From the Forum: Who's in the Right With This Brooklynite's Fence Drama?
A Brownstoner reader is having some drama with a neighbor surrounding a recently installed fence. Shyguy writes: About 3 months ago my wife and I installed a rear garden fence – 6′ cedar, basic, no need for permits etc. The original fence was 6′ chain link, which we didn’t touch. We played it safe and…
A Brownstoner reader is having some drama with a neighbor surrounding a recently installed fence.
Shyguy writes:
About 3 months ago my wife and I installed a rear garden fence – 6′ cedar, basic, no need for permits etc. The original fence was 6′ chain link, which we didn’t touch. We played it safe and had the fence installed INSIDE our property as we didn’t want the hassle of dealing with 5 different abutting neighbours, 2 of which are absent as their houses were on the market. We had recently had a survey done, so were confident the fence is well inside our property.
Everything was going hunky dory until the new owner of one of the houses raised a complaint that we should have put the ‘pretty’ side of the fence facing them. They say it’s a requirement, yet I can’t find anything online that validates this. The way they are carrying on you’d have thought I’d cut their leg off. I’m not sure if this is a non-issue that I should generally ignore?
Commenters have unanimously agreed that Shyguy is in the right here — but what do you think? When installing a fence, does it matter which side faces which property? Chime over in the original post.
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[Photo illustration: Barbara Eldredge]
Nonsense. It might make sense with single family homes, where you’re beautifying your house by doing it that way. But in a row house? This is ridiculous. The first person who takes the initiative and spends the money to do something about the chainlink is the one that has to look at the dud side? Would the new neighbor have preferred chainlink, for god’s sake? In fact, you couldn’t have put the pretty side on their side, because there’s a chainlink fence in the way anyway. I can see how some people might be adapting a trend from upstate, but it doesn’t make any sense at all in a row-house setting. Im really sorry that your new neighbor is showing himself to be such a dick so early in your relationship. You have done everything right.
Local law governs which side the pretty side of the fence faces. In Westchester County, it’s generally pretty side out toward the neighbors. Or, you could have bought two-sided fencing with two pretty sides. Problem solved. And not very expensive.
We live in a fairly hostile social environment, especially when our houses are so close to each other. But really, I think the neighbor is correct in this instance. It’s hostile to put the ugly side facing your neighbor, whether or not they are “gentrifiers.” Do you really change your own ethics depending on who lives next door?
You might find this interesting: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/14/nyregion/with-neighborliness-fading-fences-turn-inward.html
Honestly, what you did was very unneighborly and rude.
BUT in the face of gentrification, have you lived there for like 20 years and they are just some rich people moving in? I think in that case, they need to be friendly gentrifiers and accept what you do as it is…
It is common practice in New York State to put the nice side of the fence facing out. Not sure it is a ‘rule,’ but it is just showing some common courtesy.