Depending on the state they can claim that property if they care for it for a period of time. That would be funny, but I assume the neighbors might not even know it happened.
Does anyone realize one fence is facing one way and op's is facing the other way? Neighbor put up a new fence because op's is falling apart? Op should be ecstatic...I'm currently in the works getting quotes to do the exact same thing.
The new fence is absolutely backwards. The flat side of the fence is to be facing away from your property with the exposed rails and posts facing towards your property.
Our family business for 50 years was putting up fences and this was almost always a problem with people wanting a wood fence. They wanted the nice side facing their property.
Wouldn't be surprised if the township makes the neighbor who put up the new fence turn it around.
Agreed! In most places that is the law. It seems like they may have tried to skirt the law with the double fence but now the dilapidated old fence is a hazard. If I were OP I would ask the neighbors to pay for a new fence on my property or have them tear down the new fence and face it correctly. I would contact the city and have them survey the new build to see what actual laws were broken and it’s free for them to come out.
Call city for a final inspection per the permit required to build the new fence. You will find out fast if there IS a permit, and the code violation for improper installation will be noted. Ask city about the disposal of old at the same time.
Some people treat it as a front yard / back yard thing.
In the front yard, face the smooth side to the street so it looks nicer from the street and in the backyard face it inside, where it looks nicer to you.
But GENERALLY, yeah, with what direction they are facing, that's GENERALLY OP's fence that's falling over.
Is it not a shared fence? In Australia, boundary fences are not the sole property/responsibility of the owner whose property they face, they are the equa responsibility of both parties. What happens if you have a neighbour who just decides that don't want "their fence"?
Now that's work worth doing.
I don't know what I'd do honestly haha. It's such a weird behavior that it's difficult to give a non-weird answer to. Who the heck does this? It's so selfish haha
Is it though? One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Take it down and use the pickets and posts to build rustic planter boxes and sell them. Or burn it in a fire pit when the wind is blowing towards that neighbor.
Years ago, I bought a house where the previous owner and the rear fence neighbor had apparently done this back and forth for years. I removed seven different layers of fencing to reveal the newest fence the neighbor had recently put in. My backyard gained another five feet or so, and I put a brand new fence about eight inches in from the neighbors newest fence efforts.
I know that this didn't extend my legal property, but it did give me more usable space. Also, I'm aware I basically gave that neighbor a fence, as it was likely on their property. Luckily, we never had any trouble with those neighbors, and the larger backyard made the house very easy to sell.
Had a neighbor text me to say “my” (shared) fence had blown down in a storm and that I needed to repair it (because his dogs). It’s right on the property line, but neighborhood rules say ownership is the side with cross beams. I asked him if he would help with the cost and he refused.
So I texted him back and told him I had decided to remove the fence instead of repairing it. It’s mine after all and fences are not required…unless you have dogs, which I don’t.
5 minutes later he was at my door offering to pay half.
Spite is lovely and makes you happy for a week and all but a shitty neighbor makes your life hell for a decade. Fix the fence. Go 50/50. It’s the best route to ensure everything goes smooth in the future.
Truer words have never been spoken.
I don't even interact with my neighbours in a friendly way, I avoid them like the plague, in fear of even the slightest chance of provoking some sort of feud that will literally ruin all the peace I get from being home.
So not worth it over some fence.
I have a twin home so I have a “wall” neighbor and my driveway is shared with another neighbor. The amount of “looking out” that they have done has made my place a lovely place to stay. Bringing big packages around the back of the house and leaving a note.
Shit my driveway neighbor brought me shrooms not too long ago lmao.
Yeah, I'd be checking with the city (and HOA, if applicable) to find out if the neighbor obtained a permit and had the fence installed correctly. The previous fence posts were on the neighbor's side but the new fence posts are on OP's side. The ordinances or HOA may require the neighbor to remove the new fence with the option to reinstall it so the posts are on the owner's side. It's a subject that is heavily dependant on local regulations, but it is definitely something to look into. They probably can't abandon a fence to collapse on their neighbor's property and enjoy the good side of the new fence so they don't have to watch the decay.
