One of the last things involved with landscaping the front of the house was painting the fence. Driving around town we noticed that stain is easily washed off by the rain and sprinklers and ends up looking terrible. Most people were surprised that we decided to paint the fence instead of staining it mainly because they thought it would require a lot of maintenance. Maybe they know something I don't, but I just can't see how that will happen. We used the exact same color and kind of paint as the house trim and it's still going strong after 5 years. Anything that lasts 5 years or more isn't considered high maintenance in my opinion. The difference between a fence and a deck is that the fence is almost entirely vertical, meaning water won't pool and sit on it. So, it should last longer. At any rate it's a risk worth taking since we think paint looks much better.
I did the front gate and the side entirely with a brush. It probably took me near 8 hours over the course of a few days. I wanted to use a brush though on the front since it was close to the house and there was detailed work (hinges, handle, etc). I'm going to do the rest of the fence (both sides) in the coming weeks, but I'll have to use a sprayer if I want to finish before Christmas.
I also took a few extra pictures of the house since it's essentially done now. It will be fun to look back at them in a few years.
