fence and neighboors

[PaDisney02]

HI! We just bought a twin home. My neighbor has a chain link fence in between our 2 houses. I would like to put up a new white vinyl privacy fence. Do I have to ask his permission? I have never talked with him before and I'm not really a "neighbor type" of person.

On my side of the yard my new fence will look nice but from his yard he is going to see my fence right up against his chain link fence. Thats going to look kind of silly....wont it??

 

[nicki.momof3]

All you can do is ask. I am personally not a fan of fences. I love that our neighborhood does not allow them but with that said the one you are proposing sounds a ton better.

He may even want to continue it around his entire yard - maybe you can get it for a better price.

Niceness is catching

 

[disykat]

I love fences. However, I would definitely talk to your neighbor first!

We put vinyl privacy slats in a chain link fence. Because of the way our yards sit, it really didn't need to be great looking, it just needed to visually separate the dogs, etc. It works, but it is our fence so we maintain it. We have to walk down into our neighbor's yard every spring to pressure wash. (We do both sides)

Vinyl is not as maintenance free as you might think. It's gets dirty and you have to wash it. I would not do that to a neighbor without being willing to (and obtaining permission to) take care of their side.

I consider fences a bonus and would think a neighbor willing to put up and maintain a fence was a win/win! However, I would not be happy if someone put up a vinyl fence and I was forced to maintain it or look at a filthy dirty fence.

 

[WDWBlue]

What's a "twin" home?

 

[Feralpeg]

OP, please ask your neighbor. He may be glad to have the chain link fence removed and replaced with the vinyl fence between your homes. If you put your vinyl fence right against his chain link, it will make it very hard to maintain the grass. Weeds and grass will grow between the two fences and look very unsightly on his side.

I have a white vinyl fence. I love it, but it does require maintenance. About every six months, I have to scrub it down with a soap mixture to remove the green slime that builds up. Think how difficult that would be for your neighbor with the chain link against it.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

We fenced in the back garden last year, one of the best things we ever did.

I would mention to them that your going to be putting up a fence.

 

[JessicaR]

I don't know what a twin home is either. Please explain it. Thanks!

 

[aprilgail2]

What is a twin house???? I would just ask him if- if it was me I would take down the chain link and just leave the one fence but thats up to him. I would never want a house without a fence though- big fences make good neighbors!

 

[OceanAnnie]

What's a "twin" home?

I was wondering too.

 

[low-key]

just put it up, that way you dont have to talk to him

 

[FredinFL]

HI! We just bought a twin home. My neighbor has a chain link fence in between our 2 houses. I would like to put up a new white vinyl privacy fence. Do I have to ask his permission? I have never talked with him before and I'm not really a "neighbor type" of person.

On my side of the yard my new fence will look nice but from his yard he is going to see my fence right up against his chain link fence. Thats going to look kind of silly....wont it??

Put your fence up, he can take his down if he doesn't like it. Good fences make good neighbors! You could give him a heads up if you like, but no need to ask his permission. I wouldn't. I'd just do it. Face it, if he was worried about looks, he wouldn't have gone with chain link.

 

[Lisa_M]

A twin home is sort of like a duplex. There is a shared wall. The difference is each side is deeded separate, so unlike a duplex you only own half of the whole house. I never heard of it until moving to PA.

 

[tvguy]

As long as it is on your property, and meets city code requirements, you don't have a legal obligation to notify your neighbor, but a heads up would be nice.

 

[tvguy]

I love that our neighborhood does not allow them but with that said the one you are proposing sounds a ton better.

How do people keep their pets in their yards? I think THAT would be a huge liability issue without fences.

 

[TaraPA]

While it might not be necessary to notify your neighbor, make sure you don't have to get a permit or permission from your city, borough, township, etc. first. In our township just last month someone we're acquantances with put up a fence not realizing they had to get approval first. The township made them tear it out, at their expense, then apply for permits, then put it back up a second time. A very expensive lesson learned!

 

[TaraPA]

How do people keep their pets in their yards? I think THAT would be a huge liability issue without fences.

Our development also does not allow fences of any kind. We've never had an issue of pets coming into our yard, as most people have the invisible underground fences. Around here that's the norm, but I guess not everywhere.

 

[emma'smom]

The house next door to us is for sale and I dread the idea that someone will come in and put up a fence. It would block the rolling view for everyone. That's what invisible fences are for! It would NOT make for a good start to neighborly relationships!


In our neighborhood, fences can only come off of the backs of the house---so the yard on "our" side will still belong to them---but will look like an extension of our yard and their "yard" will feel smaller.

Let's just hope any new neighbors enjoy the view as much as we do!

 

[eeyoremum]

If you don't have fences how do you keep kids out of your yard? What if you had a pool?

 

[TaraPA]

If you don't have fences how do you keep kids out of your yard? What if you had a pool?

Pools get special exceptions here, but considering we're on the side of a very large hill of several hundred acres, a lot of it wooded, there are only about 5 pools in a development of 60+ homes. The slope & terrain don't allow any place for pools to go in. But they do need to be fenced in for safety.

I'm not sure I understand what "how do you keep kids out of your yard?" Our yard is our property, anyone else's is there's, and everyone knows not to go in someone else's yard or it's considered trespassing. If my kids want to play with someone they call or go over to their door & ask & vice versa. Our next door neighbor has no kids so there's no reason mine would need to be in their yard for anything (other than a runaway ball or something). Around here private property is highly respected, I guess in other places it's different. I can't think of any reason kids would need to be in my yard unless they were invited by myself or my kids. Do you mean you'd have random kids running around your yard without a fence!?

 

[FredinFL]

If I buy a house, it's having a fence. I have a dog that loves to run around his yard. I don't believe in electric fences. It would be unfortunate if my neighbors didn't like it, but I'd still put one up.