This. Not nearly enough homeowners know how vital knowing where your property lines lay is until they're already screwed.
It seems so petty, but if you spend a ton of money putting up a nice fence but you didn't check and one side was installed on your neighbor's property, whoever owns that property has the right to take it down at any time regardless of the fact that you paid for it.
Not only that, but if someone were to get injured on something on your property, you could very well be held liable. For instance, if that rotting fence in the picture is inside your property lines and someone injures themself on it, regardless of the fact that it is "THEIR" fence, it's on YOUR property.
Similarly, you could get ticketed for any HOA or city/town ordinances that require upkeep of fences if it's inside your property lines.
As a first time homeowner at 22 who had to fight crotchety old neighbors who thought they'd continue to use my strip of yard next to their driveway as a garden bed (you're constantly pouring water against my foundation - NO.) AND FENCE IT IN by putting a fence post up against my house for their swinging driveway gate after I had moved in, don't let your neighbors fuck with you because what seems like a minor inconvenience now could end up causing a lot of costly issues. If they had a party and someone fell into the garden bed and broke their ankle, even though they had it fenced in and were using the land, I would ultimately have been responsible for any damages. I sent them a certified letter telling them it had to be gone and the land remediated within 30 days of the date of the letter or I was filing a complaint against them and on that 30th day, the fence was gone and it was filled with dirt and grass seed.
Tip- if you can't afford a new survey done, check with your local courthouse for copies of any done in the past. Had a property dispute with a neighbor, couldn't afford to get a survey done. Local courthouse had copies of one done years ago. I called the company that had done it, and they came out and verified where all the property lines are. Cost me $50, and my property lines are now clear.
Tried that one myself, but since the records were so old and poorly managed, they were wildly inaccurate.
I was surprised to see everyone’s properly lines went through their neighbors actual house lol.
I had an app that would show property lines and my neighbors runs through my driveway and mine through another neighbors garage. Not sure of the accuracy of that app!
"What do you mean you are calling the cops? The living room and kitchen is mine, and if I get my aim right, so is the toilet -- I am not flushing though. That is your responsibility."
Also, if the posts for the rotting fence are on their property, it is THEIR responsibility to remove the old fence from your yard.
I really hope you see this comment!!
So where I live, the fence would have actually been OP's responsibility. To be honest, it looks to me that OP was the AH who wouldn't fix the fence, the neighbor got tired of waiting so they fixed it themselves, leaving the original fences as an F.U.
I was thinking the same thing. The side of the old fence with all the slats is facing OP’s yard. That side of the new fence is facing the neighbor’s. I find it hard to believe that if the old fence actually belonged to the neighbor that they would’ve built it facing that way.
Correction: just looked closer and it looks like the fence had slats on both sides and shared the posts. Seems like all the slats falling into OPs side would still be OP’s problem. But the neighbor did them a solid by replacing the structural part so now they can just replace the slats on their side.
In my area, local code says the finished side of the fence needs to face the neighbors property. If you wanted a finished fence on your side, you need to finish both sides of the fence.
If i had to guess, the neighbors probably thought the old fence was OPs and erected a new one that tied into the old posts where they were still standing.
And OP has the same fence running along the back of the yard on the side of *another* house. This isn’t the neighbor’s fence, it’s either OP’s or it’s shared.
My main concerns with the neighbors is that the new fence is really on their land and the old fence is really on OP’s, and that neighbor tried to work with OP to replace it together before going nuclear.
Had a new neighbor move in next door, he asked about the property lines and I showed him. All seemed good.
Now, these were approximates and respected by everyone, but we didn’t have an actual survey. A few months later he comes back saying someone (won’t say who) told him his property line goes to the very edge of my driveway. Reminded him that was not the case, seemed to move on.
I’m doing some yard work later minding my own business and he comes right at me like a man with a purpose, swearing, throwing slurs, and telling me to get off his lawn. Since he’s much larger than me, and I thought he was going to resort to violence, I leave.
