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NORTHERN ILLINOIS Amboy, Apple River, Arlington, Ashton, Baileyville, Belvidere, Buda, Bureau, Byron, Caledonia, Capron, Cedar Point, Cedarville, Chadwick, Chana, Cherry, Cherry Valley, Clare, Compton, Creston, Dakota, Dalzell, Dana, Davis, Davis Junction, Depue, Dixon, Dover, Durand, Earlville, East Dubuque, Eldena, Eleroy, Elizabeth, Esmond, Forreston,, Franklin Grove, Freeport, Fulton, Galena, Galt, Garden Prairie, German Valley, Grand Ridge, Granville, Hanover, Harmon, Hennepin, Holcomb, Kasbeer, Kent, Kingston, Kirkland, La Moille, La Salle, Ladd, Lanark, Leaf River, Lee, Lee Center, Leland, Lena, Leonore, Lindenwood, Lostant, Loves Park, Lyndon, MacHesney Park, Malden, Malta, Manlius, Mark, Marseilles, Mc Connell, Mc Nabb, Mendota, Milledgeville, Millington, Mineral, Monroe Center, Morrison, Mount Carroll, Mount Morris, Nachusa, Neponset, New Bedford, Nora, Oglesby, Ohio, Orangeville, Oregon, Ottawa, Paw Paw, Pearl City, Pecatonica, Peru, Polo, Poplar Grove, Princeton, Putnam, Ransom, Ridott, Rochelle, Rock City, Rock Falls, Rockford, Rockton, Roscoe, Rutland, Savanna, Scales Mound, Seatonville, Seneca, Serena, Seward, Shabbona, Shannon, Sheffield, Sheridan,, Shirland, South Beloit, Spring Valley, Standard, Sterling, Steward, Stillman Valley, Stockton, Streator, Sublette, Thomson, Tiskilwa, Tonica, Triumph, Troy Grove, Utica, Van Orin, Walnut, Warren, Wedron, Wenona, West Brooklyn, Winnebago, Winslow, Woosung and Wyanet

SOUTHERN WISCONSIN Afton, Albany, Arena, Argyle, Arlington, Avalon, Avoca, Bagley, Baraboo, Barneveld, Beetown, Belleville, Belmont, Beloit, Benton, Black Earth, Blanchardville, Bloomington, Blue Mounds, Blue River, Boscobel, Brodhead, Brooklyn, Browntown, Cambria, Cambridge, Cassville, Cazenovia, Clinton, Cobb, Columbus, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Cuba City, Dane, Darlington, De Forest, Deerfield, Dickeyville, Dodgeville, Doylestown, Edgerton, Evansville, Fall River, Fennimore, Footville, Fort Atkinson, Friesland, Glen Haven, Gotham, Gratiot, Hazel Green, Helenville, Highland, Hillpoint, Hollandale, Ixonia, Janesville, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Juda, La Valle, Lake Mills, Lancaster, Linden, Livingston, Lodi, Loganville. Lone Rock. Madison, Marshall Mazomanie, Mc Farland, Merrimac, Middleton, Milton, Mineral Point, Monroe, Montfort, Monticello, Morrisonville, Mount Hope, Mount Horeb, Muscoda, New Glarus, North Freedom, Oregon, Orfordville, Palmyra, Pardeeville, Patch Grove, Plain, Platteville, Portage, Potosi, Poynette, Prairie du Sac, Randolph, Reedsburg, Rewey, Richland Center, Ridgeway, Rio, Rock Springs, Sauk City, Shullsburg, South Wayne, Spring Green, Stitzer, Stoughton, Sullivan, Sun Prairie, Verona, Viola, Waterloo, Watertown, Waunakee, Windsor, Wisconsin Dells, Woodford, Woodman and Wyocena

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Stateline DogWatch | Hidden Dog Fences It's All About ...

