The posts are the first order of business - actually, the post holes. That’s where a post hole digger comes in handy. An electric auger would have been even more helpful, but probably not worth my expense.

digging post hole
Post hole digger in hole

I did run into a little bit of a snafu. Our new fence butts up against a chain linked fence that we shared with the neighbors. This means I have to break off a portion of the concrete supporting the post for the chain link fence. At first I was chipped away at it with some stone chisels and a maul (small sledgehammer). Then I started to make pilot holes with a concrete drill bit and my hammer drill. But this took much longer than anticipated.

slow tools for chipping away concrete

Then a nice neighbor (who happens to be a contractor) saw how sad and pathetic I looked chipping away at the concrete. He lent me a rotary hammer, which is essentially a mini jackhammer. What a godsend.

chipping away at concrete
Electric rotary hammer (mini jack hammer) borrowed from a neighbor

After that, I had to dig 5 more post holes. From there the posts and panels went in easily. Just some measurements to make sure it was level and the rest you can see in pictures.

first fence panel installed
First fence panel is installed

more fence panels
More fence panels installed (ignore messy front yard)

Working on the fence was a public spectacle for all my neighbors. In the beginning when I was cutting up the walkway and tearing out all our hedges, they thought I was crazy. The height of their speculation probably peaked one Saturday afternoon when Serena was outside holding an umbrella over me while I dug out a hole in the drizzling rain. But then, the pieces of our landscape plan started coming into fruition, with the fence being a major star. So now instead of stares and wide-eyed sympathy, they’re chatting with me over the fence and telling me how good things look.