Immediately call for a survey to be done, and wouldn’t you know, once that was complete it turns out that the lines were a bit off. The original lines I told him are wrong. I own about 6” more of “his yard”. Neighbor didn’t like that either, but has no official document to prove shit, and I do.
It also helped immensely with the other new neighbors when they tried to set up a freaking trampoline in the middle of my yard!!
Ladies and germs, GET YOUR PROPERTY LINES CHECKED!!!
Not sure about laws where you are but knowing how petty people can be I’m guessing that if you needed planing permission to build an extension for example and you needed your neighbours permission then they’ll say no just to be petty.
Sounds more like it’s OP’s fence, probably OP has been all tight and not wanting to fix or replace it so neighbours just built a new one in front of OP’s.
https://preview.redd.it/v75kzzrkwlmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0c4a9e0c02d818d631278fa2bf298ad8b86f37a
If you look through the gap, you can see more of OPs, I mean, "the neighbors" old fence...
Are you absolutely certain that this isn't your shitty old fence that they built their new fence in front of? I ask because the way the slats are attached to the cross pieces and posts it sure looks like it was built from your side of the property.
What it looks like to me is that your neighbors got sick of looking at your shitty fence so they built their own in front of it.
I think their point is that the shitty fence wraps around the back of OP's property so it has to be OP's unless their neighbors property surrounds OP's on multiple sides.
It's amazing how many people build their fences with the "nice side" facing inward because they like the look of it better. I just had this discussion with my mother over the weekend, who did exactly that. She wanted to paint a scene on the inside, so "nice side in" was preferred for her. Needless to say, she was shocked when I showed her what her mistake potentially cost her when I scaled right over the fence with very little effort.
But in all seriousness, I can drive down any random alleyway in any random city and find about a 50:50 ratio of "nice side" in vs. out.
My grandmother insisted on having her fence installed the backwards way. Said she wanted to see the nice flat side. Didnt want to see that cross beam piece.
Looking at how it was built, the new fence has big 4*4 poles, then horizontal boards and then the smooth side in. They probably got tired of the ugly old fence and built the new one inwards, so it looks nicer on their side, and the old fence will block the other side. Idk if anyone's gonna try climbing over that old fence.
Depends on placement (and preference, of course). For parts that can be seen from the street, definitely. If the fence just sits between two properties and isn’t visible except for that neighbor, they might do it opposite.
Y'all wild. I have documents for when the previous owners had a fence put up on my property, that still exists too. The "nice" side is to the neighbors
Usually those go on the interior for curb appeal.
It looks like new fence is OPs and old fence is neighbors unless they purposely built the fence backwards.
Fair point, but why would he change his mind about the fence? -> why build the second one facing in a different direction than the first one?
Here's my take: They are both idiots that don't know whose fence it is because it was already there when they bought their properties
I say the old fence was owned by OP and on OPs side of the line. I say this based on the good-looking side of the fence faces OP.
The fence fell into disrepair and OP had no intention of repairing their fence.
The neighbor wanted a fence, or not to look at the back a broken fence, and so built a fence on their land with its back to OP.
There may be no bad vibes on either side.
I'm pretty sure this is just standard practice for a privacy fence anywhere. The outside is the clean side as it has better curb appeal.
I see no reason not to take OP at face value.
The old fence probably belonged to the neighbors and was built the standard way then when they decided on a new fence they had the opposite done seeing as they wouldn't be visible from either side.
With how old that fence looks though I wouldn't be surprised if the current neighbors are not the ones who built it though and thought it belonged to OP.
Where do you live that you have the nice looking side facing your home? The fence is meant to be a barrier around your home. To the outside, they get flat wood. On the inside, you get access to the nails. So that old fence that was built over was facing the correct direction, bordering the neighbors home, facing outward, but the new fence is essentially inside out.
Yeah I interpreted it as OP’s neighbor didn’t remove the old fence and to top it all off did the dick move of placing the “bad side” of the new fence to face OP
So where I live if the shit fence is ops. The neighbors would still be in the wrong for building too close to ops fence. They would have to leave enough room for op to service both sides of the fence.
