I have a fairly large area I plan to privacy fence (6′ high dog ear variety), and wonder:
(it’s about 1/4 acre)
Would you be considerate to your neighbors – who don’t really use their back 40’s – and put the fence nice-side out, or treat yourself and put the nice side in?
remodeler
Lighting up an exterior isn't just about ambiance— it's also about code compliance. Here is what the code says about safety and efficiency when it comes to outdoor lighting.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
if you are paying for all the material and labor, be selfish and put the nice side in towards your yard...
but if you can get your neighbors to anty up for half (or they pay for material and you provide labor, or some variation of) then alternate each section
we split the cost with our neighbor for 'most' of the fence (from the beginning of the house, to the end of the back yard), and we alternated each section...
but she wanted to extend the fence 20 feet from the front of the house to the sidewalk, which i wasn't in favor of. for that 20' foot section, she paid for all the material/labor and she got the nice side.
or you could always go with a fence that is nice on both sides, but they are a little pricier
Edited 6/17/2003 1:24:35 PM ET by oak
How about going with something like an alternating board design? That would make it look more or less the same from both sides.
The lessons most difficult to learn are those with the greatest rewards.
We put the boards on their side, and my wife uses the rails for hanging stuff...plants, signs, all sortza krap we 'have to have'.Do it right, or do it twice.
ElCid, Like a loooooooooooooooong kitchen windowsill?
What IS all that sh!t that has to live on the windowsill?
Does it need the light to grow more of it?
Joe H
Don't know where you live,but here(Chicago area)if you put up a privacy fence,to comply with code(a permit is required)the "good side" has to face out.
Heard a story of a guy that didn't like his neighbors and was so pissed that he had to put the good side facing them,that he painted the good side hot pink. Right-on!
You got it right Boss. I've done a couple like that. If you alternate with about a 1/2" overlay, it takes a few more pickets, but the privacy factor is still good, and it looks good both ways. Maybe the additional cost is worth the "goodwill" it would create.
Dave
All I know is you're supposed to have the "good" side facing New York.
And I don't even take credit for this idea.
~Peter
Quitting Prospero Now Greatly Reduces Serious Threats to Your Health.
We have a 6' cedar fence around part of our lot - "good" side out. Looks better from the street, of course, but does have one other benefit to you: you can step up and look over easily, but anyone outside can't step up to look over or to climb over.
Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
Darkworks: No Guns No Butter squilla and the bling bling.
The rails on my side, nice fence to the outside to make it hard to climb over doesn't deter everyone. I had a very obnoxious neighborhood kid that neighbors spotted hopping our fence when we weren't home several times. Straight pins toenailed to poke out the top will however put a stop to that sort of nonsense.
Course then your house gets egged and you landscaping gets vandalized instead. Have I mentioned that we are building a house in the country now? Way out in the country... I think I'll put the barbed wire on the neighbors side of the fence. That is if we ever get one.Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
I think I'll put the barbed wire on the neighbors side of the fence.
LoL. Actually, a simple fence is best in the country, wire, chain link, what have you. To keep the neighbors "on their side" just plant with 1 gallon Buford Holly alternating with taller 1 gallon Youpon (sometimes called "bush form"). Might have to check if Abilene is 'east' enough for Asian Lygustrum. There's a dwarf mock orange that is dry-land hardy, that only grows about 8-10' tall with a 4' canopy height, with impressive thorns (it was developed as a "natural" fence).
BTW, each variety has thorns and has dense foilage and is evergreen in Texas. Now, it's "landscaping" not a "mean ol' fence."
In town, rather than sharp objects on the top rail (with attendant liability problems for creating a "hazzard"), training honeysuckle acros the fence is fast and easy. It also attracts wasps & bees of many varieties, which then to give teenage hoodlums heebie-jeebies. Wild rose is alos nice. A mean person might put sumac or nightshade on the base of the fence (sumac will climb, too). But that would be right mean.
Thanks for the advice Cap'n! I'm printing your suggestions, they all sounded pretty good.
Ever consider a career in landscape architecture?Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Ever consider a career in landscape architecture?
Had a career in landscape for most of a year (irrigation piping, plant installation, design, drafting, deck building, equipment operator). LA gets less respect sometimes than architects do--"It's just sticking some plants in the ground . . . ")
Never was good (or interested) enough in Botany & Horticulture to get through the coursework. No really a good enough golfer for the "bread-and-butter" work of course design, either.
Learned enough about local flora to be slightly dangerous--and on which things are sharpest and least nice to be close to <g> . . .
Smooth side out, then plant cactus or some thorny bushes just inside the fence...Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
think of curb appeal.. and how you want the world to see your property..
also don't forget about setback.. wether or not it's required.. think about setting your fence 2' - 4' inside YOUR property line.. then YOU can control what gets put up against your fence, you can decide how it gets mowed and what gets planted against it..if you set on the PL, you give up a lot of options
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
.. think about setting your fence 2' - 4' inside YOUR property line.. then YOU can control what gets put up against your fence, you can decide how it gets mowed and what gets planted against it.
Excellent idea, thanks Mike :-)
Be careful about that fence setback. Around here there have been cases where after 8 years the fence defines the new property line. In order to have that fence back from the property line and not lose the property it may become necessary to resurvey the house regularly.
Thanks for the info. Points well taken!
Best way to maintain control of the 2' strip on the "other side" of the fence is to place a few plantings over there.
In spring and fall, meander on over and tend the plants. Fertiize, prune etc...just do some sort of maintenance.
In my area contry and state courts have accepted that type of maintenance as showing that the strip of property on the other side of the fence was not abandoned.