Fences R Usis able to provide you with friendly professional service to meet your fencing, retaining and landscaping needs. We are a fully licensed company able to arrive promptly to give you a free, no obligation quote. We build all types of fences including timber,colorbond, chain wire, pool, aluminium, dog wire, post and rail, picket, privacy/accoustic, colonial, heritage, neighbour friendly, overlapped, lattice and rural. We build quality retaining walls, timber sleeper, concrete sleeper, link block, Block: meeting building standards and to your requirements.

Fences R Usalso offers a full range of budget landscaping services including laying turf, soil and ground preparation, installation of garden drainage, laying gravel etc., earth movement, planting, laying garden beds, and landscape design.

Fences R Usis your local company operating throughout South East Queensland: Brisbane Central, North Brisbane, South Brisbane and Logan, Redland Bay, Gold Coast and Ipswich cities.

Ring now for a FREE quote on 1300 091 780 Ask us about New modern Colorbond fence colours: Monument, Shale Grey, Jasper, Dune, Basalt10 Year Warranty on your Colorbond Fence

Fencing and Landscaping Packages available for special package pricing!! Ring us now for information and brochure...

http://www.fencesrus.com.au/interest-free-finance/

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Welcome to Fences R Us - Qualified Structural Landscapers

August Wilson was named Frederick August Kittel when he was born to a German father and an African American mother in 1945. Wilson was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. His father drifted in an out of his family. His mother and a stepfather, David Bedford, mostly raised Wilson. When Wilson was sixteen, he was accused of plagiarism at school when he wrote a sophisticated paper that the administration did not believe he could write. When Wilson's principal would not recognize the validity of Wilson's work, she suspended him and later ignored his attempts to come back to school. Wilson soon dropped out and educated himself at the local library, reading everything he could find. In the 1960's, Wilson steeped himself in the black power movement while he worked on his poetry and short stories. Eventually, in the sixties, Wilson reinvented himself as a playwright. His work was nurtured through institutions like the Yale School of Drama, where the Dean of the Drama School at the time, theatre director Lloyd Richards, recognized Wilson's talent. Richards later collaborated with Wilson in New York on Broadway. Fences was Wilson's second play to go to Broadway and won him the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama again in 1990 for his play The Piano Lesson.

Wilson has taken upon himself the responsibility to write a play about black experiences in the United States for every decade of the 20th century. Only two decades remain, the first years of the century and the 1990's. Fences is his play about blacks in the 1950's. Beginning in 1957, between the Korean and Vietnam wars, Fences ends in 1965, but the themes of the play directly place its consciousness in a pre-civil-rights-movement, pre-Vietnam-war-era psyche. Fences takes place in a still latent time. Like the popular Sam Cooke song of the day proclaims, "A Change is Gonna Come," but not quite yet.

In Fences as in Wilson's other plays, a tragic character helps pave the way for other blacks to have opportunities under conditions they were never free to experience, but never reap from their own sacrifice and talents themselves. This is Troy Maxson's situation. Troy's last name, "Maxson," is a compressed reference to the Mason-Dixon line, considered as the imaginary line originally conceived of in 1820 to define the separation between the slave states and the free states. Maxson represents an amalgamation of Troy's history in the south and present life in the north that are inextricably linked.

Wilson purposefully sets the play during the season Hank Aaron led the Milwaukee Braves to the World Series, beating the New York Giants. When Fences takes place, blacks like Aaron proved they could not only compete with white ballplayers, but that they would be leaders in the professional league. Since we can look back on history with 20/20 hindsight, Wilson asks his audience to put together what they know of American history with the way his various characters experience and perceive history through their own, often conflicted eyes.