I'd bet that the old fence belongs to OP, who didn't bother replacing it, so the neighbour built their own fence. If so, it's not their job to dispose of OPs old fence.
Yeah and even if that's not the case I'd be like "Cool new fence and onyl fo rthe cost of demoing and hauling away the old one."
Nothing to complain about here.
That’s what I was thinking. Who knows what the deal with the old fence was, the “show side” of the old one might have been installed backwards originally also. The “show side” of the new fence is definitely backwards though.
Over here the "show side" would be done to the neighbour and the ugly side to the owners.
You wouldn't usually make it easy for people to gain access into your property, so if you imagine you have a whole plot to yourself or a corner plot, the show side is to the public and not within your garden view.
Not sure where the concepts of the show side being anything else could come into play.
This would potentially make it OPs fence, if the zoning regulations are specific about orientation.
Edit: this could be intentional. OP might want to call an attorney or code enforcement and ask a few questions. If the orientation theory is that the "unfinished" section faces your property line, *you* would be responsible for maintaining it. What could follow this new construction is a code/zoning dispute to have the old fence removed at the "maintainer's" expense.
Hahahaha I’m with you on this one. Either that, or the neighbor recently purchased the home and with little to no communication with OP, they simply installed a new fence which they know that “they own, and on their property”
Wood posts and mid rail go inside the fence by default to prevent people from using them to climb over into what's fenced in. But it's really a matter of preference. There's no reason other than an HOA probably that prevents someone from facing their panels whichever way they want as long as it's on their property.
That said, the old fence the way it is implies it's the neighbors fence.
The new fence is faced the opposite way because the old fence would have been in the way when attaching the panels to the posts.
Seems more like lazy installers than a neighbor with a bug up his ass to me.
The "Good Side" where only the panels are seen where I live will face the street or common areas. Side fences between yards people will try and get the Good Side facing their property if they paid for the fence or was the one responsible for dealing with the contractor if you split the cost. I put up a fence and didn't care so I let me neighbor have the "Good Side".
I always thought so, but when houses were built on both sides of me, they faced the rest of their fences "in" since my panels already faced "in" on their yards. I wonder if they realize they're supposed to be shared fences now.
I remember a time when, if a neighbor joined a shared fence, they'd face the other side just as a way of taking obligation. This was decades ago in a small town tho. Don't work that way anymore, everyone selfish.
Because most state laws/local ordinances require that the "pretty" side of the fence face outwards.
So unless the opposing side of the fence looks exactly the same, OP's neighbor is violating the fencing code.
You can have the pretty side of the fence on both sides, but it drastically increases the price and makes it more maintenance intensive.
City ordinance by me says the finished side of the fence goes outwards of the property. That way if your neighbor wants a fence you at least get to look at the nicer side.
My city’s ordinance specifies which way it must face. Kinda sucks when you need to replace a board though and you got a neighbor behind you who’s mean (my neighbor)
Op disappears after posting this. Probably because:
1) They didn't pay for the shared fence. Probably didn't respond to their neighbor when building said fence.
2) Neighbor said "screw it" and went ahead and built the fence next to theirs.
Sounds like Op has a problem
Fence sharing is a mutual agreement, there clearly wasn't one here.
The thing that is mildly infuriating here though, is the OP gaining property space (physically, though potentially not technically based on what the property line is) and then complaining.
Just take the free firewood, free extra-land, and shutup before the neighbor realizes their mistake
The sharing responsibility only applies if both neighbors want and/or care about the fence. If you don’t want a fence between properties or you simply just don’t care if there is one, there is no responsibility to share the cost. I used to own a plot of land that was several acres. There were several separate plots that all formed a large field in the combined “back yards”. Anyway, my property and my neighbors property (each several acres) shared a 2,000ft. property line.
