Build your Own Garden Fence

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If you read our previous blog post on how to build a raised garden bed on a budget, then you might be wondering how we have kept our harvest safe from unwanted visitors. Initially we went with a cheap fence made of galvanized poultry netting but after many missing tomatoes and half-bitten squash we decided that the next year we would spend a bit more to have a quality fence. We wanted a roomy enclosed space with easy access for us to plant but sturdy and tall enough to keep the demon bunnies out. I soon sketched out a blueprint for my imagined firewall and got to work making it a reality. I will warn you that it is a bit on the pricier side but it’s a sound fence that’s practical and aesthetically pleasing. Shall we get to work?

 

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Our sorry excuse of a fence

Supplies for an 12ft x 8ft garden fence
8 2.5 x 2.5 x 8ft  ($27.79)
24 2 x 4 x 8ft ($80.88)
1 1/2 x 4ft x 25ft Hardware Cloth ($38.98)
1 box Wood Screws ($6.26)
1 Fence Door Hardware ($15.98)

Tools
Staple Gun
Post Hole Digger
Miter Saw or Hand Saw
Power Drill

Directions

  1. Design a template for your fence because this saves you on both time and money. The desired size of the enclosure will dictate how much wood you will need and in turn how much you will spend. I can’t stress enough how important the planning phase is for any successful project.
  2. Cut the 2.5 x 2.5 x 8ft timber to 7 ft. 5ft of the timber is for the fence sections since the hardware cloth is only 4ft tall and the remaining 2ft is going into the holes you will dig to secure the fence.
  3. Using the post digger, dig seven holes (3 on each side and an extra one for the door) about 2 ft deep. I did not use cement to secure the timber posts because I find it unnecessary but feel free to use cement if you like!
  4. Once you have dug your post holes, insert the timber poles leaving 5ft above the ground. Make sure the poles are level by laying a 2×4 or a longer piece of wood across the posts while placing a level on top of it.
  5. The next step is to assemble the sides of the fence by using the 24 pieces of 2x4in x 8ft pieces to make rectangular frames:
    • Cut a total of four 2 x 4 x 8ft to a height of 5 ft (current they are 8 ft). These will be the vertical sides of your frame. The hardware cloth is 4 ft and that is your height unless you want the hardware cloth to be shorter.
    • Cut a total of four 2 x 4 x 8ft to your desired width. I cut mine to 6 ft because I needed the width of the fence horizontally to be 12ft.
    • Now that you have four 4ft and four 6ft pieces lay them out according to the design in Figure 1.  You must follow that design if you want to keep the fence sturdily joined together. This also keeps the ends from bending.
    • Lay the hardware cloth flat on top of your bottom piece of your boards (see Figure 2 ) and fasten using your staple gun.
    • Proceed by laying the top pieces of your board over the hardware cloth/bottom frame and join the boards together using wood screws (see Figure 3).
    • Flip the completed fence frame gently and screw the other side as well (see Figure 4).
  6. Repeat Step 5 until you have enough sections to enclose your garden. I needed to repeat the  step six times. If you are unsure about your calculations try attaching your fence side to the post first and proceed by building then attaching rather than building all the sides and attaching them at the end.
  7. Now you can attach the completed fence sides to your 5ft timbers posts using a drill and wood screws.
  8. Create a basic door using the leftover 2 x 4 x 8ft by cutting them until you have two 2ft and four 5ft pieces. Align the four 5ft pieces on the ground vertically and make sure the space between them is even. Place the two 2ft pieces one closer to the top and one closer to the the bottom, using wood screws to secure them. Last but not least cut a piece of hardware cloth to the size of your door and install it on the backside of the door. I used basic fence door hardware for the hinges and lock. Installation manual is included in the packing and is very straightforward.
  9. For an overall cleaner look, use mulch, wood chips or small stones between the garden bed(s) and fence.
  10. Enjoy the fruits of your hard labor without bunny or deer bite marks.
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    Figure 1 – Bottom, Top & Hardware Cloth

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    Figure 2 (Spacing for visualization)

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    Figure 3 (w/o spacing)

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    Figure 4 (w/o spacing)