All of Wilson's plays take place in his hometown of Pittsburgh, and Fences is no exception. The Pittsburgh of the Maxson family is a town where Troy and other men of his generation fled from the savage conditions of sharecropping in the south. After Reconstruction failed, many blacks walked north as far as they could go to become urban citizens. Having no resources or infrastructure to depend on, men like Bono and Troy found their way in the world by spending years living in shacks, stealing, and in jail. Wilson clearly draws a linear link between the release of the slaves to the disproportionate number of black men in our jails and in low-income occupations by arguing that the majority of a homeless, resource-less group let loose into a competitive and financed society will have a hard time surviving lawfully. Wilson's characters testify to the fact that the United States failed blacks after Lincoln abolished slavery and that the government's failure, made effective legally through Jim Crow laws and other lawful measures to ensure inequality, continues to effect many black lives. Wilson portrays the 1950s as a time when a new world of opportunity for blacks began to open up, leaving those like Troy, who grew up in the first half of the century, to feel like a stranger in their own land.

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SparkNotes: Fences: Context

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 08/18/2018

Nature of Project: Repair existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: More than 2 weeks

Project: Adjust or Repair Electronic Pet Fence

Date: 08/17/2018

Problem: Transmission interruption

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 08/16/2018

Nature of Project: Replace existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Length of Fence: 100 - 200 feet

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Wind and hail damage.

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence - For Business

Date: 08/16/2018

Kind of Repair Needed: Fence is damaged

Fence Height: 6-8 feet

What kind of location is this?: Business

Property Owner: Yes

Desired Project Start Date: Within a few weeks

Comment: I have about a 3 foot hole in a fence that I need either repaired or replaced.

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 08/15/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Comment: Fence around backyard

Project: Repair or Alter a Chain Link Fence

Date: 08/15/2018

Nature of Project: Repair existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Chain Link

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Comment: I took down fence to allow truck access. Now I need it back up. Some parts are bent. It is 42" high chain link, about 100' long. I need any scraps hauled off.

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 08/14/2018

Kind of Repair Needed: Fence is loose, Post is wobbly

Fence Height: 4-6 feet

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Desired Project Start Date: Within a few weeks

Comment: Several fence posts need to be replaced

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 08/14/2018

Nature of Project: Replace existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Comment: I allready have a wooden fence and i would like to replace the old one.and maybe afew post need replacing.

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 08/13/2018

Fence Height: 4-6 feet

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: The support timbers for a gate for our wooden fence may need to be replaced. Opening and closing the gate has become increasingly difficult due to alignment issues.

Project: Install or Replace a Vinyl or PVC Fence

Date: 08/13/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

Height of Fence: Greater than 8 feet

Length of Fence: 100 - 200 feet

Purpose of Fence: Provide privacy, Wind or noise buffer

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: 1 - 2 weeks

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: This is to replace foliage, which was trimmed back too much so that the road and buildings behind can now be seen. There are now huge holes in the bushes so that there's no buffer from road noise We need about 150 feet of tall (16 foot) fencing to cover the back and side. We can't start tomorrow but very soon.

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25 Best Fence Companies and Contractors - Columbia SC ...

A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting.[1] A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length.[2]

Alternatives to fencing include a ditch (sometimes filled with water, forming a moat).

A balustrade or railing is a kind of fence to prevent people from falling over the edge, for example, on a balcony, stairway (see railing system), roof, bridge, or elsewhere near a body of water, places where people stand or walk and the terrain is dangerously inclined.

The following types of areas or facilities often are required by law to be fenced in, for safety and security reasons:

Fences can be the source of bitter arguments between neighbors, and there are often special laws to deal with these problems. Common disagreements include what kind of fence is required, what kind of repairs are needed, and how to share the costs.

In some legislatures the standard height of a fence is limited, and to exceed it a special permit is required.

