Considering Fences

The fence could be the perfect emblem of American ideas about property.  Theoretically, one can tell so much about a property owner and their view of the world with this one little architectural statement.  Do they believe they "own" the land?  How do they feel about outsiders?  Do they believe they have a responsibility to the public?  How do they feel about beauty? 

At a fundamental level, a fence is a wall.  A wall can keep things out, a wall can keep things in.  A wall can define space.  A wall can create privacy.  A wall can protect you against the elements.  A wall can just be a piece of art, a beautiful thing to look at. 

A wall can be all of those things in varying degrees.

Thinking about fences the same way, every fence we see should theoretically be different.  But more often than not, the fence is just something you pick up at the Home Despot, for the bottom dollar price.  Everyone has the same five designs all over the country.  There are minor variations, sure, but witness:

The Split Rail:

The Wrought Iron 

(or makeshift aluminum version thereof):

 

The Picket:

 

 The Stockade:

The Chain Link:

I really like to judge people by the fence they put up.  And most people FAIL.

Because there are such beautiful, distinctive opportunities out there...  We could do so much more with this little piece of wall that is the first thing you see when you approach the home.  Why do we rely on the cheap crap that the marketing department at the big box stores decide is the least common denominator... most likely to sell the highest number of consumers?  As price tags go, upping your fence from the mundane above to the unique elements below isn't that costly.  It's just a matter of design.

Image Courtesy  Production Fenceworks

 But this whole post was really inspired by an email I received from Cape Cod Fabrications, a metal shop in, you guessed it, Massachusetts.  These are a couple of the images from their site that inspired my rage, because this is what the American home should look like:

Image Courtesy:  Cape Cod Fabrications

Image Courtesy:  Cape Cod Fabrications

Image Courtesy:  Cape Cod Fabrications

That last one is my favorite.  The tube steel members are each separately embedded in the ground (I assume).  But look at how something can be so "strong" and so transparent at the same time.  Ok, admittedly, that's going to be a pricey one.  But ultimately, shouldn't this be more important than the ginormous master bathroom that you spent $75,000 on? 

Its a place where you take a dump for goodness' sake! 

Priorities, man.