When I was young I learned that fence facing etiquette is to have the pretty side of the fence facing outward towards your neighbors. My questions:
(1) Is this a law in places? (2) Is this the same etiquette in the UK?
Don.
Yes. Even if the neighbor *prefers* the other side.
My brother's neighbor put up a stockade fence with the horizontals on my brother's side. He asked his neighbor if he minded if he minded if he used those horizontals to hang some plants on the nice south-facing vertical surface. The neighbor was happy with his smooth side-- my brother was happy with the easy to use horizontal slats- and then the building inspector stopped by. He made the guy take the fence down and switch it around! Luckily it was along a level spot so the fence was salvageable as-is.
Jim
I can understand the reason for the law. In your case, you brother didn't mind, but , if and when he sells his house, the new buyer might. In general, ordinances for appearance are based on what the property looks like to people who pass by, rather than the preferences of the owner. for instance, nobody cares if you paint the inside of the walls pink with polka dots, but trying that on the outside will probably result in lawsuits. While the "fence facing" is a minor thing, it needs to follow the proper considerations for the rest of the neighborhood, whether the present neighbors care or not. some of them may care, but decide not to object to keep the peace. It is for this reason that a municipal ordinance comes into play, so the matter is settled before the fence, or whatever, goes up. The city inspector can be the "bad guy", and the neighbors can breathe a sigh of relief at avoiding a confrontation.
I saw it in building code (Florida or doing a Google?) as you state. Just bought a house with fences situated that way, about 3" inside property line according to survey. I've never given it much thought, but looking at a home from off the property it might look rather odd to see the back side of fence.
Don Wiss wrote the following on 10/19/2012 6:12 AM (ET):
Yes, in some places. Maybe most places. Besides, putting the ugly side of the fence to the outside may provide easier access to your property by neer-do-wells using the horizontals as a foothold.
Some places. Not all, obviously. Check with your code enforcement agency, if any.
When I was young I learned that fence facing etiquette is to have the pretty side of the fence facing outward towards your neighbors. My questions:
(1) Is this a law in places? (2) Is this the same etiquette in the UK?
Don.
To avoid any problems with code or neighbor, make both sides pretty. that is what I would do. WW
He should have just given the fence to your brother. ;-)
I tend to agree, though our fence (at least on two sides) is facing us. The builder put it there so that's the way it is.
There are actual LAWS governing the orientation of fences?
Must suck to live in such places.
In my city, the only fence law of which I'm aware is that concertina wire topping must be at least six feet above the ground. I'm not sure about the rules on mines...
This is more of curiosity. I live in rowhouse Brooklyn. No one on the street can see what fence once puts up in their backyards. The prior owners of my house put up a stockade fence on one side. They faced the good side to the neighbor. The Brit now living behind me is now putting up a fence. He is facing the back to me. He was planning to have the posts 2 3/4" onto my property. As only the posts would be on my property, he thought it would be okay. I told the contractor to move them. (Only the posts are now up.)
The reason he was trying to pull this off is he has a telephone pole at the edge of his property and he wanted to get the fence behind it. To keep all of the fence on his property he is now going to have to stop the fence at the pole. And then resume it on the other side.
The prior chain link fence had bent around the pole putting the pole on my side. My a/c condenser is close to the property line. If he has the posts partially on my property the fence will be within a couple inches and the condenser's efficiency will be decreased. I still may move it in a bit.
Don.
Amazing that code forces your neighbor to provide 'access' in order to properly put in that fence. Else the neighbor gets the 'ugly' side.
Yes, same as when wearing shirts or pants, good looking side out where people see it.
Underwear does not matter!
I like the analogy. Thanks for the chuckle.
Don.
Give access? Don't know what you mean. Same principle I believe as not being able to remove all branches of trees at the property line....intentionally spiteful giving of the ugly treatment to neighbors :o)
Could have just said he built the fence for his neighbour (your brother) and called it a day.
Putting the pretty side to the neighour's side requires working access on the neighbour's side. And if the neighbour also puts up a fence, pretty side to pretty side, everyone has an ugly fence., and the second fence is going to be a real hassle to build in place.
Some pretty petty laws, as far as I'm concerned.
:o)- Hide quoted text -
I'll give that a try....
My local code allows me to put a fence right along the property line, but the good side must face the adjoining property. When I sunk the posts for my wooden sections, they were within a few inches of the property line, with just enough room for the sections to be attached to the neighbor's side of the posts, but not cross over the line.
In order to screw the panels to the posts, I had to be on the neighbor's property. Even if I suspended myself from the tops of the sections to screw them on, I'd still be in the neighbor's air space.
Thus, "access" to the neighbor's property is (most likely) required.
I suppose, with enough manpower and extremely good planning, you could install the entire fence post-side-down on your property and then stand it up and drop it down into the post holes, but backing filling the post holes would be pretty difficult with the fence blocking the neighbor's side of the posts. That's not a method I would like to be involved with.
In my case, after putting up the fence, I used spare slats to cover the butt joints where the sections were screwed to the posts. I don't know if that was required, but I sure would want someone to do that for me.
:
Is there some particular reason you said "The Brit now living behind me..."?
What does his nationality have to do with putting up a fence?
That can be done with some style of fences, but certainly not all.
How do you make a stockade fence or a chain link fence or a board-on- board fence pretty on both sides without doubling up the fence so that the posts are sandwiched in between? That would basically double the cost of the fencing - minus the posts.
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