Servitudes[6] are legal arrangements of land use arising out of private agreements. Under the feudal system, most land in England was cultivated in common fields, where peasants were allocated strips of arable land that were used to support the needs of the local village or manor. By the sixteenth century the growth of population and prosperity provided incentives for landowners to use their land in more profitable ways, dispossessing the peasantry. Common fields were aggregated and enclosed by large and enterprising farmerseither through negotiation among one another or by lease from the landlordto maximize the productivity of the available land and contain livestock. Fences redefined the means by which land is used, resulting in the modern law of servitudes.[7]

In the United States, the earliest settlers claimed land by simply fencing it in. Later, as the American government formed, unsettled land became technically owned by the government and programs to register land ownership developed, usually making raw land available for low prices or for free, if the owner improved the property, including the construction of fences. However, the remaining vast tracts of unsettled land were often used as a commons, or, in the American West, "open range" as degradation of habitat developed due to overgrazing and a tragedy of the commons situation arose, common areas began to either be allocated to individual landowners via mechanisms such as the Homestead Act and Desert Land Act and fenced in, or, if kept in public hands, leased to individual users for limited purposes, with fences built to separate tracts of public and private land.

Ownership of a fence on a boundary varies. The last relevant original title deed(s)[8] and a completed seller's property information form may document which side has to put up and has installed any fence respectively; the first using "T" marks/symbols (the side with the "T" denotes the owner); the latter by a ticked box to the best of the last owner's belief with no duty, as the conventionally agreed conveyancing process stresses, to make any detailed, protracted enquiry.[9] Commonly the mesh or panelling is in mid-position. Otherwise it tends to be on non-owner's side so the fence owner might access the posts when repairs are needed but this is not a legal requirement.[10] Where estate planners wish to entrench privacy a close-boarded fence or equivalent well-maintained hedge of a minimum height may be stipulated by deed. Beyond a standard height planning permission is necessary.

Where a rural fence or hedge has (or in some cases had) an adjacent ditch, the ditch is normally in the same ownership as the hedge or fence, with the ownership boundary being the edge of the ditch furthest from the fence or hedge.[11] The principle of this rule is that an owner digging a boundary ditch will normally dig it up to the very edge of their land, and must then pile the spoil on their own side of the ditch to avoid trespassing on their neighbour. They may then erect a fence or hedge on the spoil, leaving the ditch on its far side. Exceptions exist in law, for example where a plot of land derives from subdivision of a larger one along the centre line of a previously-existing ditch or other feature, particularly where reinforced by historic parcel numbers with acreages beneath which were used to tally up a total for administrative units not to confirm the actual size of holdings, a rare instance where Ordnance Survey maps often provide more than circumstantial evidence namely as to which feature is to be considered the boundary.

On private land in the United Kingdom, it is the landowner's responsibility to fence their livestock in. Conversely, for common land, it is the surrounding landowners' duty to fence the common's livestock out such as in large parts of the New Forest. Large commons with livestock roaming have been greatly reduced by 18th and 19th century Acts for enclosure of commons covering most local units, with most remaining such land in the UK's National Parks.

Distinctly different land ownership and fencing patterns arose in the eastern and western United States. Original fence laws on the east coast were based on the British common law system, and rapidly increasing population quickly resulted in laws requiring livestock to be fenced in. In the west, land ownership patterns and policies reflected a strong influence of Spanish law and tradition, plus the vast land area involved made extensive fencing impractical until mandated by a growing population and conflicts between landowners. The "open range" tradition of requiring landowners to fence out unwanted livestock was dominant in most of the rural west until very late in the 20th century, and even today, a few isolated regions of the west still have open range statutes on the books. More recently, fences are generally constructed on the surveyed property line as precisely as possible. Today, across the nation, each state is free to develop its own laws regarding fences. In many cases for both rural and urban property owners, the laws were designed to require adjacent landowners to share the responsibility for maintaining a common boundary fenceline. Today, however, only 22 states have retained that provision.

The value of fences and the metaphorical significance of a fence, both positive and negative, has been extensively utilized throughout western culture. A few examples include:

Media related to Fences at Wikimedia Commons

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Fence - Wikipedia

The desktop is usually the place where most apps and documents end up. Sometimes, its hard to find the items you need due to the cluster of files, folders and shortcuts.

