Fencing - sustainable, DIY??

[CatsNK]

We live in a city - we have about 100' in our backyard that fronts against a very inconsiderate neighbor. We rent. Our landlady has offered to not raise our rent by $50/month if we install a wood fence. I've gotten two quotes thus far for spruce, both coming in at $1,700. Just seems too high.

Anyone tried to DIY this type of project? We want 6' fencing. And is there ANYWHERE to buy FSC wood fencing or anything like it? I've even thought about getting the panels and posts delivered and hiring a laborer with fencing experience - they go for $25/hour around here - DBF and I could help him - but I'm not even sure that would save much. Any advice?

[Gregg]

You can look at Home Depot or somewhere similar for pre-assembled sections of privacy fencing. They usually won't save much over the cost of buying the same material unassembled, but would save a lot in labor. Around here wood fencing is usually cedar. I'm not sure what the cost comparison between that and spruce would be, but it might be worth looking at other materials to see if there are any savings to be had. I've see posts set in the ground with canvas stretched between them for a privacy screen. Would something like that be an option? It would certainly be alot cheaper than wood fencing.

[Gardenarian]

Do you have the tools to do the job? One great source of fence wood is...old fences. People tend to pull out their fence when it starts to rot at the bottom. You can get these old boards very cheap and sometimes free (try a fencing contractor or craigslist) and cut off the bottom few inches. You'll need to get some pressure treated lumber for the posts and digging and sinking the posts is a pain in the neck, but it can be done by someone with fairly little experience. If there is a salvage yard near you that would be another good source.
I'd try going at this with the help of a local handyperson - they will often be able to do this kind of work for way less than a licensed contractor. I've saved a lot of money and learned plenty of handy skills just this way. The handyperson is likely to have the tools - and save you days of frustration.

That being said, $1,700 sounds about the right price for this job (using all new lumber.)

[artist]

We installed 104 feet of 6' high stockade fencing eight years ago. We spent $750 to do the project. This included the cost of a post digger and gravel. It's a difficult job physically and takes a long time to seat the fence properly so that it's level with the ground and each post is straight. You will also need a good long and thick dowl (like a wooden curtain rod) to pack in the dirt and gravel around each post to keep it stable. Not sure what this would cost us to do today. Cedar is the better choice for wood fencing as it ages better and lasts longer.