What is proper fence etiquette? - Page 16

ScarletDove · ‎07-11-2010

Scooby Doo-- yes indeed you have been having some difficulty. But, re: the east side where you intalled, maintained and your neighbor tore it down, was this fence on your property? If so, how legal was it for him to dismantle your fence on your property?

Here is my problem, neighbor is in rental, fence on side of house is chain link that has been in place 47 years I lived here; chain link encloses that property. The back side of joining property has chain link, but later neighbor owner installed a 6ft wood fence for privacy which I love. The new neighbor has 2 dogs who bark at anything/everything. They are not outside much, constant barking when they are and I hear barking in their house. When I am in yard by chain fence, these dogs will bumrush fence barking incessantly, neighbor calls them and puts inside. There is no words, no neighborliness. I tried to make friends with the dogs first time it happened but they were not having any part of making friends; same for the neighbor.They do not maintain small hill by chain link fence, and I get blowover from their weeds. I am thinking about removing all chain link around my property and replacing with a picket fence. I will discuss with the property owner who I know and get along with well, but will not discuss with neighbor. All previous renters of this property became good friends and neighbors, but this couple are not!

Scooby Doo · ‎03-14-2010

I don't know how legal it was for him to remove the fence. I didn't pursue the issue because he replaced the fence with new wood. But I did struggle with the issue for a few days before I let it go. I think the fence is on the property line. It was there before either of us moved in.

That fence has a back story which I will condense. The neighbors who lived in the house at the time (and since moved) owned two Shar Pei dogs. I owned two Shih Tzu's and my DD living with me at the time had an minature American Eskimo. One evening in December all the dogs were outside at the same time. The Shar Pei dogs turned wild and broke some boards out of the fence and came into my yard and killed all our dogs. I insisted animal control take their dogs away also. In the Spring I made sure there were slats all along on the neighbors side of the fence, and then I put up new slats on my side so that it was a double fence. The new neighbors don't stain the wood to maintain it, so it deteriorated. My side looked good because it was newer and stained. So he hired an independent college age kid to put new fencing around two sides. Kid didn't look or ask, just ripped it out. I haven't said anything because I try to pick my battles. The lady that lives in the house in back of his apparently didn't complain either. And they ripped out her chain link. I know it's strange.

brewhaha · ‎07-25-2010

Always leave a peephole so your neighbors can watch you mowing the lawn in your speedos.

debic · ‎09-02-2010

@Scooby Doo wrote:
I don't know how legal it was for him to remove the fence. I didn't pursue the issue because he replaced the fence with new wood. But I did struggle with the issue for a few days before I let it go. I think the fence is on the property line. It was there before either of us moved in.
That fence has a back story which I will condense. The neighbors who lived in the house at the time (and since moved) owned two Shar Pei dogs. I owned two Shih Tzu's and my DD living with me at the time had an minature American Eskimo. One evening in December all the dogs were outside at the same time. The Shar Pei dogs turned wild and broke some boards out of the fence and came into my yard and killed all our dogs. I insisted animal control take their dogs away also. In the Spring I made sure there were slats all along on the neighbors side of the fence, and then I put up new slats on my side so that it was a double fence. The new neighbors don't stain the wood to maintain it, so it deteriorated. My side looked good because it was newer and stained. So he hired an independent college age kid to put new fencing around two sides. Kid didn't look or ask, just ripped it out. I haven't said anything because I try to pick my battles. The lady that lives in the house in back of his apparently didn't complain either. And they ripped out her chain link. I know it's strange.

...

Cement sounds better and better all the time. How horrible for you.

I think you are supposed to get your neighbors permission to put any fence on the property line and it's shared. If I had to put a fence up I'd pull it in a foot so it would be mine.

~~
*Off The Deep End~A very short trip for some!*

goldensrbest · ‎03-10-2010

Scooby doo, what did they do with the dogs ,that killed your dogs? That is horrible.

When you lose some one you L~O~V~E, that Memory of them, becomes a TREASURE.

surfk · ‎07-12-2010

@muttmom wrote:
I bet there will be a snow storm in hell before the OP asks again for advice here.

Some posters do love to hear themselves talk.

We've had dogs we called barkers but that did not mean they barked 24 hours a day.

I prefer a barking dog to my neighbor's 10 cats that scale our fence and defecate in our garden.

But they're YOUR dogs. So YOUR tolerance of YOUR own dogs barking is something other than what is the rest of neighborhood's perspective or tolerance for that same barking (coming from your dogs).

Its kind of like when a parent has screaming brats that THEY learn to tune out or they just put up with because they know what causes their kids to screech like banshees.

But your kids in such a situation aren't the entire neighborhoods' kids. All that the neighborhood thinks (as it endures the noise) is, "What a bunch of loud, unruly kids...I wonder where their parents are?"

When one hears a barker, one thinks the same. Sure. The dog is annoying...but WHERE is its owner? If they're GONE, that's negligent and inconsiderate of them as they don't care what happens when they're at work or out of the house. And if they ARE home, what is stopping them from telling their own dogs to SHUT UP??

Same when some neighbor plays his music loud. HE is enjoying it and not even thinking about much more than bopping to Miss Janet Jackson while he tries on various pairs of shoes.. But the whole apartment building didn't turn his music on and aren't really in the mood for a whole Rhythm Nation pounding through their walls like its 1989 all over again.