Fences is a tool that can help organize the desktop simply by installing it. As soon as you fire up the program, all the items are divided into groups, such as Programs, Folders and Files and Documents. The icons are gathered together on shaded areas on your desktop, which are movable and resizable.

The items can still be moved from one to another or to the original desktop. The areas can be deleted by clicking on the X in the corner. This action enables users to only delete the fence or the files inside it as well.

The app comes with a nice feature that enables you to hide the icons on the desktop. All you need to do is to double click the desktop and the entire content fades out, leaving behind a clear wallpaper. In order to reverse this, you need to simply repeat the action.

Furthermore, the app enables you to create virtual desktops. This means that the edge of the screen can be pulled to bring out another set of areas with their respective files. The feature highly resembles that available for smartphones.

A few icon placements settings are also available. You can choose the default destination of the icons, whether on the general desktop or in one of the available fences.

Also, you can define type-based rules, which means the items could be divided into more fences, such as images, music and video, downloads, program shortcuts and many more.

Customization options include the scaling of the fences, the space between them, resizing, transparency, color intensity and tint.

All in all, Fences is a nice app that can be of great help when your desktop is too crowded. The software brings a few great features that are sure to catch your eye.

Sort Icons Group Icons Desktop Organizer Desktop Sort Group Icon

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Download Fences 3.0.9.11 - softpedia.com

Project: Install a Wrought Iron Fence

Date: 07/09/2018

Nature of Project: Replace existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wrought Iron

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Comment: Railings for porch and steps

Project: Install a Chain Link Fence

Date: 07/09/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Chain Link

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Project: Install a Chain Link Fence

Date: 07/02/2018

Nature of Project: Replace existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Chain Link

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: More than 2 weeks

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 06/2018

Kind of Repair Needed: Fence is damaged

Fence Height: 4-6 feet

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Desired Project Start Date: Within a few weeks

Comment: One of the wooden slats was broken off during recent storms. The crossbar support behind this board also cracked.

Project: Install or Replace an Aluminum or Steel Fence

Date: 06/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Aluminum or Steel

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: 1 - 2 weeks

Comment: .2 acre lot, wooded

Project: Install or Replace an Aluminum or Steel Fence

Date: 06/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Aluminum or Steel

Length of Fence: 100 - 200 feet

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: More than 2 weeks

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: building a pool. starting it in 3 weeks. need aluminum fence,,,4' and a safety fence. medium grade minimum 150 linear feet..maybe 175..not sure yet. would like quote for price per linear foot installed plus fence

Project: Install a Chain Link Fence

Date: 06/2018

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: More than 2 weeks

Comment: chain link fence install

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 06/2018

Kind of Repair Needed: Fence is damaged, Post is damaged

Fence Height: 4-6 feet

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Desired Project Start Date: Within a few weeks

Comment: Privacy fence needs to have some boards replaced and it is leaning.

Project: Install a Chain Link Fence

Date: 06/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Chain Link

Length of Fence: 100 - 200 feet

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Need chain link fence with one double gate installed on th4ee perimeter of back yard for doggie purposes

Project: Repair or Alter a Chain Link Fence

Date: 06/2018

Nature of Project: Repair existing fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Chain Link

Length of Fence: Less than 100 feet

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Section of fencing missing from corner post to side of home.

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Fence Contractors in Greenville, SC - HomeAdvisor.com

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/08/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Length of Fence: Unsure

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: 1 - 2 weeks

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Installation of fence per Ashburn Farm HOA architectural standards

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/08/2018

Nature of Project: Replace existing fence

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/06/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/06/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Within 1 week

Comment: Fence along right and left sides of back yard

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/04/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

Fence Height: Greater than 8 feet

Length of Fence: Less than 100 feet

Purpose of Fence: Keep children safely in yard, Attractive yard addition, Property boundary, Provide privacy

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: Within 1 week

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: fence for the backyard

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/04/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Timing is flexible

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/03/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Fencing material: Wood

Length of Fence: Less than 100 feet

Request Stage: Planning & Budgeting

Desired Completion Date: 1 - 2 weeks

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Looking for estimates to install a new wood fence for my backyard. timeframe for work is by end of summer.

