{The Backyard} A New Horizontal Fence

Welcome back to a new week! We had a glorious few days off, celebrating my mom's 'big' birthday, and enjoying the newfound privacy in our backyard! Thanks to enough sunny days, they completed our new horizontal fence, and we could not be more thrilled with it!

I honestly had no idea I could be this excited about a fence...but that's because I didn't realize how completely transforming the right fence design could be to a backyard! We grew more excited with every stage, and there was actual clapping when they were done.

I was a little worried the neighbors might think it was too untraditional (we live in the suburbs), but everyone has come by to admire it. Seriously, who knew a fence could be so exciting?!

I was at work during most of the building, but I did snap a few progress pics to give you an idea of how it was constructed. We used 1x6-inch cedar boards, with posts spaced 6-feet apart. We wanted it 8-feet tall, but our lot is sloped and I didn't want the fence to stair-step or slope with it.

I must have missed that math lesson in school, because I have no idea how they figured all that out...but our fence is completely level across the top from one side to the other. Which means it ranges from 8 to 10 feet tall, depending on the slope of the lot.

I love the clean look of just a single layer of horizontal boards (spaced much closer together than these), but since privacy is a big reason for the fence, we opted for board-on-board.

We had the posts built on the outside to create a clean look in the backyard, but our neighbors on one side look out their Kitchen window directly at the back of our fence....so we had the metal posts covered with cedar also. Again, I was surprised by what a big difference this made in giving the fence a more finished look...as well as, how little extra it cost to frame the posts.

A horizontal fence takes about twice as long as a traditional vertical fence to build since each board has to be held up on either end by two people, leveled, and then nailed in place.

Once that was done, they added trim pieces to the top and on each seam, then stained it. Voila, zee fancy fence!

The stain color isn't quite what we wanted, but we're going to live with it for a season and see how it weathers before spraying it again. Next up is adding sun-loving plants to all the pots!

We had a shorter fence built around the pool equipment, and added a gate to create hidden storage and cut down on the noise of the pump. For both gates, I went with very simple latches and handles, and had them mounted on the horizontal, as well.

It's crazy, but the backside is just as pretty as the front! Here are the views from the alley, and our neighbor's yard.

The stain color on the right is what we want for the whole fence.

We haven't changed one other thing in the backyard, but thanks to the horizontal fence, it already feels like a spa-like retreat! I can't wait to tackle the patio area and screened porch next!

Neon Pink & Gold Carryall Bag | Straw Fedora | Eyelet Dress | Sunglasses Earrings | Watch | Leopard Sandals
Isn't my new pool/beach bag the cutest?! My darling friend Fancy Ashley designed it in collaboration with Hayden Reis, and I'm so excited for her! (And me, because, well, she gave me one! #friendperk)

The bag is made of sailcloth, so you could literally hose it out...and all the pockets and clips make it perfect for keeping Summer essentials organized. I love how it folds completely flat when empty, too. #packersdelight

Neon Pink & Gold Carryall Bag | Straw Fedora | Eyelet Dress | Sunglasses Earrings | Watch | Leopard Sandals
Of course Maggie had to put her stamp of approval on the new fence. #poser

I'm ready for Summer and weekends by the pool! So tell me, what do you think of the horizontal fence?!

Catching up? See the full backyard and fence Before shots here.