As indicated in my last post, we were cited by Code Enforcement for having a leaning fence which included the side of the fence and the gate. Here is how I "fixed" it. I temporarily fixed the leaning fence by reinforcing it until we get around to replacing it. I also installed a new gate on the old posts which were still sturdy.
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| Old Gate - 12 ft. opening, double doors |
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| Leaning part of fence |
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Another shot of the leaning fence This is why the gate was leaning. Instead of a lightweight frame, the original installation used a corral gate and mounted boards on it. This was too heavy for the wood posts to support and over time the gate would not operate properly because it began to lean due to the excessive weight. I know that we live near horse country but the people who built the fence should have used better material, not what they could find at the local feed and supply store.  I bought some new pickets for the fence repair and already had a post left over from another project.   We bought a 12 foot (two 6 foot door), double-door aluminum frame gate from Dura-Gate. We originally bought a six foot gate from them about four years ago to replace another six foot gate that was poorly constructed and falling over. Since then, we purchased another four foot gate last year to open our back fence into the park that is right behind our house. That gave us easy access to the park. The gates are holding up much better than wood construction fences so we bought another for this project. I got a recommendation from someone at work for a local company, but this was a cheaper option.  I had to break out the saw horses and jigsaw. The first gate went up fine, once put together the second 6 foot gate was slightly too big for the opening so I used the jigsaw to cut 1 1/2 inches off. I basically put the frame together and cut just inside of the vertical beam. The screws that come with the kit will allow you to insert the screw anywhere in the frame so you don't need to worry about pre-drilled holes. This makes the gate customizable for any opening.  First gate is up mounted on the old post.  The other gate installed + more demolition.  The pickets get installed with screws on to the aluminum frame. The ones that come in the kit have a special head to go through the aluminum and wood. The kit comes with lots of extra fasteners. Also I keep hearing about some phantom "bald spots" on my head as you can see in this photo above. Upon close investigation, I do not have a bald spot (yet). My hair is very fine and in the sun it can look like it is thin but I'll appear to have a bald spot depending on your point of view in the right light. My golden brown hair doesn't help.  I got rained on but have to keep working. Still used corded drill in the rain. It's Florida, we have to deal with this all the time. Also notice that the gates are not leveled yet. The one on the left is higher. This will eventually get fixed at the end when we adjust the plumb, a feature that is included on the hinges.  Almost done installing pickets.  Just details left.  Gate latch. Whoops, a little too tight. We had to adjust the horizontal width on the hinges to fix. Of course after we installed the latch, we realized it had to go on the other side based on how we use our fence and where the anchor post gets installed. Basically, the side with the latch stays shut most of the time and we installed it on the side that opens regularly.  Now a custom picket to hide the post but has cut out holes to allow the hinges to open and shut with the gate.  Now let's not forget the other complaint from Code Enforcement, the leaning fence. I dug the new fence post a few days earlier and filled the hole with concrete and the sand (not dirt) that Florida is built on. Then I screwed pressure treated 2x4s to connect the two posts. This is an eyesore and will of course get in the way but will last long enough to get Code Enforcement off my case until I am ready to replace the fence on my own timeline.  Final product with the gate. Its not exactly plumb and even 1. because the original fence posts were slightly leaning and 2. we intentionally closed any gap to keep the dogs from trying to escape so that left it slightly cock-eyed. We may fix later based on how our dogs respect the new boundary.  Here is the side view of the fence no longer leaning. All right, the estimated costs: Fix the leaning fence: Concrete, 8 ft pressure treated 4x4 fence post, 6 ft pressure treated 2x4, and screws. Estimated cost $15-20. Fix the gate: 12 foot Dura-Gate double gate frame kit and pickets. Estimated cost $435 This isn't the last you'll see of the fence here. |
