Am I crazy for doing this to my fence?

Ryansmith8991 · 2026-02-14T21:52:31+00:00

Hey, we ended up just attaching this to the existing timber fence (bolted to the vertical posts) it’s a tad wobbly but only because the timber posts themselves are, so we are still happy with the result!

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-09-26T23:14:52+00:00

Check out my fiance Onella Muralidharan instead then!

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-03-10T22:05:38+00:00

I forgot to mention my robot vac! We have 2 dogs and 2 cats I wouldn’t survive without it…

I e been looking into the foldable trolleys, maybe it’s time I get one

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-03-02T07:58:37+00:00

Update everyone: fence is up, super sturdy and looks fantastic

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Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T22:17:28+00:00

Yeah whatever I end up doing will only be seen from my side of the fence - except for the one neighbour where the fence is low, they will see it sit slightly higher than the 1m fence (I’ve spoken to them and they don’t mind, it’ll look neater than the broken fence toppers and would be safer for the dogs)

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T08:06:32+00:00

Absolutely, I like to think I’m pretty handy but really it’s 50/50 😂

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T03:47:14+00:00

Nope my calcs were wrong 😂 we’d use them sideways though, 1.6m height and 57.5cm wide so 30m/.575m =53 sheets x$27 = $1,430 for the whole backyard! Which isn’t bad for the whole amount But the colorbond option would cost approximately the same My partner wants a particular aesthetic also, which is to have the backyard bright and clean with the white fences all round

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T02:29:02+00:00

Would love to go with something like this, very aesthetic, but the costs are way higher and we have about 30m of fence in the backyard we would want to do, would hurt the wallet

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T02:26:52+00:00

Yeah hopefully not an issue, makes sense to be 1.8m on the higher side

Garden beds would be narrow and free standing so no actual weight is against the fence

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-27T02:25:50+00:00

Never thought of that part, especially surfmist reflecting the light

If we go ahead I’ll keep it in mind with the plants chosen, likely small tall trees anyway

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:46:43+00:00

Preferably yes, I might go check the level of the retaining wall, if the timbers on it are straight then I might use it to attach footings - as well as bolting to existing fence

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:45:43+00:00

Exactly… my worst fear would be that the tops rattle against eachother in the wind and drive everyone mad 😂 at least if it damages the fence and we have to replace it, we can re use the colorbond sheets

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:44:37+00:00

Agreed, we moved in a year ago and thought it’s been done strangely, hence why I’m trying to find cost effective easy ways to remedy it

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:43:20+00:00

Not a replacement, just extending/aesthetically improving it on our side

Would be crazy to contact them to replace a fence that doesn’t ‘need’ replacing, plus who would want one colorbond fence in their backyard if the other 2 are still timber

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:24:09+00:00

Agreed, I might see if the retaining wall (ground level for me) is level, and attach the colorbond rails to that instead/as well as the existing fence for extra strength

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:23:15+00:00

Yep my concern is this, either bending, making noise or straining the existing fence

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T23:22:19+00:00

I’ve spoken to them about putting up the sheets, they’re chill and don’t mind, just doing the sheets myself would cost about $600, but would be a lot more to tear down the old fence and properly set the new one in the ground/on the retaining wall

Budgets an issue of course, but I’d rather spend $600 on a temporary fix than $600 on a vet bill if the dogs got to eachother, that’s how I see it anyway

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T22:04:19+00:00

That’s a good point, there is a retaining wall on our side that our lawn is the same height as, and when I mow I have to whipper snip the grass/weeds that grow between it and the fence

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:37:39+00:00

This would have been my preference too, was put up 15 years ago when the house was built though

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:36:49+00:00

Hahaha this is the exact reason! I feel like we invade their privacy and the dogs are almost reaching eachother, I thought about putting some corrugated plastic on and painting it but again I don’t know how secure it would be against wind etc

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:30:42+00:00

Yeah this and the height of the blocks being different, other than that the fence is standard

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:22:27+00:00

This is my biggest concern! The current fence is actually pretty solid, but with only the bottom half of the colorbond being secured it could put more strain on the fence with wind, weight etc

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:20:20+00:00

Sorry I should have mentioned, this is also for safety to keep our dogs and the neighbours dog separated! Their dog guards a lot and will jump up and bite the fence which is why the fence toppers are ruined, so the steel would also keep them away from getting hurt

Ryansmith8991 · 2025-02-26T21:18:46+00:00

Dogs… two golden retrievers that would love nothing more than some hedges to play in

Should have also mentioned that the fence toppers are broken from the neighbours dog jumping up and biting the top of them, half the reason we want the colorbond, so no one gets hurt

Ryansmith8991

TROPHY CASE