Justin Newcombe insists that a fence can actually bring neighbours together. Photo / Steven McNicholl
Never mind building bridges, fences are where it's at, writes Justin Newcombe.
They say build bridges, not fences and I get it, I do, but from where I sit all this anti-fencing is out of hand. Back in the day, (for me that's the 70s and 80s) fencing was something you did with your neighbour. Those were the days of social fencing,
hands reaching across from one family domain to another, settling into a firm shake. It was often fencing which brought two families together so they could discuss the finer details like who got the good side, how deep the holes should be, should it be stained brown or green (it seems everybody settled on brown), who was doing most of the work and who wasn't, where the boundary actually was, who owned what shovel, where the gate should go, which side the lock should be on and finally who had paid for what. After the fence was completed the little round, three-legged barbecue was erected, started with accelerant and a sacrificial sausage was hastily incinerated, iceberg lettuces were shredded, tomatoes wedged, cucumbers diced and the feast was hurriedly gobbled down with thick white doorstop slabs of bread and tomato sauce. The gate was then slammed shut, padlocked and eventually forgotten about. No one spoke for four years until the dust had settled and you finally forgot about the half a bag of cement still owed to you.
Of course we've all grown up a lot since then, eh? If you've wanted to get among it on the carpentry front but have never quite managed it then this is the achievable, rewarding project you've been looking for. If you're a bit unsure of your capabilities then let me assure you, a trained monkey could do it. Look at me.
Step 1
Establish the boundary. Often there is a fence that is already there but be aware that if it's in the wrong place the fence may have to be moved at some point. You may need to have the boundary surveyed to make sure.
