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Lessons Learned Building A Fence

Filed under Personal, Thinking Out Loud...

Yesterday was a long and tiring day building a fence in our backyard. 

Thankfully there is already a fence on each side of us, so we just had to work on the back and connecting the sides back to the house.  We got about 80% of it done yesterday after screwing in tons of pickets and boards. 

As I woke up this morning and felt the soreness of my body, I was reminded how thankful I am not to have to do manual labor for a living.  That’s exhausting work. 

But there were some lessons I was reminded of throughout the process…   

  • Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Right - We’ve all seen fences and home improvement projects that look like they were completed by a class of first-graders.  If you’re going to do something in life, and it’s worth your effort and energy, do it right.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, but give it your best and make it quality. 
  • Measure Twice, Cut Once – This is an old construction adage, but it applies to many things in life.  Count the cost of anything before venturing out.  Because once you start, it’s a lot tougher to turn around or change course. 
  • A Sense Of Accomplishment Is A Great Feeling – When we finished the 80 feet across the back, I gotta say I was pretty proud of it.  What was the last thing you created, produced, or made that brought that sense of accomplishment to your life?
  • Surround Yourself With People Smarter Than You – If you know me, you know I’m not a handy-man in any way.  Thankfully my dad and brother-in-law are.  If you can’t do something quality yourself, find people who can and ask for help. 

If you want to come see the fence, we’ll be giving tours throughout the week.  It should be one of the great wonders of world. 

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3 Comments

  1. Posted May 19, 2009 at 7:52 am | Permalink

    You should try building a deck. Great post. Can I have permission to club myself in the head when things get too frustrating?

  2. Keith Breithaupt
    Posted May 19, 2009 at 10:31 am | Permalink

    Grant
    You have just experienced one of the many joys of HOME OWNERSHIP. Give yourself CREDIT!!! You don’t feel like your handy but you took it on, with a little help of your friends. I would like to buy the FIRST ticket to the next Wonder of the World. Congrats
    Keith

  3. Posted May 20, 2009 at 12:43 am | Permalink

    *runs a whois lookup on the domain grantbaldwin.com…..*

    *hits Google Maps…..*

    Ah, sorry man, can’t afford the 1035 mile drive from Lebanon, PA to Ozark, MO to go fence admiring these days – you know, the crushing debt and all. Maybe you can post a picture, eh?

    :-D

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