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/02/2018

Nature of Project: Install a new fence

Fence Height: Less than 4 feet

Length of Fence: Unsure

Purpose of Fence: Keep pets contained

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: 1 - 2 weeks

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Comment: Need a rail wood fence (we have one on back of property and want to match and add wire to keep dog in). We would like it priced with and without adding a stone columns on corners.

Project: Repair or Partially Replace a Wood Fence

Date: 07/02/2018

Kind of Repair Needed: Fence is damaged

Fence Height: 4-6 feet

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

Property Owner: Yes

Desired Project Start Date: Tomorrow

Comment: Fence is damaged and needs repair.

Project: Install a Wood Fence

Date: 07/01/2018

Request Stage: Ready to Hire

Desired Completion Date: Within 1 week

What kind of location is this?: Home/Residence

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Fence Contractors in Ashburn, VA - HomeAdvisor.com

Every payday, garbage collector Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) holds court in the backyard of the Pittsburgh home he shares with his wife, Rose (Viola Davis) and their son, Cory (Jovan Adepo). By Troys side are his two best friends, Bono (Stephen Henderson), the co-worker hes known for decades, and a bottle of gin, which Troy has also known for decades. Both are very good listeners, and theres nothing Troy enjoys more than a captive audience. When his tales spin too wildly into fictionat one point, Troy reminisces about wrestling with Death itselfRose steps outside to playfully call him on his nonsense. Troy cuddles with her, tossing the raunchiest dialogue he has to offer in her direction. As the evening progresses, Troy is sometimes joined by his eldest son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby), who borrows money, or his disabled war veteran brother, Gabe (Mykelti Williamson), who has just moved from Troys home in a defiant display of his independence. Life is a series of routines culminating in death. Every payday brings Troy Maxson closer to his wrestling partner.

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This repeated scenario forms the basis of August Wilsons Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fences. 29 years after its Broadway premiere, Fences arrives in theaters courtesy of a screenplay by the late playwright himself. With two Pulitzer Prizes and his ten-play magnum opus, The Pittsburgh Cycle, (of which Fences is the sixth work), Wilson takes his rightful place alongside Eugene ONeill, Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams as one of the greatest American playwrights. The focus of Wilsons cycle is African-American life across the entire 20th century, with each play taking place in a particular decade. Fences is set in the 1950s, but the timeframe does not date the material. Its universal themes supersede any of its societal details, though based on this years election cycle, viewers may be stunned to discover that the American working class is more than just Midwestern and White.

Wilsons plays are rich, poetic, wordy affairs tinged with music, the magical nature of myth, and symbolic elements that work extremely well as live theater. Since theater is an intimate medium, the general consensus on translating plays to screen is to open up the play, which quite often destroys the natural fabric of the work. The masterful thing about Denzel Washingtons direction here is that he doesnt exactly open up the play. Instead, he opens up the visual frame around the players. He and cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen use the entire screen to occasionally dwarf the characters inside the backyard setting where much of the film takes place. At other times, tight framing gives an air of claustrophobia thats almost suffocating. Throughout, theres clear evidence that careful thought has been put into the quiet visual architecture of this film; there are several visual motifs that support the themes in Wilsons words, and not once does a character seem to be in the wrong spot. For example, a scene between Bono and Troy, where Bono warns Troy of impending ruination, places the actors in the bottom right of the frame while rubble and an empty field symbolically take up most of the screen.

Most importantly, Washington as director knows that the biggest star in this film is its writing. When a film has actors this committed to speaking their lines, to the point where it seems they are turning themselves inside out with anguish, the camera is always exactly where it needs to beit iswith them, listening as intently as we in the audience are. This type of direction is a lost art nowadays, evoking a prior time when masters like Billy Wilder and Sidney Lumet plied their trades. In fact, it was Wilder who eschewed the notion that ostentatious, flashy direction was what made for great drama, saying that if something were said to be well-directed, that is proof that it is not. Washington understands this, and Fences is much more powerful for his devotion to his actors craft. When Viola Davis is showing you how hard her heart is breaking, the camera doesnt need to be competing for your attention.

