Screened In

I was able to complete the center screen on the New Dragon's Spine fence.

It required 26 1 x 2" strips of cedar laid horizontal. In between each is a .5" gap, which allowed me to fill in the full 4 x 8 opening in the fence panel.

Initially, I was going to build the frame and then mount it to the back side of the posts. However, after testing a couple pieces, I didn't like the look of the screen being almost 2" behind the posts. So, instead, I cut the slats shorter so that the would fit flush within the frame. It looks much nicer.  

In the future I can remove the slats as a single piece because the individual slats are nailed to three cleats that are screwed into the posts. This should make it easy to maintain in the future if I should have to make any repairs or re-stain.

The fence looks great. The cedar is bright compared to the surrounding black posts, rails, and bamboo, but in time it will fade enough to still add differentiation. 

Using a lighter color for the slats was also a good idea because it helps the Red Dwarf Maple visually "pop" in front of the slats.

All that remains is the installation of copper caps for the top of the posts. I ordered them online and once they arrive I can install them and then start thinking about the plants and mulch.