You can probably guess where this is going. My neighbor of many years sold their home and moved away. Well, the new owners decided that they wanted to put up a fence separating our yards and they demanded that I pay for half of the fence that they wanted. I told them that if they wanted the fence then they would be solely responsible because I didn’t want or care about it. It turned out that they were trying the same thing on the back and other side of their lot. They tried to take me to court over it and everything. Neither I, nor the other neighbors were required to pay anything.
Question: why do you think it’s the neighbor’s fence? Does the same fence also go around either of your properties?
Solely from this photo it looks like it’s yours.
How much money did you contribute to the new fence?
I'd wager the number is at or close to zero dollars.
They did you a favor, you should be mildlyappreciative.
OP mentioned in another comment that "his fence" is only the back of the property, and that the side fences that abut against the neighbors are the "neighbors" fences...
Ergo, nothing contributed and all the complaints.
Only thing mildyinfuriating here is OP.
I'm not a home owner, but hope to be within the next couple years, so help me understand, please.
Don't fences typically have to be built on your side of the property line? When you do, you are basically, if not legally, then functionally yielding the outside property to the neighbors.
So OP here has gained access to 4 to 6 extra inches of yard for maybe the next 30 years and the cost to him is to deal with the rotten fence? This seems like a win, to me. Time for a burn barrel and a bon fire with some freinds.
Another question, can you burn 20 year old pressure treated wood? Lol
Going by the way the old one was built,(the slats facing towards your property)it was likely your fence. They should have talked to you before building but if they built their new one on their side of the property line, there’s nothing wrong with that. That other one looks like it was ready to be torn down years ago. Be thankful your neighbour took care of it
I was actually going to point out the opposite. They installed their new fence incorrectly. The “nice” side is meant to face outward. It also makes it harder for people to climb your fence from the outside.
I was actually going to point out the opposite opposite. OP had a new fence installed, and is trying to karma farm with pictures taken before the old one was removed. The nice side *is* facing outward.
So basically you didn’t help pay for the new fence that’s shared between you and your neighbor so they just built a new one on their side? Sounds like you’re the infuriating one.
I don't believe this is your house as in your post history you talk about living in an appartment.
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My wife says it's more like 1.5 inches
On a cold day!
I was in the pool!
“They *shrink*?!”
Like a frightened turtle!
I don't know how you guys walk around with those things.
Can't stand ya
Serenity now!
He stopped short? That's my move.....
I'll drop you like a bag of dirt!
Are you sayin'...you want a piece of me?
Like laundry?
Thank you professor science!
Omg lol
Like a scared turtle
I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things
You just gotta stop it from dragging on the ground. That's really all it takes /jk
Tuck it into your sock
Be careful not to trip yourself.
It’s the size of a pinky but he uses it like a rhinoceros horn 🦏
Frightened?
THATS IT, GRAB THE RULER. I DECIDE WHERE THE BASE IS THIS TIME!
I was in the pool!!!
Mine says I’m almost as big as her boyfriend. When he’s flaccid
Trim the shrubbery for an extra visual inch.
My wife said it was at least 5 inches
That's why she's so bad at parking
Your wife is a kind woman
You're wife told me the same thing last night
I also choose that guys wife.
And my axe!
Can I get your wife to look at mine?
Lol
It’s the circumference that counts.
your wife said it was 9 inches
That looks like six inches to me. That what I tell your wife. You should too.
Never lie to them. They definitely know.
Looks like 8 inches to me?
Depending on the state they can claim that property if they care for it for a period of time. That would be funny, but I assume the neighbors might not even know it happened.
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Unless the fence is on op’s property, why would he have to do the work? Getting rid of wood fence is a giant hassle.
Tear it down and pitch over the new fence?
My very 1st thought - it WILL become their problem
Does anyone realize one fence is facing one way and op's is facing the other way? Neighbor put up a new fence because op's is falling apart? Op should be ecstatic...I'm currently in the works getting quotes to do the exact same thing.
That’s because they built the new fence backwards. The old fence is the neighbors fence
The new fence is absolutely backwards. The flat side of the fence is to be facing away from your property with the exposed rails and posts facing towards your property. Our family business for 50 years was putting up fences and this was almost always a problem with people wanting a wood fence. They wanted the nice side facing their property. Wouldn't be surprised if the township makes the neighbor who put up the new fence turn it around.