Its all about etiquette, POV and how to live within a community. If one wants to run a zoo, one doesn't look for a 2-bedroom townhome in a congested neighborhood to house it.

The answer isn't for everything and everyone to get LOUDER and more unruly. Instead, this is why manners, consideration for others - and even dog training come into the picture.

Noise pollution, which a chronic BARKER of a dog is really. is one of the worst of environmental nusances. Because one can't easily shut it out and one has zero control over it. One can slap up a fence or draw the curtains to shut out a visual blight. But NOISE is something else. And when its not one's own noise, its worse.

And I mean this in the generic or general and not sole directed at you, @muttmom.

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

I used to be a zoning officer and many of the municipalities where I worked had regulations for fences in their Ordinances. For example, you needed the adjoining property owner's written permission to install a fence on the property line. And we would always advise the applicant to install the fence about a lawn mower's width on their own property; however, they were not required to do so. But this would allow them to mow or otherwise perform any needed maintenance on their own fences (washing, staining, painting, etc). They could mow on both sides of the fence. That way, the neighbor didn't have to deal with your fence.

Just my two cents....

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

I live in California, everyone has to have a fence that lives within city limits. It is put on the exact property line, usually by the builder before the home is sold. Fences are owned by both neighbors. So you have 3 people to deal with. The fences have to be a certain height, and inspected usually. Costs are split by both neighbors.If they don't want to pay, and your fence is in bad repair, you can go to court and the judge will order payment. If the fence is bad, your home cannot be sold without contingencies.

Do most of you live back east? I see in the movies back yards with no fences. What do you do for privacy if you want to have a bar b que or party?. What if the dog or cat run off. I cannot imagine not having a fence. But actually the yards look better without a fence, unless you live next to the beverly Hillbillies. What is done if your neighbor has a junk yard? Yikes, my mind is running wild thinking if I had to live next door to slobs. I mean we have a couple of would be horders on the block, but I don't live next to them. They have a fence and the neighbors next to them still complain they are so bad. It would take years for the City to make them clean up.

“sometimes you have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on”….Bob Dylan

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

@shoekitty wrote:
I live in California, everyone has to have a fence that lives within city limits. It is put on the exact property line, usually by the builder before the home is sold. Fences are owned by both neighbors. So you have 3 people to deal with. The fences have to be a certain height, and inspected usually. Costs are split by both neighbors.If they don't want to pay, and your fence is in bad repair, you can go to court and the judge will order payment. If the fence is bad, your home cannot be sold without contingencies.

Do most of you live back east? I see in the movies back yards with no fences. What do you do for privacy if you want to have a bar b que or party?. What if the dog or cat run off. I cannot imagine not having a fence. But actually the yards look better without a fence, unless you live next to the beverly Hillbillies. What is done if your neighbor has a junk yard? Yikes, my mind is running wild thinking if I had to live next door to slobs. I mean we have a couple of would be horders on the block, but I don't live next to them. They have a fence and the neighbors next to them still complain they are so bad. It would take years for the City to make them clean up.

no fences......in fact, as i wrote earlier, there are no fences/walls even allowed in our neighborhoods. the only fence you can have is if you have it around an in ground pool. i much prefer it this way........the neighbors care for their lawns, people manage their dogs and cats, some have the electric fences, and the wildlife (including deer and foxes) are free to roam as they are supposed to. if we entertain outside we entertain outside.....so do the other neighbors when they want to.

green grass, mature trees, beautiful flowers and shrubs......and i get to see it all without being blocked by anything.

********************************************
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

@sunshine45 wrote:
@shoekitty wrote:
I live in California, everyone has to have a fence that lives within city limits. It is put on the exact property line, usually by the builder before the home is sold. Fences are owned by both neighbors. So you have 3 people to deal with. The fences have to be a certain height, and inspected usually. Costs are split by both neighbors.If they don't want to pay, and your fence is in bad repair, you can go to court and the judge will order payment. If the fence is bad, your home cannot be sold without contingencies.

Do most of you live back east? I see in the movies back yards with no fences. What do you do for privacy if you want to have a bar b que or party?. What if the dog or cat run off. I cannot imagine not having a fence. But actually the yards look better without a fence, unless you live next to the beverly Hillbillies. What is done if your neighbor has a junk yard? Yikes, my mind is running wild thinking if I had to live next door to slobs. I mean we have a couple of would be horders on the block, but I don't live next to them. They have a fence and the neighbors next to them still complain they are so bad. It would take years for the City to make them clean up.

no fences......in fact, as i wrote earlier, there are no fences/walls even allowed in our neighborhoods. the only fence you can have is if you have it around an in ground pool. i much prefer it this way........the neighbors care for their lawns, people manage their dogs and cats, some have the electric fences, and the wildlife (including deer and foxes) are free to roam as they are supposed to. if we entertain outside we entertain outside.....so do the other neighbors when they want to.

green grass, mature trees, beautiful flowers and shrubs......and i get to see it all without being blocked by anything.

Like I said down thread, I can't imagine not having a fence in my backyard. It must be a regional thing to NOT have block walls and fences. Of course condos/townhouses/apartments don't usually have one. How do you let your pets out? Do you have to leash them every time? They can't guard the yard/run around. Kids can't just play in the backyard without supervision (not talking about kids younger than 5). It would be hard for someone to scale my tall block wall. I also want my privacy. Who needs the neighbors watching all the time? Plus strangers can just walk on your property. Also, one can't store things on the porch or lay out in a bathing suit.