Fences do not make good neighbors

[Sean Troy]

Pull it down, throw it away and replace it with NO TRESSPASSING signs every ten feet facing his property.

[Tom Gooch]

Presuming you want to maintain neighborly relations that don't involve casting stones, or in this case lawn rakes at each other, your actions now will dictate those future relations, so move carefully. Only you know the tenor of this neighbor and how he might react. Sometime approaching from a questioning position is best and least threatening...ask him what he hoped to accomplish with the fence and how long he intended it to stay. After asking some questions, you might then ask, if he knows the fence is on YOUR property (if in fact you know absolutely that it it---or you could ignite a new battle of boundaries). From my point of view, he hasn't acted to offend you, only prevent stuff from entering his yard from yours...did it enter your yard from further upwind? Neighbor fueding neighbor is bad stuff and can escalate quickly, so I'd encourage some dialog to get the strife into the light of day...ususally these things escalate more with things unsaid than those discussed calmly.

[David G Baker]

Dan,
Guess you haven't lived in California. Most properties are fenced to avoid exactly what you are now experiencing as well as to provide privacy. Can't suggest how you can cope with your situation but if you are buying your home, your neighbor may be your neighbor for the rest of your life. Give that some thought. If the fence is on your property you have a just complaint.

[Scott Shepherd]

Get yourself the most powerful leaf blower available and blow your leaves against, up and over the fence every chance you get

Only kidding

[Dan Mages]

When I got home today the fence was removed, except for a 10' section next to the leaf composting pile, which is well wrapped in plastic chicken wire. I am wondering when he will tell me that the compost pile has to go.

In the end, I will maintain the high road in this affair. As much as I would enjoy tearing up the fence and making a spectacle of the affair, I will choose to ignore him and his actions and clean up my yard in a timely manner. As annoying and inapropriate as the fence was, the damage and inconvenience was minimal. This was the first real experience we have had with him in the year we have lived here. He has never said hello or shown any interest in us. As far as I am concerned, he is just a crochety old man who needs something better to do with his time. My wife, who is finishing up law school, will be writing him a polite, yet firm letter letting him know that in the future he should come to us first and that such actions will not be acceptable.

Dan

[Rich Konopka]

The weather has not been ideal for getting out in the yard for the past couple of weeks. Taking the high road was the way to go. It will save you grief with your neighbor in the long run.

[Tim Morton]

you could always move up to Vermont...we are generally a friendly bunch

Plus we assume any leaves that blow onto our property are just an act of god, and if we have a person in the neigborhood who is under the weather or away for an extended trip....we may just go over and mow your lawn for you and if some raking needs to be done thats ok too....

It seems like your neighbor needs to learn the definition of being neighborly.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I had a situation many years ago. We got a dog and our son was getting old enough to play in the yard, so I decided to put up a fence. I talked to both neighbors to find out if they were going to frnce their yards, too. In both cases, they said no. Since the houses weren't very old and the original lot line stakes were in place and they both said no, I told them that I was going to place it 3"inside my property. To this point, I believe I acted like a good neighbor as well as pragmatic. In Illinois, when a fence is placed between two pieces of property and perpendicular fences are added, it becomes the new property line. So far, so good.

Two years later LOML and I come back from church to find one neighbor putting a fence post directle next to my corner post(2" pipe - 3" setback) and on MY property. I walked back and asked what he was doing. He said that he was putting up a fence to allow them to have a dog. Didn't offer to do the right thing and OFFER to pay part of my fence cost down that line. He acted completely ignorant of our conversation when my fence went up, so I reminded him that due to the setback, he was on my property. He basically said "What are you gonna do about it." I said that I wasn't, but he had two choices. 1. pay me for half the cost of that run. or 2. take the poles out and move them onto his property. He chose to move them.

The outcome, eight couples that played cards once a month at each others house. Sides were taken and everything fell apart. I really believe that if he had come to me and said be was thinking of fencing his yard, I would have said " go ahead and tie on. We WERE supposed to be FRIENDS at the time.

Fences do NOT make good neighbors - Good people do!

Just my opinion.

Bruce

[Karl Brogger]

Eric DeSilva has the best route, but I'd be tempted to call Haliburton. Just because it made me laugh.

[John Daugherty]

I would have told him that the fence was on my property and he needed to move it onto his. I also would have told him I didn't care what he put on his land.

[Neal Clayton]

Pull it down, throw it away and replace it with NO TRESSPASSING signs every ten feet facing his property.

i'm gonna go with this one.

[Bob Moyer]

Let's play role reversal; what would you do if your neighbor was causing this problem?

Personally I would know that my neighbor has had problems keeping up with his yard and would offer to help,

Having said that; I once had the neighbor who was a jerk to put it bluntly, the sidewalk along my house was right next to the property line and against my house; when it snowed the ideal way to remove the snow was to shovel it on to his lawn next to his house; he also had issues with my pushing my mower under his split rail fence to minimize my trimming. FWIW, he actually lowered the fence to prevent me from doing it. however, it also prevented him from doing it from his side and he brought back the same contractor to raise the fence at a later date.

[Phil Thien]

I'd make two cardboard ovals about the size of his and his wife's faces. Attach little pieces of wood as handles. Bring them over to his house and ask them to hold them over their faces when they come outside. Explain that you'd like them to do this because they're ugly, and you're tired of their uglyness spreading onto your property.

On a more serious note, you'll never see eye to eye with this guy. His priorities are upside down, and he has nerve in spades.

I'd simply remove the fence, put it on his property, and don't talk to him any more. Just don't talk to him, completely ignore him. He doesn't exist in your world. You don't need the negativity, especially if you've recently been ill.

[Phil Thien]

Personally I would know that my neighbor has had problems keeping up with his yard and would offer to help,

That's one approach. Another would be to stop taking care of your own lawn, so that the neighbor didn't feel bad.

[Ralph Barhorst]

HUH! My neighbor is better than your neighbor.

Last fall my leaves were blowing into his yard and he came over and raked all of my leaves. He is a little anal about his yard.