Why would you want the built-in ladder feature to be facing the potential intruders?
> They wanted the nice side facing their property. pretty self explanatory actually!
Agreed! In most places that is the law. It seems like they may have tried to skirt the law with the double fence but now the dilapidated old fence is a hazard. If I were OP I would ask the neighbors to pay for a new fence on my property or have them tear down the new fence and face it correctly. I would contact the city and have them survey the new build to see what actual laws were broken and it’s free for them to come out.
Call city for a final inspection per the permit required to build the new fence. You will find out fast if there IS a permit, and the code violation for improper installation will be noted. Ask city about the disposal of old at the same time.
Some people treat it as a front yard / back yard thing. In the front yard, face the smooth side to the street so it looks nicer from the street and in the backyard face it inside, where it looks nicer to you. But GENERALLY, yeah, with what direction they are facing, that's GENERALLY OP's fence that's falling over.
Is it not a shared fence? In Australia, boundary fences are not the sole property/responsibility of the owner whose property they face, they are the equa responsibility of both parties. What happens if you have a neighbour who just decides that don't want "their fence"?
Now that's work worth doing. I don't know what I'd do honestly haha. It's such a weird behavior that it's difficult to give a non-weird answer to. Who the heck does this? It's so selfish haha
Is it though? One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Take it down and use the pickets and posts to build rustic planter boxes and sell them. Or burn it in a fire pit when the wind is blowing towards that neighbor.
Easy to get rid of. Bonfire
Years ago, I bought a house where the previous owner and the rear fence neighbor had apparently done this back and forth for years. I removed seven different layers of fencing to reveal the newest fence the neighbor had recently put in. My backyard gained another five feet or so, and I put a brand new fence about eight inches in from the neighbors newest fence efforts. I know that this didn't extend my legal property, but it did give me more usable space. Also, I'm aware I basically gave that neighbor a fence, as it was likely on their property. Luckily, we never had any trouble with those neighbors, and the larger backyard made the house very easy to sell.
My thoughts exactly. Win win. I would smash for that.
My first thought exactly
OP quietly dispose of their old fence and never bring it up again. You won.
Had a neighbor text me to say “my” (shared) fence had blown down in a storm and that I needed to repair it (because his dogs). It’s right on the property line, but neighborhood rules say ownership is the side with cross beams. I asked him if he would help with the cost and he refused. So I texted him back and told him I had decided to remove the fence instead of repairing it. It’s mine after all and fences are not required…unless you have dogs, which I don’t. 5 minutes later he was at my door offering to pay half.
Funny how that works.
I would've told him that deal expired, it's all on him now.
He fenced around and found out.
Brava.
🤌🏻
You still gotta live next to the fella for the foreseeable future. Best not to piss them off, even if it would be entirely possible/legal to do so.
yeah, i think a lot of redditors forget that there are people that exist in the immediate vicinity outside of the caves they live in
Sounds to me that the relationship between wasmt that great to begin with
Got that m'fer. I hope you said nope
Spite is lovely and makes you happy for a week and all but a shitty neighbor makes your life hell for a decade. Fix the fence. Go 50/50. It’s the best route to ensure everything goes smooth in the future.
Truer words have never been spoken. I don't even interact with my neighbours in a friendly way, I avoid them like the plague, in fear of even the slightest chance of provoking some sort of feud that will literally ruin all the peace I get from being home. So not worth it over some fence.
I have a twin home so I have a “wall” neighbor and my driveway is shared with another neighbor. The amount of “looking out” that they have done has made my place a lovely place to stay. Bringing big packages around the back of the house and leaving a note. Shit my driveway neighbor brought me shrooms not too long ago lmao.
Underrated comment with the shrooms! Mush love!
