August 2, 2001

BETTER BY DESIGN: MENDING FENCES

Summary: Stamped iron panels lighten up a driveway screen

PROBLEM: When Jane and Randy Irvine tore down the 15-foot cinder-block wall that separated their driveway from their neighbor's, they felt like they had taken down the Berlin Wall. But they also felt exposed. They wanted a sense of privacy without feeling fenced in at their Northeast Portland Tudor. The Irvines considered planting a hedge, but they weren't interested in maintaining it. They also feared it would branch out too far into the driveways.

SOLUTION: Build a partial fence for a free-flowing feeling.

DETAILS: In the basement of an antiques store, Jane came across some large iron templates with interesting shapes and figures stamped out of them. She wasn't sure what they were, but she knew the pieces -- ranging from 4 feet by 3 feet to 9 feet by 5 feet -- would provide focal points for the fence. "They looked like a piece of art to me," she says. "I thought they would look great framed out."

FRAME IT: After building cedar frames for the iron centerpieces, Randy was concerned that the panels would be too heavy. So he hung them with cables capable of holding 250 pounds. Cedar lattice at the top and bottom of the fence provides a traditional touch, and cedar posts flanking the metal panels are sunk into concrete blocks in the ground.

BREAK IT UP: Because each piece is unique, the Irvines decided not to make the entire fence look the same. On each side of the largest metal panel, they placed two smaller panels broken up with cedar slats. This gives the fence continuity without being boring. "We never had a plan," Jane says. "We just kept going."

AFTERTHOUGHT: When they were done with the fence, the Irvines felt it still needed one more panel. Since Randy had already finished off the end of the fence with a beam across the top, they decided to turn another metal panel sidewise and step it down from the rest of the fence. "We ended up liking it better this way," Jane says.

AGING GRACEFULLY: Exposed to the weather, the iron quickly rusted, making the fence appear as though it has been there forever. Rather than allow the cedar to gray with age, the Irvines stained it, which means it requires a new coat every year.

EVER CHANGING: In late spring and early summer, the fence takes on a whole new look as tightly wound white buds of climbing roses burst open. Combined with the droopy vines of evergreen clematis on other panels, the screen of green and white brings the fence to life.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW: A patch of bamboo planted at the end of the fence provides an additional screen for the Irvines, who now look out onto the tiny green leaves from their dining room window. They aren't worried about the bamboo running because of the concrete driveways on both sides of it. "We thought about planting a boxwood hedge," Jane says. "But we're trying out the bamboo for now."

DOWN THE ROAD: Eventually the Irvines plan to tie in the fence on the other side of the driveway with a beam across the top. They'll also add a row of lattice on an overhang above the gate.

BUDGET: The Irvines worked a couple of weekends on the fence and spent about $550 on wood and $275 for the metal panels.

You can reach Lori Mendoza by e-mail at mendozalori@hotmail.com. Have a design solution? Share yours by sending photos to Lori Mendoza, The Oregonian, 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201.