicate a historic fence found at Whitehawk Ranch in Clio near Graeagle, CA (Plumas County.) Our crews built a lodgepole pine fence with doweled rails fitted into posts with mitered sockets.
Beautiful and Secure
Beautiful and Secure Wrought iron, or worked iron, has been used throughout history. Iron was 1st used for tools and weapons in earlier civilizations. Then for securing property openings and for its beauty in building design from the Roman Empire through the Renaissance. The industrial revolution led to the increased use of iron in the production of fences, gates, and railings. Our crews did this Aristocrat style, ornamental steel fence in Mammoth. The panels follow the rocky terrain to secure the property. But the open spacing of the design compliments the surrounding beauty of the natural setting.
Good Neighbor Fences
Good Neighbor Fences Good Neighbor fences or alternating panel fences, like the names suggest, provide a similar appearance from either side. Every other panel either shows the finished side (boards) or the framing side. It’s an economical design for a privacy fence. And the alternating panels provides some visual interest to a dogear fence. Pictured: Tahoe Fence built cedar, good neighbor fences on pressure treated posts and 3-rails in Yerington (Lyon County.) Did you know that Robert Frost is often credited with the phrase referring to “good fences make good neighbors” from his poem “Mending Wall?”