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Don’t Fear the Tile

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I know we have been MIA but for good reason. We recently started remodeling our kitchen and we are doing pretty much everything ourselves from demolition to tiling to cabinet installation (which means some fun new posts coming soon). This means writing has been on hold for the most part as we juggle chasing after our kinetic 10-month old in between piles of schoolwork and construction. This is a post we have been wanting to do for a while but we just weren’t sure how we felt about encouraging you to tile on your own. Maybe our first tiling success was a fluke, we thought. Considering how many people furrowed their brows over the thought of us tiling, you can’t blame us for being cautious. But having tiled our entire basement in 2014 and now our kitchen in 2016, we are confident enough to encourage you to skip the contractor and try tiling for yourself. So if you’re getting ready to start a major renovation and are thinking about picking up your phone to dial a contractor, stop for a moment and listen to what we have to say. It’s normal to be skeptical about your handy skills and worry that an attempted DIY would end badly for you. You know? That worst case scenario that pops in your head telling you your work will be so bad you’ll have to pay twice as much because you will need to hire someone to fix it up. While that might be true for some things, it is not the case for tiling. Yeah, yeah, we know what you’re thinking. We had plenty of people tell us we were crazy for wanting to tile the basement ourselves. “It will be so uneven,” they said. Not so. We are nowhere near professionals and prior to renovating our basement we had not installed a single tile in our lives. Not only were we able to tile a 1,000 square feet on our own but we did a dang fine job too. With the both of us (plus my father-in-law and brother-in-law helping on occasion) putting in a couple hours of labor after work hours, we were able to complete the project in 5 days. With our kitchen remodel, I was able to tile and grout a 10×11 kitchen in just 2 days working after work hours. Still not convinced? Keep reading to see just how easy it is. And if budget is important, get ready for some major savings!

Supplies
Tiles
Mortar
Grout
Tile Spacers

Tools
Power Drill
Mixing Paddle
Big Trowel
Small Trowel
Rubber Grout Float
Level
Cleaning Sponges
Grout Sealer
Empty Buckets
Clean towels or rags

Below is a more detailed explanation and cost-breakdown of the supplies we picked out:

Because we were tiling our basement, we wanted tiles that were both durable and inexpensive. After a bit of research, we settled on TrafficMaster from Home Depot for $0.57 a square foot.  For the 1,000 square feet area we tiled, we ended up buying 68 cases of tile, which put us at $582. Always buy an extra case of tiles to have as backup in case some break or you need to replace some in the future.

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For the mortar, we settled on VersaBond Gray 50 lb. Fortified Thin-Set Mortar which cost us $14.47 a bag. Since each bag covers 100 square feet, we purchased 11 bags (to be on the safe side) for a total cost of $160. Below are the pictures from Home Depot’s website for this product.

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The trickiest part about selecting grout (that stuff that goes between the tiles) is making sure that the color matches with the tile. After some back and forth, I settled on the Polyblend #380 Haystack 25 lb. Sanded Grout from Home Depot. Each bag ($14.49) covers around 680 square feet so I bought 2 of them for a total of $29.

Last but not least, I went with the 3/16 inch Job-Tough Tombstone Style Tile Spaces (500- Pack) from Home Depot for the cute little tile spacers. They go for $6 a pack and can be enough unless you plan on finishing the tiles in 1 day, then we recommend you buy 2 packs for a total of $12.

Labor: By putting in the elbow grease yourself, you can save anywhere from $2-3 a square foot. Just to give you an idea-for a 1,000 square foot space that amounts to $2000-$3000 in savings. For a smaller space like a kitchen, the savings can be anywhere from $200-$300. Hey, every penny counts when you’re dropping 10K on a kitchen right?

Note: If you need to cut any tiles you will need a small manual or electric tile cutter (ex. QEP Rip Ceramic Tile Cutter @ $30).

Directions

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DIY Hanging Vase

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This DIY project is the culmination of 3 very random happenings:

1) One of our New Year’s resolutions for 2016 was to find ways to incorporate more plants in our home. We love the sense of peace and purpose our plants bring to our home and we simply wanted to diversify our jungalow.

2) I came across these hanging vases while browsing the Pottery Barn website and really liked the concept (just not the price).

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3) We can never resist the dollar section at Michaels and *somehow* ended up with 4 adorable glass test tubes for $1.50 a piece. If you have tubes around in your home (think spice tubes) that you aren’t using, this could be the perfect way to upcycle them 🙂

A few visits to the garage later and we had the perfect design for a hanging vase we had pictured in our mind. The finished product involves 4 hanging glass tubes that, while certainly smaller than the Pottery Barn Wall-Mount Vase, are far more economical ($15 compared to $69) and just as dazzling visually. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to incorporate more foliage without cramping your space with pots, this is the perfect solution for you!

