Need advice on Fencing Kennel area

[Swampbuster]

I would like to get your opinion on some fencing issues.Since I sold my retirement farm in northern Maine. Still kicking my self in the ass for doing so Just could not pass up the offer $$$$$$ I just sent my lawyer up in Maine a big certified check to close the deal on 65 acres now that the Land is paid for and building permit is in order. Leaving me with enough for the toys new PU, 2 sleds ,2 ATV 1 mule . Sometime life turns out OK. I am going to actually build the kennel and the equivelent of 6 bay garage /shop/storeage area. Depending on how I locate it Would like to have the option of letting the hounds access with-in a fenced area said bldg when the real bitter weather sets in. Might not be necessary but could be very helpful loading/unloading hounds and equipment.exterior will be 10 individual kennels about 6ftX 60 ft with some sort of plastic access to the inside.individual access for each hound .. That 6x60 will be 8ft high. I know it is overkill but I have an issue with just CHAINING up the hounds.
Well as luck will have it a friend of mine with his wife and me and the ole lady ran into each other this morning . He was telling me about an Absolute Bankruptcy Auction at a fence company and did I want to go down and check it out .So we sent the wives out Yard saling and he and I go down to the auction.Well when all was said and done I ended up with 800 linear feet of 8 ft chain link fencing 100 steel fence posts ,10 4 ft wide 6 ft high gates misc hardware and clips to install same . again overkill but I also got several rolls total 1600 linear ft of 4 ft fencing with 200 steel posts and clips ,the type you pound into the ground .My thought here was to ; adjoining the kennel put up a 400X400 ? run exercise area for the hounds, basically a heavily wooded area. My total cost to buy everything $2400.00 Plus there was a guy there stacking and palletizing and steel banding on 4ft X8ft pallets 6 pallets total cost me $250 . Transport from Ky to Maine will be $1600.00 So I am into this deal for around $4250.00 Material and transport only to the property. Oh yeah the guy that will dig the footings and foundation will off load with his backhoe for $100 and put where I need it. So the big Questions
Do you think I paid tooo much?
Seems like at auction everything was at 30-35 cents on the dollar
aside from the 10 kennels adjacent to the shop.
What are your thoughts on the 400X400 run/exercise area?
Any issues with that part only being 4ft high?
Yes there are Bear, and coyotes on the property I've seen them there.
Any advantage in the hounds socializing in that area?
Not going into the breeding business.
My thought was they may get more exercise and stay in better shape ??

PLease let me know what you think
THANKS SWAMP

[got gritt]

Swamp the price sounds good to me,the size I think is very good. You are doing it right , will you be able to load up inside and outside? Some times people build the kennel and say dam I should of made it bigger or i wish I could load up inside.As far as socializing area I think that is good for the hounds to have and area for that.Swamp keep us up dated on how you are doing and send some photos of the progress of your hound castle.

[Swampbuster]

GotGritt : Hound Castle You must be related to my wife ,That is what she said when I showed her the plans Yes I will be able to load from either inside or out.I am lucky to have an understanding wife. All in All I thank my buddy for taking me to this auction . My son is just retired Military currently renting a 2 BR house up there.I did work a second job for 5 years to save up for this adventure So that I could do it the right way in my opinion. The Garage /Shop will be 80 X 50 Seems large but by the time you get my wife's mini van ,my pick-up my sons pickup, his wife's car, our RV ,my sons boat ,his 3 wheel bike our ATV's sleds, and mule , lots of tools and a shop area , I wonder if it will be big enough
Flying up tommorow will be doing the lay-out, digging the footings, putting in the frost walls laying out the electric conduit under ground for power ,plus routing the water and sewer line so we can have a full bath in the shop .Bldg will be steel mfg pre constructed .Not sure how many on the steel bldg construction crew but total start to finish is 9 working days to me that is is amazing.
That is all that is in the budget right now that I care to spend.Until the house in KY gets sold. If we have a meeting of the minds my wife ,myself ,my son and his wife I may get out voted and at least put in the foundation for the house in along with getting a well dug and putting in a septic system. All this while bear hound season is going on Never a dull moment around here The clock is ticking ,Frost is on the way Will certainly be a challenging next few weeks .

[BOOTS]

You need to figure out on how to stop the climbing out a bear dog will climb chain link no matter how high you make it.also I would feed and water from the inside so the dogs will go outside to take care of business if you don't make the inside so big.The runs are long enough for them to run in.The pen is good idea.I like to put shock collars and walk with my hounds in the yard and call them to me just like out in the woods.

[Swampbuster]

Boots : You have some good idea's there. I had not considered putting anything on top of the 8 ft kennel fence ,But was going to put a HOT wire on the top of the 4 ft fence that would be the run area . Any thoughts on that??

[BOOTS]

I would not let them run in a pen for 2 reasons.1 when a dog comes out of its pen i put a colar on every time so the hound knows not to bust out the gate and will come and let me put it on and then they know its fun time.2 I always supervise the hounds when they are out of the pen and they know i'm the boss always in controll.A houndsmen once told me if you do anything with a hound don't do anything unless you have the time.Its a simple rule but hard to follow but i do.You dont feed 1/2 way clean a pen 1/2 way and you dont run 1/2way. All out or nothing.

[BOOTS]

That 4 ft fence sounds good with the wire above just make sure you tilt the wire holders inward a couple of barbwire holders pointing in towards the inside a couple of PVC cuts to insulate .Good place for yard work with them.

[Swampbuster]

boots; excellent ideas you keep coming up with, THANKS
Yes I do get the point about doing things 1/2 way