What's the proper etiquette...

[NHdisneylover]

It will be your responsibility to maintain all sides of the fence. I would HIGHLY recommend going with a maintenance free material like trex and DON'T get an all white one as they can be BLINDING in the sun. We just stained our deck to the tune of almost $1000 in stain and about 100 hours of time (we have a big fence but still).

This is excellent advice. I love Trex It is a big initial investment but will save you lots of money and work in the long run.

I'd check with your town. Any fence over 4 feet tall has to have a varience here (get approval from your neighbors), and even 4 feet tall fences need a permit, and have to be 4 feet in from your property line.

4 feet in That is a HUGE amount of yard to lose.

And what's up with someone asking neighbors to pay. I think that's odd. You want the fence, you pay to put it up and maintain it. Not saying the OP is doing that but this is all new to me.

I find it odd too

I've seen this lots of times, but I agree that the nice side should face out. It's tacky IMO to build a fence with the 'ugly' side on the outside.

Yes it is tacky and rude really. I am glad to hear it is against code in many areas.

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow that would equate to a ton of "lost" yard.

Yeah, it stinks - luckily, our neighbor has a fence, and allowed us to butt up to theirs, so we gained some. We had bushes on the property line anyway, so they're outside the fence. We are also not allowed front fences, or side fences, so my other neighbor, who lives on a corner, can't have one.

 

[sorcerormickey]

Definitely check with your City. When we lived in Michigan, to put up a privacy fence you needed the permission of your abutters....and the abutters of your abutters.

 

[BellvilleDad]

Huh? What is weed eat?

Cutting with a Weed Eater.

The owner of the empty lot behind us has (verbally) promised us first option if he ever decided to sell. We're all neighbors in this small town. We returned from vacation last summer and found surveying flags all over the lot, and a no trespassing sign. So much for a handshake between neighbors. I put up a 6' privacy fence on the property line with the "nice" side facing out. A new house is now there, and I'm so glad I have the fence.

 

[MizTink]

i lived with my parents for my first experience with neighbors paying for the fence. my dad didn't ask them to pay. he was letting one neighbor know that the fence would be coming because he had a dog in his yard. they chatted outside for a while and the neighbor offered to pay for 1/2 of his shared side. the neighbor on the other side just thought that was a good idea, and offered to split his side too. the guy along the back was a jerk, so my dad notified him of when the fence was being installed in case of dogs or whatever. they weren't at all friendly with each other, so nothing more was even considered. that guy was even outside arguing with the owner of the fence company about the location. he was losing a few feet and 2 orange trees from what he thought was his yard! good thing for surveys before installation!! LOL

my 2nd experience was in my own home. of the 3 neighbors that benefitted from our new fence, 1 offered to split his shared side. probably just because he and my then dh were friends. 1 of the other neighbors didn't want us putting the fence up at all. they liked it all open. i got tired of looking at the old man (at least in his 70's) outside in his speedo. it was also getting harder and harder to keep the kids from laughing too loud when they were out back and saw him like that!!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

We put up our privacy fence 3 years ago and it was the best money we every spent! Not only the privacy, but the ability to let the kids out freely and know they safely enclosed in the back yard (we live 2 lots off a county highway).

We did tell our neighbors before we put it up, just as a courtesy. I would never in a million years asked or hoped for them to pay for the side that's on their properly. We put ours "nice" side out, but I actually love having the "ugly" side face in - I don't think it looks bad at all and we have solar lanterns and birdfeeders hung off of many of the 4 x 4 posts on the inside and it looks nice.

In regards to the easment - be sure to check! When we bought our house we knew we had an easement on one side (there is a fire hydrant at the back corner of our property) but we thought it was a 10' easment. After checking, it ended up being a 17' easement! So we had to start the fence on the inside of that - worked out okay because we just put it right in line with the house. The other side we put in 1' off the property line just to be sure we were not on the neighbors.

 

[MizTink]

We put up our privacy fence 3 years ago and it was the best money we every spent! Not only the privacy, but the ability to let the kids out freely and know they safely enclosed in the back yard (we live 2 lots off a county highway).

We did tell our neighbors before we put it up, just as a courtesy. I would never in a million years asked or hoped for them to pay for the side that's on their properly. We put ours "nice" side out, but I actually love having the "ugly" side face in - I don't think it looks bad at all and we have solar lanterns and birdfeeders hung off of many of the 4 x 4 posts on the inside and it looks nice.

In regards to the easment - be sure to check! When we bought our house we knew we had an easement on one side (there is a fire hydrant at the back corner of our property) but we thought it was a 10' easment. After checking, it ended up being a 17' easement! So we had to start the fence on the inside of that - worked out okay because we just put it right in line with the house. The other side we put in 1' off the property line just to be sure we were not on the neighbors.

we put ours "nice side out" too, but partially because it's really hard to climb a fence when there's nothing but smooth vertical boards that go well above your head! nothing to put your feet on to get a lift!