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Fences imports most of the cast of its Tony-winning 2010 revival (which I have seen). In addition to Washington and Davis, who won Tonys for lead acting, Henderson, Hornby and Williamson also reprise their roles. Their familiarity with the characters translates into a slew of excellent performances. Williamson has the trickiest role: his war-damaged Gabriel is the plays most theatric and symbolic character. A man with a metal plate in his head, whose government disability check allowed Troy to buy his house, Gabriel thinks hes the messenger of God described as a trumpet player in many Negro spirituals. Williamson humanizes this character by playing his delusions without mockery. He believes in his convictions, and as the last scene of the film indicates, he might not be wrong.

Wilsons common theme of legacy fuels Fences in the guise of Troys relationship with Cory. Cory has the opportunity to get a college scholarship for his football skills, but Troy is against this primarily because of his own failed sports dreams. Troy was a great baseball player in the Negro Leagues, but this was well before Jackie Robinson (whom Troy despises), so Troy never realized his dreams of major league glory. Its not lost on us that Troy is denied success in what is commonly called Americas Pastime; baseball serves as the perfect metaphor for the American Dream. Like the America of Troys time, it was segregated and demanded that Blacks knew their place. For most fathers, knowing their son wishes to follow in his footsteps would be a happy occasion, especially in sports and even more so if ones legacy might be extended or surpassed. Yet Troys brutal pig-headedness drives an irredeemable wedge between the two. In his big confrontation scene, newcomer Adepo goes toe-to-toe with his scene-stealing director and almost upstages him.

As Troy, Washington has a role tailor-made for all his Denzel-isms. Whereas Troys brilliant originator, James Earl Jones, kept an open vein of terror flowing through his performance, Washington smothers his dark side with a charm thats as sticky as flypaper. He makes it easy to see why Rose would fall for himand stay with him besides the obvious reason that society demanded a woman have a husband. Fences gives Troy mountains of dialogue to climb, and the fast-talking Washington leaps over it, catering it to his familiar manner of speaking. Troys use of the N-word is particularly of interest. That Troy would say the word is not surprising for the timeframe, but Washington spins it differently depending on the recipient. With Bono, its a term of endearment, which Bono returns just as easily. But in the famous speech that takes up Act 1, Scene 3, when Troy levels it at Cory (N--ger, as long as you in my house, you put a 'Sir' on the end of it when you talk to me"), he hurls it with the fury of a klansman.

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Not to be outdone, Viola Davis brings her own arsenal of tricks. Nobody cries onscreen like Davis, and if that clip in the trailer affected you, you should be advised that the actual scene is a lot longer and even more devastating. Its so painful, its almost unwatchable. In fact, anyone who had a strict taskmaster as a parent will find parts of Fences unendurable. But Davis Rose is the films barometer, measuring how much we can put up with Troy. She loves him, and she does much to soften his rough edges even when shes pointing out how wrong he is. But once he breaks his contract with her, all bets are off. Troy may be meaner, but a nuclear warhead couldnt melt the ice covering Davis delivery of the line you a womanless man to Troy.

Fences is a film about how our environment shapes us, and how, no matter how noble their intentions, our parents cant help but mess us up in some fashion, just as their parents had done for them. This is our legacy as humans. Either we indoctrinate ourselves against that which we saw as wrong with our parents, or we catch their disease and we pass it on. Washingtons visual repetition of crosses throughout the film, either on the wall or in the chain Rose wears around her neck, is a reminder of the greatest father-son story ever told. This notion is in the script too: perhaps the most brutally honest thing Rose tells Cory near the films end is that hes just like Troy. Especially after Corys speech about how he tried so hard to remove Troys terrifying influence from his soul. Corys acceptance of this truth, represented in his co-opting of the song Troy used to sing, is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Whether we want it or not, this is our legacy.

