How NOT to park and how NOT to build a fence.

[greybeard]

Took this thru the window this morning. Neighbor across the street....The silver car came in late last night and parked inches away....



What was the previous owner possibly thinking? 1 ft deep post hole and ExpandaFoam..really?




The offset/dogleg is in the fence because the soil eroded just beyond it, because the crosstie barricade a foot or two away rotted out and weren't replaced. The previous owner hastily put the dogleg in, didn't dig farther than the topsoil, and put expandafoam in the hole. I guess he didn't feel like digging into the caliche. It fell down at some point and he stood it back up, holding it with ratchet straps. I took that 20' section down yesterday evening and they are supposed to be delivering my materials today. It ain't fun but I know how to dig in caliche from my days living in Burleson County.

 

[callmefence]

Took this thru the window this morning. Neighbor across the street....The silver car came in late last night and parked inches away....
View attachment 18279


What was the previous owner possibly thinking? 1 ft deep post hole and ExpandaFoam..really?


View attachment 18280

The offset/dogleg is in the fence because the soil eroded just beyond it, because the crosstie barricade a foot or two away rotted out and weren't replaced. The previous owner hastily put the dogleg in, didn't dig farther than the topsoil, and put expandafoam in the hole. I guess he didn't feel like digging into the caliche. It fell down at some point and he stood it back up, holding it with ratchet straps. I took that 20' section down yesterday evening and they are supposed to be delivering my materials today. It ain't fun but I know how to dig in caliche from my days living in Burleson County.

The most important part of a fence is the part you can't see...

 

[callmefence]

Took this thru the window this morning. Neighbor across the street....The silver car came in late last night and parked inches away....
View attachment 18279


What was the previous owner possibly thinking? 1 ft deep post hole and ExpandaFoam..really?


View attachment 18280

The offset/dogleg is in the fence because the soil eroded just beyond it, because the crosstie barricade a foot or two away rotted out and weren't replaced. The previous owner hastily put the dogleg in, didn't dig farther than the topsoil, and put expandafoam in the hole. I guess he didn't feel like digging into the caliche. It fell down at some point and he stood it back up, holding it with ratchet straps. I took that 20' section down yesterday evening and they are supposed to be delivering my materials today. It ain't fun but I know how to dig in caliche from my days living in Burleson County.

Watch your utilities there boss. You ain't in the pasture. Lots of those lots in cove and Killeen, harker heights they put phone and electric right on the property lines. Even though you're going back in the same place. Figure out where your stuff is or call 811.

 

[greybeard]

Right you are, and that's what I thought when I first saw the dogleg in the fence. But, the survey shows the utility easement about 5' off the property line toward my side. (It actually runs just under the edge of the cement apron of the pool, which was mentioned at closing at title.) Don't mean that's exactly where it is tho. I'll sure try to get someone out to mark the utilities before I start diggin.
Yes, it's been terribly hard to get used to living in an urban environment.
At least I'm on high ground now.

 

[kenny thomas]

Not sure how utilities are but with gas lines it seems to mean several ft either side if how it says. If in doubt call.

 

[callmefence]

Right you are, and that's what I thought when I first saw the dogleg in the fence. But, the survey shows the utility easement about 5' off the property line toward my side. (It actually runs just under the edge of the cement apron of the pool, which was mentioned at closing at title.) Don't mean that's exactly where it is tho. I'll sure try to get someone out to mark the utilities before I start diggin.
Yes, it's been terribly hard to get used to living in an urban environment.
At least I'm on high ground now.

Call 811. Have your directions and nearest cross streets handy. You have to give 48 hours and give the marks 2' and it removes all liability from you.

 

[Brute 23]

Some one built a barbed wire fence across the road from us and used foam on all the corners. I'm am reserving judgement until I have some thing to judge.

 

[Rafter S]

Some one built a barbed wire fence across the road from us and used foam on all the corners. I'm am reserving judgement until I have some thing to judge.

The best one I ever saw was a brand new fence, and they had used eyebolts, and cable, and turnbuckles to brace the corners instead of wire, like most people do. That probably would have been a good plan if all that expensive hardware hadn't been installed on 4x4 pull posts.

 

[Walking W]

My wife and I moved to Odessa, TX in 1977 during an oil boom. The only house we could afford was a place that stank of dog and kid urine and was located on what the locals called "rock hill". Caliche was sometimes less than 6 inches below the surface. There's obviously more than one type of caliche. This was what the oilfield folks call anhydrite. I don't know if that was correct but it was hard as could be and splintered into shards if you hit it hard enough. An old schoolmate of mine ended up at the same job but living in an apartment that wouldn't accept his dog. I ended up fencing my back yard so I could keep his Labrador for him. I mostly used a rock bar. 24 inches was the deepest I went but I cemented in the steel posts.

 

[greybeard]

I have a rock bar (which we always called a San Angelo bar).
Caliche here is ancient seabed material. Calcified sea life, mollusk shells, and even calcified shrimp, all held together by what millions of years ago was mud on the sea floor. Jetted water will break it apart and it can be brought out with regular posthole diggers a couple of 3 inches at a time. I dug one already for a gate latch post 3' deep near the house and it took me about 15 minutes which is a lot faster than digging thru the solid hard clay back at my old place.

