fencing issue, what would U do?

[vash]

ok, i am in the process of replacing the fence running along the back of my yard. i asked the lady that lives there if she is interested in sharing just the cost of materials. i would provide the labor DIY! she basically ignored me, and when i persisted she said she didnt speak english! damn! oh well, in the spirit of doing the job on my own simply to keep my houdini dog in the yard, i started the work. the lady asked me (in decent english) why was making so much noise. she had this pissed off look on her face. i said i was replacing the fence. she said "NEW?" i said yes. she sorta smiled and walked away. OK here is the question. after pulling out my civil engineering geekness, i discovered the existing fence is on her side of the property line by 1 foot. so i set the new post on the correct line. it was easy i had a five foot offset from some gas company easement. in order to stay a dog owner, i will have to tear out her fence, and put up mine in one day. then it dawned on me! couldnt i just build the fence on the property line without even touching her piece of schit fence? would i be a A-hole if i just built the fence and left her with her teetering POS? i would have alot of extra work tearing down her fence and hauling it off to the dump. dump fees, blah blah blah. i would have to carry the pieces around 250 yards to my truck. what d'ya think?

cliff

[pwd72s]

Hoot! I'd say it depends on how POed you are at your neighbor. I once heard that he who bears the cost of the fence is entitled to look at the more attractive side. Is this law, or just custom?

[cantdrv55]

Cliff, you saw my yard and the old fence and retaining wall I have to tear down and haul away. I feel for you. I say build your fence on the correct property line and let her pay someone to haul her old fence away. You don't even have to build a good neighbor fence if they she won't help with the cost. Save your money and energy for the p-car.

[vash]

tough crowd! I LIKE IT! chris, i was sick yesterday, so i had to finish the post today. sorry i missed you tech session.

[cantdrv55]

No prob. I couldn't stay til the end anyway.

[turbo6bar]

Let the old hag take down the fence. I run into a few rude neighbors while I deal with rental properties. They think their sheet don't stink. Just do your thing, and smile about the sweet revenge.

[Moneyguy1]

Love it out here in the Southwest. Concrete block fences six feet high. Makes for great neighbors..

"You've been here six years? No kidding...."

[Rot 911]

i say build it on your property, but check your local codes. some places require you put the more attractive side towards the neighbors

[pwd72s]

Ahhh, but you may need to consider her mental stability, and whether or not she is a member of the NRA...or even worse, the ACLU!

[cstreit]

Leave it. She showed you that playing games is her style when she pretended not to speak English.

[MFAFF]

Couple of 'traditional' aspects.

Show the nice face to you neighbour....cos you should only build a fence on one side of your property......

Do not build on someone else's land cos they can complain, etc etc.

If the nice side faces you its generally not your fence, so rebuilding it means taking it on....maintenace etc etc.

If it is yours then it should go on the property line, especially as you have a drawing which shows you were it is. To build it on her land and therefore making your useable plot bigger could lead to problems....

[Big Ed]

Absolutely don't build it on her land! Then the fence is hers, and she could tear it down if she wanted! Or maybe you are over there ripping out her fence in order to replace it, let's say she decides she's PO'd and calls the cops. They come by and stop you, make you rebuild, yada yada yada. Or let's say 2 years from now she sells, new owners see that the fence is inside their line, they decide to rip it down. Chances of any of these outcomes may be slim, but you dont need to risk it. Put it on your land. She played her hand when she feigned no knowledge of English.

And, Kurt V is right, local zoning often stipulates that the attractive side face out. If in doubt, be sure to check first.

[id10t]

Having dealt with a similar situation (except the other guy was a complete a**) I'd say build the fence one foot onto your property line. No issues will arise as to who owns the fence, etc. Heck, you don't want it ugly for her, etc. you just want to keep your pet safe.

[Eric 951]

Build on your side--leave the old fence for her--"hey it's on her property, so it is her fence"--let her deal with it--you are not being inconsiderate, you are doing what is legally correct--if she *****es, show her the drawing indicating the property lines.

[RickM]

Check the code for your town. Many times you must put a fence a set distance IN from your/her property line. In my town it can vary from 3 to 15 feet depending on which border....side, front or back.
Now, if I plant trees I can do it right up to the property line. I like trees.

[JavaBrewer]

She sounds like the older lady I encountered at Ralphs the other day who was in the express lane with a full cart. She couldn't speak English very well either "Haaa?"

Save yourself a mountain of problems, draw up your plans and present them to your neighbor, preferrably with someone who speaks her language. Build the fence on your property (verify with local codes on height and placement) and leave her's alone.

[Hugh R]

Why would you go and tear down something on someone else's property?

[joeclarke]

wow, you guys disappoint me. but maybe it's just macho posturing. Most guys I know love to "fix everything".

I would tear it down and build new. That was the plan before you glommed onto the property line issue. If you were prepared to do that from the get go, why do something else just to spite this woman?

The good karma and sense of superiority as a human being you will gain is worth the extra work.

[JavaBrewer]

Good point here is that Cliff seems to have already conveyed to the woman she's getting a new fence for free. He's probably in a no win situation now. Probable outcomes to Cliff messing with her fence are:

- too high
- too low
- wrong color
- wrong material
- ugly
- wrong position
- on her property and she changes her mind
- combination of above

If Cliff forgo's her fence she will be pissed and probably try to stop the construction at any cost. Hate to be the skeptic, but I've seen many folks with good intent (Cliff) go down in flames over stuff like this.

[RickM]

Hey cliff,

We want fence pictures.....yeah!