Plenty of “ciphering” on the details of the privacy enclosure recently. True, the team has been juggling multiple concurrent projects, but designing an executable construction plan for the screening fence behind the carriage barn combines several distinct challenges from steel structural skeleton to stump-to-lumber (aka tree-to-timber) pickets.
I’ll save the specifics of the steel skeleton for a separate post. And I’ve been prologuing the cedar pickets for a few weeks now. Lots. Of. Milling. Re-milling. Planing. Dimensioning…
Inventory sorted and organized. Dimensions estimated and re-estimated. In the photo above a close inspection will reveal numbers written on the ends of the cedar planks that will soon become the enclose fence pickets. We will be using variable width boards to 1) maximize the efficiency of our homegrown and milled material while 2) subtly transitioning from architectural formality (Rosslyn’s public viewshed) to the more informal, agricultural, utilitarian realm of vegetable gardens, orchard, and meadows. These numbers, rounded down to the nearest inch ensure accurate estimating for coverage while simplifying randomization during installation. The material is also been sorted into similar lengths, allowing us to efficiently estimate the linear feet.
FYI, the term “lineal feet” is commonly used colloquially, but the correct term is actually linear feet.
Lineal vs. Linear Feet. When measuring length, use the word “linear,” instead of “lineal.” Lineal means belonging to or being in direct line of descent from an ancestor.
(Source: Lineal vs Linear | UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum)
The linear feet and board width of cedar are estimated against the square footage of the overall square footage that we need for our fence pickets. And, as of yesterday, the square footage is in flux. We’re reevaluating the prevailing height vis-à-vis optimal height. A small change — 6” taller to better screen sight lines of propane tank, for example — significantly effect square footage.
So… in the next few days final decisions must be made, inventory confirmed, and construction started.
What do you think?