811 will be here sometime in the next couple of days to mark the utility lines. That call was a painless and trouble free process too which is so much different than trying to get phone or other service connected or serviced, and the guy I spoke to actually spoke understandable English with a definite Texas drawl, tho I did still have to press 1 at the beginning....

 

[farmerjan]

The guy that came to plow and then till my garden insisted I call Miss Utility because he did not want to hit anything. I was pretty sure where the utility lines were since I had gotten the high speed internet through the electric company when it was offered... but called anyway. They came out. marked the 10 ft or so where it went from the pole to the house, but the good thing was I had also asked about making sure to be able to put in fruit trees so killed 2 birds with one call. The original owners said the garden had always been there, but it had been 15 years since it was a garden....
All good, they came out in 48 hours and no problems and no liabilities in the future. Better safe than sorry.

I feel for you trying to get used to "urban living". The road I am on now is very busy compared to where I rented... I like owning this place and no one telling me what I can do or not do, Mtg payment with taxes and Insurance, $200 less a month than the rent was... but hate the road traffic.

 

[Brute 23]

Always call 811 for Texas and who ever else in other states. Lines shift and erosion and all kinds of other stuff. I have had pipelines literally raise up out of the ground. We have a property with 24" line less than 8" under ground. Several other properties have lines 12" or less.

When I was in WTX, about 1 hr west of Odessa, we just bladed the top sand off and used that caliche for the road or location. You didn't have to haul material in.

We had a land owner tell us to not to run a pipeline through one area of his ranch because of the rock. We took a backhoe over there to confirm and it was indeed solid rock. Our land dept with their infinite wisdom thought they knew better from an office 4 hours away. We were sailing through sand until we hit a couple hundred yards of thay rock. We had to bring in two big big CAT trackhoes with jackhammers to notch their way through it. It took weeks and held the whole project up. We had miles of line dug, pipe fused, risers in, etc all before they could finish.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Always call 811 for Texas and who ever else in other states. Lines shift and erosion and all kinds of other stuff. I have had pipelines literally raise up out of the ground. We have a property with 24" line less than 8" under ground. Several other properties have lines 12" or less.

When I was in WTX, about 1 hr west of Odessa, we just bladed the top sand off and used that caliche for the road or location. You didn't have to haul material in.

We had a land owner tell us to not to run a pipeline through one area of his ranch because of the rock. We took a backhoe over there to confirm and it was indeed solid rock. Our land dept with their infinite wisdom thought they knew better from an office 4 hours away. We were sailing through sand until we hit a couple hundred yards of thay rock. We had to bring in two big big CAT trackhoes with jackhammers to notch their way through it. It took weeks and held the whole project up. We had miles of line dug, pipe fused, risers in, etc all before they could finish.

have a cable bundle and a 16 inch gas line that was basically 2 miles of rock. I wonder if they blasted some of it originally? gas line went in in the early 60's I think. not sure when the cables first went in though they have been redone twice in my time here. shared right-of-way between ATT (or whoever they are now) and KinderMorgan. nobody will fix the road, but both are happy to trespass our "shortcuts.' :eyeroll:

last time they recut the trench for the cables there were lots of teeth left behind, and down time with the machines, LOL

gas line is exposed in a few places, elevated across two washes and when it hits actual soil again it is 6 ft +. up in the rocks I bet it ranges 2 to 4 feet.

 

[BFE]

Call 811 even if you see flags from someone else's call. Get a dig number or you'll be liable for any damages. Each person/contractor digging must have their own locate called in and dig number.

 

[cowgirl8]

Did they build this fence too... ??? One foot down seems to be the new 3 ft...

 

[TexasRancher]

Did they build this fence too... ??? One foot down seems to be the new 3 ft...
View attachment 18809

I'm sure someone will add a piece of barb to the base of the last t-post along those two poles...i would.

 

[Cattlelow]

Some one built a barbed wire fence across the road from us and used foam on all the corners. I'm am reserving judgement until I have some thing to judge.

I got talked into buying some foam. It's still in the box. Just don't trust it.

 

[cowgirl8]

I'm sure someone will add a piece of barb to the base of the last t-post along those two poles...i would.

They will leave the Tpost, but put in new Hs that are put down 3 feet, not one. They will add a wire and 2 twisty things, since this was a range wire fence. The neighbor has longhorns and over the years would just walk through a 5 strand.. He paid for the supplies and we put it up.

 

[TexasRancher]

They will leave the Tpost, but put in new Hs that are put down 3 feet, not one. They will add a wire and 2 twisty things, since this was a range wire fence. The neighbor has longhorns and over the years would just walk through a 5 strand.. He paid for the supplies and we put it up.

Those twisty-things are call "stays"....when t-post were $2.00 to $3.00 each and Stays were 99 cents...i'd just add a T-post. Friggen Fencing Stays are costly too.

 

[greybeard]

Those twisty-things are call "stays"....when t-post were $2.00 to $3.00 each and Stays were 99 cents...i'd just add a T-post. Friggen Fencing Stays are costly too.

Those twist-on stays, stay bent on the bottom....