 

[Guy Incognito]

Our town dictates where the fence can be placed on the property.

And what's up with someone asking neighbors to pay. I think that's odd. You want the fence, you pay to put it up and maintain it. Not saying the OP is doing that but this is all new to me.

if the neighbors decide to also fence in their yard, it makes sense to split the cost of the shared fence-line between the two.... if they don't plan on putting up a fence, then they shouldn't have to pay anything

 

[barkley]

this topic makes me think that it's not pretty much a given in other regions, as it's been in the states we've lived in (california and washington) that with rare exceptions, the construction of traditional neighborhood family homes automaticaly includes fencing.

that said, in the traditional neighborhoods we've lived in (not counting out in the country), the "ugly side" of the fence was always shared by neighbors. the contractors would alternate the sections of fence so that you had one "pretty" panel next to one "ugly". you only got all ugly if you had a portion of your yard that faced the street (like a corner lot).

it was the norm to share the costs if a replacement fence was needed, in fact when wind storms damaged large portions if you called your insurance company they were quick to remind you that the liability was shared jointly with the neighbor with whom you shared the fence.

 

[krcit]

Our town dictates where the fence can be placed on the property.

And what's up with someone asking neighbors to pay. I think that's odd. You want the fence, you pay to put it up and maintain it. Not saying the OP is doing that but this is all new to me.

I hadn't heard of it either until our neighbor called us at 10:00 pm one night to tell us he was getting a new fence the next day and did we want to split it? Um......no the side of my yard that I share with him has my garage between the yards so I don't nned a fence there. People are unreal.

 

[PatsMom]

Definitely check with your local codes before putting in a fence. I know in my mother's town it makes a difference what material the fence is made of. If it is trex or another maintenance free material, the setback is different than for a wood fence. The reason is because you have to be able to maintain (paint) the outside of the fence without going on your neighbor's property. So I think there is about a four foot setback for a wood fence.

And I know some towns do regulate height. I had never heard of splitting the cost of fencing until I read about it here.

 

[tvguy]

Having traveled a bit in the midwest I have been surprised to see homes with no fences. Always wondered how folks keep their dog in their yard without a fence.
Around here code requires the developer to put fences in before the house is sold new. They are put on the property line. They normally put in what is known as a "good neighbor" fence, which is a fence where they alternate fence sections, so one neighbor doesn't get the pretty side only, and the other neighbor gets the ugly side only. (see picture below). Code says they can't be more than 7 feet tall.
When they need to be replaced, they go back on the property line, with the neighbors splitting the cost. It can be a hassle because you usually have at least 3 neighbors (left, right and back side) to split the cost with. In my case, my subdivision was built in 1976, and we share a back fence with a subdivision built in 1956. Our lots are wider so I actually share the back fence with 3 neighbors, plus the 2 neighbors on either side, so I had to split my costs with 5 other neighbors. In the 50's it appears around here the lots in general were slightly narrower, but about 3 times deeper than the lots when my subdivision was built. My lot is .17 acre and is wider than my neighbor's lot, but because of the extra depth, his lot is 1/2 acre.

 

[aprilgail2]

:And what's up with someone asking neighbors to pay. I think that's odd. You want the fence, you pay to put it up and maintain it. Not saying the OP is doing that but this is all new to me.

Well sometimes they have no choice LOL---I had no pool or dog at the time--the fence I had installed in my back yard was getting really ugly so I took it down. Didn't buy a new one yet or anything but just took it down. The people behind me had a pool AND a dog so they really needed a fence.... I wanted one too but I didn't have a NEED for it...so when I said "hey you want to split another fence" they jumped at the chance LOL....it was either that or play the waiting game until they put one up on their own since town code states you have a pool you need a fence!

 

[Pakey]

Having traveled a bit in the midwest I have been surprised to see homes with no fences. Always wondered how folks keep their dog in their yard without a fence.
Around here code requires the developer to put fences in before the house is sold new. They are put on the property line. They normally put in what is known as a "good neighbor" fence, which is a fence where they alternate fence sections, so one neighbor doesn't get the pretty side only, and the other neighbor gets the ugly side only. (see picture below). Code says they can't be more than 7 feet tall.
When they need to be replaced, they go back on the property line, with the neighbors splitting the cost. It can be a hassle because you usually have at least 3 neighbors (left, right and back side) to split the cost with. In my case, my subdivision was built in 1976, and we share a back fence with a subdivision built in 1956. Our lots are wider so I actually share the back fence with 3 neighbors, plus the 2 neighbors on either side, so I had to split my costs with 5 other neighbors. In the 50's it appears around here the lots in general were slightly narrower, but about 3 times deeper than the lots when my subdivision was built. My lot is .17 acre and is wider than my neighbor's lot, but because of the extra depth, his lot is 1/2 acre.