I like the idea of setting it back to control what's planted next to it. But I'd be sure to actually use/control what's in that section. Isn't there some law that says if a fence is placed a certain # of feet from the property line, or otherwise give up use of property, and you allow the neighbors to control that section for say 10 years, they effectively "own" that piece of the property? Dunno, I thought I heard something like that, maybe just a wive's tale, I'm drunk, or some combination.
As for nice side in/out, around here I've always understood it to be nice side towards the neighbors, for it to be legal. Exception if there are two "opaque" fences placed back to back, in which case both sides can have the nice side. IOW, if you have privacy fence, they have chain link, you still have to show the nice side towards them.If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.
Isn't there some law that
There is indeed. If you do not make some sort of definition to the property line, then any neighbors are free to use it. After a certain amount of time (the amount varies by state), the neighbors "own" the property by "adverse possesion." No big deal, but unless you resurvey and create an "accomodation," you get to keep paying the property taxes on the property you cannot use.
This can crop up when the fence contractor or the surveyor mis mark the property.
"Accomodation" law started with the meandering of rivers and other watersheds.
BS.... there are very easy ways to stop "adverse possession".. one way is to write a letter granting permission for your neighbor to use it.
another is for YOU to mow it and maintain it and plant what you want..
also.... if you have your property surveyed, be sure to ask how much to monument your corners... most surveyors will set granite or concrete monument bounds for about $200.. or less... the oak survey stakes disappear.. but the monuments will be there 200 years from now..
in New England ( which uses "meets & bounds ".. stone walls are commonly property lines and the abutters own them equally.. so there are lots of disputes over how to maintain , or rebuild them.. or even how formal they should be.. one way out of this is to NOT build them on the PL.. and then maintain both sides.. no one can take "adverse possession" unless you let themMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Mike is right. To avoid "adverse possesion", just send a registered letter, or do routine mainentance.
To successful obtain these squatter's rights, the squatting must be long-term and "notorious". Clear to the passer-by. And unresponsed to by the owner. So it is more likely an issue with an absentee landowner.
Note that I am in favor of these squatter's rights. There are good reasons why there's 700 years of common law and case law creating these rights. Some farmer might use land for years, honestly believing a fence line or marker was accurate. Only to have the absentee landowner come by 30 years later and seize his house that got built over the line. It also eliminates certain claims of mis-surveyed property boundaries. If past mistakes or modern instruments or earthquakes cause assumed property boundaries to be in error, these rights lets everything go on as everyone had assumed they were, without moving every fence in town and a few house besides.
David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
How about if you just put the fence 2-4' OVER the P.L. and after a few years YOU will own part of the nieghbors property!!
Given enough time you could have 40 acres and only pay taxes on 1.Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around, its the easiest way that I've found . . .
Dogbones if you name the artist"The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb " lyrics by Roger Waters
Meatloaf A good heart embiggins even the smallest person.
Quittin' Time
He shoots . . . ohhhhhGive Me 40 Acres He was headin' into Boston in a big long diesel truckIt was his first trip to Boston he was having lots of luckHe was going the wrong direction down a one way street in townAnd this is what he said when the police chased him down, Give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around, Give me 40 acres, it's the easiest way that i've found, Some guys can turn it on a dime or turn it right downtown, But i need 40 acres to turn this rig around. When he finally found where to unload he had a dreadful shockHis trailer pointed toward the road and his cab right to the dockAnd as he looked around him through tears he made this sound,Oh give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around, When he finally got unloaded he was glad to leave the townHe was very, very happy going back to alabam, (to be Alabama bound)When up ahead he saw a sign said you are northward boundHe said give me 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around, He was driving down the right lane when ahead he saw a signAnd he had to made a left turn but he could not get in lineAnd the tears were streaming down his cheeks and they all heard him yellGive me 40 sticks of dynamite and I'll blow this rig to____The Willis Brothers, 1964. "The child is grown / The dream is gone / And I have become / Comfortably numb " lyrics by Roger Waters
there are very easy ways to stop "adverse possession"
Didn't mean to suggest that--only that the condition exists. My current house is defined by four different PL mismatches. One neighbor has moved, so that solved that problem (new neighbor A, does not have "long & notorious," and B, is cool with the I'm over/she's over fence layout). Other neighbor has an added-on garage actually over my PL, so that could be an estate problem at some point. Worst case is the road the City laid out badly, the centerline of the blacktop used my corner marker for a layout.
Fixable? Sure. For just about $1000, each, I can get the problem areas surveyed and legally described. Then for about $1-1200, each, I can "convey" the newly described properties. Why bother? Well, then my "double" lot will never get doubled billed for the point-of-sale survey. Also, none of the other property holders have the complication of the "encroachments." Hardest one is actually conveying the asphalt road to the City. Not hard in price--they'll give a lifetime exemption in property tax for the square footage to avoid the eminent domain legal fees--just city-slow, every single thing takes a week and signatures of people on vacation.
Or, I just get along with the neighbors (and my estate has money set aside for handling all of the hassles, should I slip the mortal coil prematurely).
i no wat u mean.. our subdivision is all wrong.. i first found out when we built a house for a guy... and after we had it all built he had to buy his well back from his neighbor..
i've tried to get the homeowner's association to pay for a new survey so the grid could be swung amicably.. but no one is interested.. so .. me and my abutters have all our survey corners monumented...
last guy in can start by proving us wrong...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
our subdivision is all wrong
Yep, mine, too. When it was first subdivided in 1950, not one person bought only one of the 1/6 acre lots. The real estate law in those days was not so strict, either. When the neighbors started putting up chainlink fences, they ssem to have followed old farm fences. Or, at least my west PL is like that. The line has trees right down it like an old farm fence line--the privacy fence runs 'in between" the gaps in the trees.
C'est la vie.