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Fences Movie Review & Film Summary (2016) | Roger Ebert

Fences is divided into two acts. Act One is comprised of four scenes and Act Two has five. The play begins on a Friday, Troy and Bono's payday. Troy and Bono go to Troy's house for their weekly ritual of drinking and talking. Troy has asked Mr. Rand, their boss, why the black employees aren't allowed to drive the garbage trucks, only to lift the garbage. Bono thinks Troy is cheating on his wife, Rose. Troy and Rose's son, Cory, has been recruited by a college football team. Troy was in the Negro Leagues but never got a chance to play in the Major Leagues because he got too old to play just as the Major Leagues began accepting black players. Troy goes into a long epic story about his struggle in July of 1943 with death. Lyons shows up at the house because he knows it is Troy's payday. Rose reminds Troy about the fence she's asked him to finish building.

Cory and Troy work on the fence. Cory breaks the news to Troy that he has given away his job at the local grocery store, the A&P, during the football season. Cory begs Troy to let him play because a coach from North Carolina is coming all the way to Pittsburgh to see Cory play. Troy refuses and demands Cory to get his job back.

Act One, scene four takes place on Friday and mirrors scene one. Troy has won his case and has been assigned as the first colored garbage truck driver in the city. Bono and Troy remember their fathers and their childhood experiences of leaving home in the south and moving north. Cory comes home enraged after finding out that Troy told the football coach that Cory may not play on the team. Troy warns Cory that his insubordinance is "strike one," against him.

Troy bails his brother Gabriel out of jail. Bono and Troy work on the fence. Bono explains to Troy and Cory that Rose wants the fence because she loves her family and wants to keep close to her love. Troy admits to Bono that he is having an affair with Alberta. Bono bets Troy that if he finishes building the fence for Rose, Bono will buy his wife, Lucille the refrigerator he has promised her for a long time. Troy tells Rose about a hearing in three weeks to determine whether or not Gabriel should be recommitted to an asylum. Troy tells Rose about his affair. Rose accuses Troy of taking and not giving. Troy grabs Rose's arm. Cory grabs Troy from behind. They fight and Troy wins. Troy calls "strike two" on Cory.

Six months later, Troy says he is going over to the hospital to see Alberta who went into labor early. Rose tells Troy that Gabriel has been taken away to the asylum because Troy couldn't read the papers and signed him away. Alberta had a baby girl but died during childbirth. Troy challenges Death to come and get him after he builds a fence. Troy brings home his baby, Raynell. Rose takes in Raynell as her own child, but refuses to be dutiful as Troy's wife.

On Troy's payday, Bono shows up unexpectedly. Troy and Bono acknowledge how each man made good on his bet about the fence and the refrigerator. Troy insists that Cory leave the house and provide for himself. Cory brings up Troy's recent failings with Rose. Cory points out that the house and property, from which Troy is throwing Cory out, should actually be owned by Gabriel whose government checks paid for most of the mortgage payments. Troy physically attacks Cory. Troy kicks Cory out of the house for good. Cory leaves. Troy swings the baseball bat in the air, taunting Death.

Eight years later, Raynell plays in her newly planted garden. Troy has died from a heart attack. Cory returns home from the Marines to attend Troy's funeral. Lyons and Bono join Rose too. Cory refuses to attend. Rose teaches Cory that not attending Troy's funeral does not make Cory a man. Raynell and Cory sing one of Troy's father's blues songs. Gabriel turns up, released or escaped from the mental hospital. Gabe blows his trumpet but no sound comes out. He tries again but the trumpet will not play. Disappointed and hurt, Gabriel dances. He makes a cry and the Heavens open wide. He says, "That's the way that goes," and the play ends.

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SparkNotes: Fences: Plot Summary