Fence Etiquette

[Brandon Shew]

I was helping my brother put up a 6' privacy fence in his back yard (8' long pre-fab dog eared panels from the BORG). We had all of the pre-fab panels attached to the posts when his wife came home and literally flipped out that we had put the "good side" facing his back yard and the "bad side" facing his neighbor. "I don't want to be that kind of neighbor" she said.

My thought is this. - It's the back yard and you're paying for the fence. Why look at the support braces and posts when you don't have to? Plus - you neighbor can now hang the fence of his choice on the other side of the posts. I agree that the "good side" should face the street and we actually put up 2 panels (one on both sides) where the fence can be seen from the street,

What are your thoughts about which way the fence should have been hung?

[Steve Evans]

My thoughts are, if you talked to the neighbour, and he didn't want to go halfs on it, then you get the good side. And if you didn't talk to the neighbour, well you should have.

Steve

[Barry O'Mahony]

This isn't really a woodworking-related thread, but if this project wasn't done in cooperation with your neighbor, then you need to ensure that every bit of the fence, including the posts, is on your side of the property line. If so, and if you meet local codes (which in most places limit you to 6' high), you can do whatever you want. The neighbor can put up their own fence, but cannot put anything on your posts without your permission.

Most so-called "good neighbor" fence designs (i.e., look the same on both sides) do so by looking equally bad on both sides, and offer little privacy. I've seen pro fence contractors do good ones, but the DIY efforts usually are not.

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Local codes often specify that the "finished side" of a fence must face out.

[Howard Acheson]

In addition to neihborliness" many communities REQUIRE that the good side faces out. If you live where there are community standards, you had best check with them.

[Mark Patoka]

All the wooden yard fences I've seen have the posts on the inside or your side of the yard. The good side faces out so you neighbor or the street sees a nice looking fence, not the support structures.

[Bill Eshelman]

How bad did she Flip out?

///just wondering

hee hee

[Anthony Anderson]

Brandon,

We have a person in our neighborhood that tried the same thing you are doing. Only difference was he had a fence company doing the work, and he specified that he wanted the "good" side to face his back yard, IOW the neighbor got the #@%@#$y side. WRONG!!! Our neighborhood has an ordinance that if you put up a fence, then it has to be completely on your property (common sense!) AND the GOOD side has to face "OUT" on all sides of the fence. He did not talk/consult his neighbor, and had the fence installed while the neighbor was at work. The neighbor was not happy (from what I heard), and called the city. The next day or so, the fence was being taken apart and rebuilt the way it should have been built in the first place. Not sure who had to pay for the ignorance and the lack of respect to the neighbor. You should definitely consider the neighbor, and put the good side on the outside. Unless you have something like a five acre lot with you house right in the middle, then I would say it is up to you. But if you are doing this on the typical 1/4 acre to 1/2 acre lot...then all I can say is, I am glad you are not my neighbor, also I am glad I am not yours. Its the attitude that "its my property, so I can do what I want" mentality that gets me. In that case what's to stop someone from piling junk a mile high in their backyard, after all it is their property . No offense intended. Regards, Bill

[Barry O'Mahony]

Local codes often specify that the "finished side" of a fence must face out.

geesh, yet another reason to be glad I don't live in the 'burbs, and to feel sorry for those that do.

[Anthony Anderson]

Save your sympathy Barry. I am very happy I live exactly where I do...in fact I am tickled. Regards, Bill

[John Miliunas]

What's a "privacy fence"???? (Happily living in the country, with the nearest neighbor @1/8th-mile away! )

[Brandon Shew]

How bad did she Flip out?

///just wondering

hee hee

Real Bad - she didn't talk to him all night.



We tore down an old chain link fence. The neighbor kept asking when my brother was going to replace his fence so the neighbor could let his dogs out again (as if it was my brother's responsibility to put up a fence for his neighbor's dogs). My brother did talk to the neighbor to inform him of his plans for the fence, but I don't think that the direction was ever addressed. The neighbor was also asked if he wanted to "split the property line" and go in 1/2 on the fence - he declined. This same neighbor also has a god awful beat up above ground pool in his back yard, tons of trash, old bikes, 3 old lawnmowers, ladders, a deck that is falling apart, and really old knoty cedar shake siding on his house (where all of the knots have fallen out over the years and you can see the underlay) that my brother has had to endure looking at. Trust me when I say that this 6' privacy fence is a godsend for my Brother's back yard.

All of the fence is on my Brother's property. The only zoning restriction sets a height limit at 8' w/ no other specifications in his neighborhood. Personally I can't say that I blame him for installing the fence the way he did. My neighbor just did the same thing to me (put the good side facing his back yard) and it didn't bother me. I probably would have split the cost and property line with him had my house not been on the market (and me not wanting to spend any more on it since I'm not staying there). I did help him put it up it though


Anthony - why the "I'm glad your not my neighbor" jab? It's not even my fence.

[Anthony Anderson]

What's a "privacy fence"???? (Happily living in the country, with the nearest neighbor @1/8th-mile away! )

There you go John, I agree completely. I wish the wife would agree. Regards, Bill

[Anthony Anderson]

Brandon, By that I meant, you just don't see the slightest thing wrong in it. And you had influence in the decision. That's why I said what I did. I think your brother's wife is still right. I did not mean to infer that you are a bad person or anything, just that we wouldn't make good neighbors. I am sorry for the comment, and I am going to edit it right now. Regards, Bill

Real Bad - she didn't talk to him all night.
We tore down an old chain link fence. The neighbor kept asking when my brother was going to replace his fence so the neighbor could let his dogs out again (as if it was my brother's responsibility to put up a fence for his neighbor's dogs). My brother did talk to the neighbor to inform him of his plans for the fence, but I don't think that the direction was ever addressed. The neighbor was also asked if he wanted to "split the property line" and go in 1/2 on the fence - he declined. This same neighbor also has a god awful beat up above ground pool in his back yard, tons of trash, old bikes, 3 old lawnmowers, ladders, a deck that is falling apart, and really old knoty cedar shake siding on his house (where all of the knots have fallen out over the years and you can see the underlay) that my brother has had to endure looking at. Trust me when I say that this 6' privacy fence is a godsend for my Brother's back yard.

All of the fence is on my Brother's property. The only zoning restriction sets a height limit at 8' w/ no other specifications in his neighborhood. Personally I can't say that I blame him for installing the fence the way he did. My neighbor just did the same thing to me (put the good side facing his back yard) and it didn't bother me. I probably would have split the cost and property line with him had my house not been on the market (and me not wanting to spend any more on it since I'm not staying there). I did help him put it up it though


Anthony - why the "I'm glad your not my neighbor" jab? It's not even my fence.

[Chuck Saunders]

Our City codes require all fences are good side out. We also have a pool fence requirement but it sounds like you would do well not to rely upon your neighbors' fence choice.
Chuck