Backyard Makeover

After all the windy weather we've been getting, we knew it was time to get a new fence.  Shawn has repaired our current fence several times and we knew it was pretty much on it's last leg.  So we sucked it up and bought a new fence.  We put a deposit down on one over a month ago, but with all the wind, the fence people have been so backed up!  Not to mention all the rain we had certainly didn't help. Normally, I wouldn't be excited about a new fence, but we got one 8 feet tall instead of the 6 foot one we had.  it's also a board on board one, so no one can see in as they are driving down the alley.  I was looking forward to finally having a bit more privacy in our backyard!

Shawn and I have talked about getting a pergola since we moved into the house.  It was just one of those items on our wish list.  Realistically, we thought it would be several more years, if not longer, before we ever got around to getting one.  Well, when the fence guy told us they also do pergolas, we thought we might as well get a quote on one, just so we knew how much they were.  When the guy came back with the quote, we couldn't turn it down.  He was willing to give us a pretty substational discount if we got it done at the same time as our fence.  It was hard for us to decide whether or not to take the plunge (it was still a lot of money), but as Shawn kept telling me it was like we'd be throwing away a really good coupon.  And you all know how much I love coupons.  So once we decided on it, I got really excited and anxious for it to be done. 

They finally came at the end of last week to start installing the new fence and the pergola.  They finished up today.  After installing the fence, they like to wait 6-8 weeks before coming back to stain it.  I guess it has something to do with letting the wood dry out.  So the stain on the fence won't be done until the end of July, but I was so excited about how it all looks now, that I decided not to wait to post pics.  It turned out better than I expected!  The fence gives us soooo much more privacy and the pergola gives us more shade than I thought it would.  I feel like our backyard just looks so much different!  I love it!!

Here are the before pics:

 Our neighbors could see in our backyard from their driveway.

And here are the after pics:

 We can't see the neighbor's in their driveway anymore!

 The fence will be stained the same color as the pergola.