Daily Dose Blogger Bios
Good Neighbors Make Good Fences
Avid reader Chanchow asks the following question:
"We have a neighbor, and we have two fences that separate us-- a chain link (our side) and a taller, cedar fence (their side). Our neighbor is planning to tear down his fence and replace it with a nicer one and has asked us to chip in. It seems sorta silly for us to be paying him to upgrade his fence, while we'll still have our dinky little chain link on our side. So my kneejerk reaction is to say that we decline to pay but certainly will not object to him replacing his fence. Is there some fence etiquette that I should know about before we tell him? Is he overstepping to be asking us in the first place?"
Chanchow is diving into the wonderful world of next-door-neighbor relations, everybody! It's strange, isn't it - to choose the fence you want; the materials, the style, find the contractor, get the 'nice' side of the fence to face the interior of your backyard - and then ask your neighbor to pay for it, too? What a great deal! Lots of people do this, and many neighbors comply... sometimes in the interest of neighborhood relations, sometimes because it appears to be a good deal for both. But is it really? Communication is incredibly important. What kind of fence? Will it be exactly on the property line? Will both neighbors have input in all aspects of design and take construction bids together? The biggest issue for me is that, in the case of a cedar fence, one of the neighbors has to get the 'bad' side of the fence - the side that has the hardware and bracing visible- and the other gets the pretty side. The only way around this is to pay almost double for a two-sided fence. If you aren't chomping at the bit to have a cedar fence, it isn't your responsibility to pay for half, or any part of it. Your neighbor might not like it, and get huffy because you'll be getting the benefit of his screen - but he should pay for his own fence.
I recently had a fence built, and not only did I not ask my neighbor to chip in, I made sure that the side that faced her wasn't ugly. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back (okay, well, maybe a little...), but isn't taking responsibility for your property and it's impact on your community the real neighborly thing to do?
Something there is that doesn't love a wall...
muchos gracias, germi!!! i wish YOU lived next door. i'm so glad to hear that we're not offbase on this. we feel a little bad about saying no, but i think i would feel bitter if i said yes. argh. what happens if in a few years we decide to take down the chain link, so that only the new fence he's putting up separates us? is that kosher? or are we bound to the two fence thing forever?
We'll move next door ASAP! We can use house #2 as our summer home - so what if it's only a few blocks away?
You should feel free to take down your fence; there is no reason to keep the link fence up just so your neighbor's fence will be the only barrier - most people have this situation in their yards. Are you looking into the back of the existing fence? Is that okay with you? You might want to plant a shrub border in front of it if there is room ... a living, flowering wall is way prettier than a fence - or most fences, rather.
My favorite shrubs for screening are:
Lavatera maratima
Dodonea viscosa 'Purpurea'
Pittosporum tennuifolium 'Silversheen'
Otatea acuminata
Podocarpus henkelii
This way, if you take down your chain link, your neighbor can't accuse you of trying to mooch off of his new cedar fence!
My two cents: if a fence comes down because of an earthquake or some unforseeable accident, then the neighbors should split the cost to replace it. If it's just one person's preference to put up a new one, well, tough luck. I think it's perfectly OK to say you just can't afford to pitch in right now, nor any time soon.
Personally I would be thrilled to have a chain-link fence, since that means...vines!!
Spoken like a true plant fiend, Susa!
Germi- Did you get the e-mail I sent w/ the ivy pictures a couple days ago? Catherine replied from that address because the files were too big, so I re-sent the e-mail and photos in pieces, but I don't know if it ever went through. If not, e-mail me through my blog and let me know how else to send to you directly!
thanks again for all the advice. the fence is now up (without any $ contribution from us-- the neighbors were understanding about it). it's bamboo and quite nice. i'm glad we didn't get the ugly side of the fence!
Here's a fence issue that didn't seem to really come up in the previous discussions. Our strangely shaped yard is fenced on three sides by our neighbors and has been for years. My husband and I have decided that we would like the yard fully fenced which means one rather long section and then gated sections on either side of the house. Bids for this alone have been in the $800-1000 range. Are we bound to write checks to the neighbors who's fences constitute most of our fencing. Can't afford it if that's the case. =o/