It's like this where we are in California too. Except neighbors aren't required to pitch in if fence needs replacing. We purchased a rental property last year and our insurance company required a new fence in order to insure. Only one of the 3 neighbors agreed to pitch in for their portion.

 

[msmayor]

When we put our fence up, we put it slightly INSIDE our property line. Not because of any regulation.

Because if the fence is ON the property line, then your neighbors can legally do what they want to the fence that faces their property...because its legally on the line.

They can paint it.

They can hang things from it.

They can legally 'attach' to your fence with their own.

Since my fence is 100% on MY property, my neighbors may not legally do anything to my fence. They cannot 'attach' to my fence without my permission. They cannot in any way do anything that will cause a problem with my fence.

 

[golfgal]

Having traveled a bit in the midwest I have been surprised to see homes with no fences. Always wondered how folks keep their dog in their yard without a fence.
Around here code requires the developer to put fences in before the house is sold new. They are put on the property line. They normally put in what is known as a "good neighbor" fence, which is a fence where they alternate fence sections, so one neighbor doesn't get the pretty side only, and the other neighbor gets the ugly side only. (see picture below). Code says they can't be more than 7 feet tall.
When they need to be replaced, they go back on the property line, with the neighbors splitting the cost. It can be a hassle because you usually have at least 3 neighbors (left, right and back side) to split the cost with. In my case, my subdivision was built in 1976, and we share a back fence with a subdivision built in 1956. Our lots are wider so I actually share the back fence with 3 neighbors, plus the 2 neighbors on either side, so I had to split my costs with 5 other neighbors. In the 50's it appears around here the lots in general were slightly narrower, but about 3 times deeper than the lots when my subdivision was built. My lot is .17 acre and is wider than my neighbor's lot, but because of the extra depth, his lot is 1/2 acre.

I would take the ugly side of a fence of that any day. It looks like a bunch of drunken sailors got together and put up a fence

 

[Disney Doll]

We put ours up and told the one neighbor it would impact that we were doing so. I think we put it about 3" or so in from the property line, just in case. But we were quite sure where the property line was because the stakes from the last survey were there.

We faced the good side out. The "bad" side has those horizontal cross pieces which just makes it easier for someone to climb your fence if they are facing out.

Check your town's regulaons about fences....some are very specific. Also, if you are at all unsure of where the property line is, I recommend a survey...spending some money now may save you a lot later.

As far as paying for the fence...we wanted it, we paid for it. Didn't ask the neighbor to chip in.

 

[dimimi]

for fences and neighbors?

We just moved into a brand new house, and we would like to put up a fence to block our neighbors from both sides from seein' all our good times.

Do we put the fence a few inches from our property line? Do we notify our neighbors first?


My husband is all over the just Puttin' it up an inch from our line...I'm not sure.
What's your opinion?

I didn't read all of the other replys, so forgive me. You need to call your city. There are city ordinances that will clearly tell you what you need to do...it's really not an opinion thing. They will tell you how high it can be, what type it can be and if it can be on the lot line, etc.
Good luck!

 

[JessicaR]

Having traveled a bit in the midwest I have been surprised to see homes with no fences. Always wondered how folks keep their dog in their yard without a fence.
Around here code requires the developer to put fences in before the house is sold new. They are put on the property line. They normally put in what is known as a "good neighbor" fence, which is a fence where they alternate fence sections, so one neighbor doesn't get the pretty side only, and the other neighbor gets the ugly side only. (see picture below). Code says they can't be more than 7 feet tall.
When they need to be replaced, they go back on the property line, with the neighbors splitting the cost. It can be a hassle because you usually have at least 3 neighbors (left, right and back side) to split the cost with. In my case, my subdivision was built in 1976, and we share a back fence with a subdivision built in 1956. Our lots are wider so I actually share the back fence with 3 neighbors, plus the 2 neighbors on either side, so I had to split my costs with 5 other neighbors. In the 50's it appears around here the lots in general were slightly narrower, but about 3 times deeper than the lots when my subdivision was built. My lot is .17 acre and is wider than my neighbor's lot, but because of the extra depth, his lot is 1/2 acre.

I've never seen anything like that and it would never fly around here. Nice side out is the only option. My husband had a fence made with nice sides on both sides. Everybody is fenced in here. We have 6' surrounding the whole property. Makes me extremely happy.

 

[bgirldeb]

I would take the ugly side of a fence of that any day. It looks like a bunch of drunken sailors got together and put up a fence

Yeah, I think I'd prefer the ugly side too!