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Landscaping Pet Peeves

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R

Rabbi_Vole

Banned
My biggest landscaping pet peeve is fucking "raked fencing." This shit:
rack.jpg

aluminum-garden-fence1-600x300.jpg

It doesn't matter if it's wood, vinyl or metal, it always looks cheap/shoddy. A fence-top shouldn't follow the contour of the landscape.. It should always be level. A proper fence installed on sloped terrain should be stepped:
step.jpg

Edwards-4-RES-1-stepped.jpg

It just looks more permanent… More solid and professional. I've yet to find a single person who prefers raked over stepped… Maybe it's cheaper to install, but you're broadcasting to your neighbors that you're a cheap inconsiderate bastard who doesn't give a shit if they have to stare at your barrier-abortion from across the street/lawn.
 
T

TheCowboyPoet

Member
Agreed, I built my backyard fence last year and we stepped it, which looks wonderful. It's just important to make sure your fence is still touching the ground on the downward end.
 
K

Kyuur

Member
Having holes at the bottom of your fence seems to defeat part of the purpose of having a fence in the first place. I don't mind stepped, but not what was posted in the OP.

rawd said:
Whats the purpose of stepped if critters can still go under it
Click to expand...

^
 
S

Shock

Banned
I just hate when someone neglects landscaping. I'm not saying that my opinion is right but when I see a neglected landscape (overgrown grass, untrimmed bushes, no/old mulch) I assume the person is lazy.

I know there are tons of variables such as they are simply too busy or maybe not physically capable but this is just the first impression I get from unkempt lawns.
 
A

AMUSIX

Member
Stepped is cheaper to do and looks it. And the images you show of it are horrendous, due to the huge gap at the bottom of each section.


Sorry, but Racked is definitely the better choice...If you MUST go stepped, then get yourself an 8 foot fence, and bury two feet of it underground. Even though you wind up with a fence that's 6 foot in some places and 7.5 feet in others, you won't have the gap.


Oh, and Racked is more secure.
 
A

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Your second example looks godawful and like the sort of thing you'd only do because technology doesn't allow you to finish the job properly.
 
C

CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls

Banned
Shock said:
I just hate when someone neglects landscaping. I'm not saying that my opinion is right but when I see a neglected landscape (overgrown grass, untrimmed bushes, no/old mulch) I assume the person is lazy.

I know there are tons of variables such as they are simply too busy or maybe not physically capable but this is just the first impression I get from unkempt lawns.
Click to expand...

As a brand new homeowner, I can say that the biggest hindrance is investing in the multitude of lawn equipment required to keep a yard nice and tidy. I have roughly an acre of yard that needs maintaining. The grass is rarely an issue, it's the weeds that continue to grow and the plants with deep roots that make maintenance such a chore.

Then you have to worry about trimming the edges of the house, edging the walkways, using a lean-to to clean the vinyl and gutters, keeping the lawn and bushes watered, spraying for weeds and insects, replacing dead patches of grass, etc. etc.

It's a lot of work, that's for sure.
 
I

inner-G

Banned
Stepped looks like you bought fence sections and did it yourself.

Raked looks professional, and if you have small pets (or are reasonable) you don't want big gaps at the bottom of your fence.
 
R

Rabbi_Vole

Banned
Remind me to never to ask GAF for landscaping advice. Horrible fence-tastes up in here. I should've known when the majority doesnt recognize pineapple as a proper pizza topping.

The fancy houses with the fancy yards and fancy parties ALWAYS install stepped.

martin%202.gif
 
S

Shock

Banned
META said:
As a brand new homeowner, I can say that the biggest hindrance is investing in the multitude of lawn equipment required to keep a yard nice and tidy. I have roughly an acre of yard that needs maintaining. The grass is rarely an issue, it's the weeds that continue to grow and the plants with deep roots that make maintenance such a chore.

Then you have to worry about trimming the edges of the house, edging the walkways, using a lean-to to clean the vinyl and gutters, keeping the lawn and bushes watered, spraying for weeds and insects, replacing dead patches of grass, etc. etc.

It's a lot of work, that's for sure.
Click to expand...

It really is a lot of work. I have a pool and a 2 acre field that I actually keep cut to lawn level. I have acquired different tools and learned the products that work best throughout a few years. I enjoy getting out and working in the field or on the yard so I'm sure for people who don't it is a huge burden.

My pool has been a real issue this year. We have had lots of torrential rain and every time I get it balanced we get pounded by another storm and I have to clean it again and try to get all the chemical levels right.

The worst part is we have barely even got to use it this year and it is already getting cold.
 
Icefire1424

Icefire1424

Member
Yea, I'm for raked. Granted, stepped wasn't even an option for me as my Beagles would "runnoft" pretty damned quickly with gaps like those.

*sniffsniffsniffBUNNY!

/flees off into woods.
 
D

dofry

That's "Dr." dofry to you.
OP probably wants symmetry? Straight lines in 90 degree angles. So I get the need for a stepped fence. Raked has angled mixed with straight lines so it feels off.
 
1

1044

Member
Bombasador said:
step.jpg

Edwards-4-RES-1-stepped.jpg
Click to expand...

But stepped fences leave gaps where animals or even people can squeeze underneath. I don't want skunks and stuff coming under my fence as they please. You can even see in your image that they tried to fill that gap with a bunch of rocks. Now that looks ugly.
 
Pagusas

Pagusas

Elden Member
the only stepped fences I've ever liked are ones with a built up brick foundation to them that connect it property to the ground. Our neighbourhood a has a lot of those type fences in the 800k+ Properties. Otherwise, as everyone else has said, those fences are ugly OP, and lack functionality.
 
L

L95

Member
The stepped fence looks self-defeating, with those holes that animals can slip through at the bottom...
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
1044 said:
But stepped fences leave gaps where animals or even people can squeeze underneath. I don't want skunks and stuff coming under my fence as they please. You can even see in your image that they tried to fill that gap with a bunch of rocks. Now that looks ugly.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that looks awful and is also less functional. Stepped would be fine if they make the stakes go all the way into the ground, but these triangular gaps look terrible.

My personal pet peeve in landscaping is brown/dead grass and lawns. These are unavoidable in CA right now, though, but I can't wait for the drought to end so we can have greenery again.
 
E

Escape Goat

Member
Septimus Prime said:
Yeah, that looks awful and is also less functional. Stepped would be fine if they make the stakes go all the way into the ground, but these triangular gaps look terrible.

My personal pet peeve in landscaping is brown/dead grass and lawns. These are unavoidable in CA right now, though, but I can't wait for the drought to end so we can have greenery again.
Click to expand...

Your avatar is in violation of TOS Article 5.
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
1044 said:
But stepped fences leave gaps where animals or even people can squeeze underneath. I don't want skunks and stuff coming under my fence as they please. You can even see in your image that they tried to fill that gap with a bunch of rocks. Now that looks ugly.
Click to expand...

Yep. If the goal is to keep dogs or kids in/out then raked makes more sense as it's a constant height from the ground at the top and bottom. Stepped can look nicer if you also cut it at an angle to match the contour of the landscape.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
The stepped fences look pointless with those gaps under them. Why have a fence if you can just crawl under it? If the vertical parts went all the way to the ground I may agree, but the provided examples just hang in midair which both look and function poorly.
 
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