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Supplies
Glass Tubes
Scrap Wood
Copper Tube Straps
Screws
Hanging Kit or Command Hanging Solution

Tools
Drill
Hammer

Note: We did not list the dimensions of the tubes or the tube straps because that will depend entirely on what you find and decide to use. If you have your tubes just take them to Home Depot and you will be able to find the straps that fit them very easily. Also, you are not limited to scrap wood for the base; we just wanted to use what we have. If you’re looking for something less rustic, Michaels has a lot of nice wood pieces that could work. All in all, if you play your cards right, this DIY is very inexpensive and so easy to put together.

Directions
1.  Once you have all your pieces, all you will need to do is drill two holes (corresponding to the the holes in the tube straps) into your base. Make sure that your base is thick enough to withstand the length of the screws.
2. If you are choosing to hang these on your wall the old fashion way, go ahead and nail your hanger to the back of the base.
3. Once complete, drill the tube straps halfway into the base so that the straps are loose enough to adjust.
4. Slip your tube through the tube strap until it is positioned the way you like (we aligned our tubes so that the tube strap was the halfway mark). Once you are happy with the positioning of the tube, tighten the screws until the tube is secure (do this gently so as to not crack the tube).
5. Mount your completed vase to the wall and decorate with real or artificial flowers, grasses, or air plants.

Now kick back and enjoy the little pieces of nature bringing your space to life 🙂

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DIY Wooden Backsplash

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Ikea trips are our favorite because they fill us with inspiration (and cinnamon rolls) and my husband gets to reminisce about his childhood. This past spring we were strolling through the lower level, when we came across a display for dinnerware that we really liked. I can’t find the picture I snapped of it but it was of a kitchen island styled with pretty dishes, hand towels, etc. sitting in front of a wall tiled with gray wood panels.  At the time we were working on our basement kitchenette and still didn’t know what to do for a backsplash. We loved the way the wood panels looked and decided to recreate the look in our home. If you’re curious about how to create this look either as a backsplash or accent wall then follow along to find out just how easy and budget-friendly this project is. Thank you Ikea!

Supplies
1in x 4in x 8ft Furring Strip Boards (They also come in 3″ and 6″ as well)
Thompson’s Aerosol Waterproofing Wood Protector 11 0z.
1/8 in. Tile Spacers 

Tools
Nail gun and nails
Miter Saw
Pencil

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Directions

First you will want to measure the space and draw out your design to know how much wood you will need, as well as how you will make the cuts. The area we were covering was approximately 7ft long by 2ft. For that size space, we used 6 1in x 4in x 8ft Furring Strip Boards and alternated in each row between 1ft long pieces and 1.5ft long pieces.You can cut them smaller if you want a bricked look or go for even longer panels; it’s really up to you! You can even mix and match various sizes and stains of wood for a cool design.

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Note: Make sure to take into account any cabinets, outlets, or other obstacles as you will have to make some special cuts to fit around them. Think puzzle pieces. We forgot to do this in our design so we had to play it by ear during the installation. Also don’t forget to account for the tile spaces either.

Once you have your design drawn out, go ahead and cut your lumber board into the corresponding sizes. Now it’s time for the installation.

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Start from the base and work your way row by row. Hold up your wood tile (or have a partner help you) and nail each of the four corners to the wall. Place a tile spacer before you nail the next wood tile. Continue until you have completed the row then place a spacer above the installed tile and begin the next row.

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If you have your design and pieces cut ahead of time, the installation is a breeze.

Once you are done installing the tiles, apply a generous spray (make sure you wear a mask, windows are open, and there is no food in the open) of sealant to the tiles. You will want to do this especially if you are installing the wood in a kitchen because if the wood is not treated, it can get wet and become smelly and rotten. Waterproofing will really protect and extend the life of the wood. On a side note, you can totally stain or paint the wood if you like. We like the raw wood, log-cabin look so we chose not to stain it but the possibilities are endless if you want to customize this project to a specific look or style. If we did this in our master bedroom or living room, we would have considered staining or painting.

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If you have all the tools, the project will not cost you very much. For tiling a space our size with the wood that we used, it didn’t cost us more than $20 (each lumber board was $1.98 and the waterproofer was around $7). On top of that, installation didn’t take more than an hour. It is seriously that easy! Leave us a comment and let us know what you think. Is this something you would do for a backsplash or accent wall?

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