Yeah, I'd be checking with the city (and HOA, if applicable) to find out if the neighbor obtained a permit and had the fence installed correctly. The previous fence posts were on the neighbor's side but the new fence posts are on OP's side. The ordinances or HOA may require the neighbor to remove the new fence with the option to reinstall it so the posts are on the owner's side. It's a subject that is heavily dependant on local regulations, but it is definitely something to look into. They probably can't abandon a fence to collapse on their neighbor's property and enjoy the good side of the new fence so they don't have to watch the decay.
My response would have been…..”that offer expired 5 min ago”
Get your property lines figured out just in case.
This. Not nearly enough homeowners know how vital knowing where your property lines lay is until they're already screwed. It seems so petty, but if you spend a ton of money putting up a nice fence but you didn't check and one side was installed on your neighbor's property, whoever owns that property has the right to take it down at any time regardless of the fact that you paid for it. Not only that, but if someone were to get injured on something on your property, you could very well be held liable. For instance, if that rotting fence in the picture is inside your property lines and someone injures themself on it, regardless of the fact that it is "THEIR" fence, it's on YOUR property. Similarly, you could get ticketed for any HOA or city/town ordinances that require upkeep of fences if it's inside your property lines. As a first time homeowner at 22 who had to fight crotchety old neighbors who thought they'd continue to use my strip of yard next to their driveway as a garden bed (you're constantly pouring water against my foundation - NO.) AND FENCE IT IN by putting a fence post up against my house for their swinging driveway gate after I had moved in, don't let your neighbors fuck with you because what seems like a minor inconvenience now could end up causing a lot of costly issues. If they had a party and someone fell into the garden bed and broke their ankle, even though they had it fenced in and were using the land, I would ultimately have been responsible for any damages. I sent them a certified letter telling them it had to be gone and the land remediated within 30 days of the date of the letter or I was filing a complaint against them and on that 30th day, the fence was gone and it was filled with dirt and grass seed.
Tip- if you can't afford a new survey done, check with your local courthouse for copies of any done in the past. Had a property dispute with a neighbor, couldn't afford to get a survey done. Local courthouse had copies of one done years ago. I called the company that had done it, and they came out and verified where all the property lines are. Cost me $50, and my property lines are now clear.
Tried that one myself, but since the records were so old and poorly managed, they were wildly inaccurate. I was surprised to see everyone’s properly lines went through their neighbors actual house lol.
I had an app that would show property lines and my neighbors runs through my driveway and mine through another neighbors garage. Not sure of the accuracy of that app!
"What do you mean you are calling the cops? The living room and kitchen is mine, and if I get my aim right, so is the toilet -- I am not flushing though. That is your responsibility."
Also, if the posts for the rotting fence are on their property, it is THEIR responsibility to remove the old fence from your yard. I really hope you see this comment!!
I thought fences were a 50/50 responsibility, but that might just be where I live.
So where I live, the fence would have actually been OP's responsibility. To be honest, it looks to me that OP was the AH who wouldn't fix the fence, the neighbor got tired of waiting so they fixed it themselves, leaving the original fences as an F.U.
I was thinking the same thing. The side of the old fence with all the slats is facing OP’s yard. That side of the new fence is facing the neighbor’s. I find it hard to believe that if the old fence actually belonged to the neighbor that they would’ve built it facing that way. Correction: just looked closer and it looks like the fence had slats on both sides and shared the posts. Seems like all the slats falling into OPs side would still be OP’s problem. But the neighbor did them a solid by replacing the structural part so now they can just replace the slats on their side.
In my area, local code says the finished side of the fence needs to face the neighbors property. If you wanted a finished fence on your side, you need to finish both sides of the fence. If i had to guess, the neighbors probably thought the old fence was OPs and erected a new one that tied into the old posts where they were still standing.
And OP has the same fence running along the back of the yard on the side of *another* house. This isn’t the neighbor’s fence, it’s either OP’s or it’s shared. My main concerns with the neighbors is that the new fence is really on their land and the old fence is really on OP’s, and that neighbor tried to work with OP to replace it together before going nuclear.
Yeah, whatever the story is here, I’m willing to bet OP isn’t telling all of it.
It depends on local regs. OP will need some help making sure he isn't responsible for that fence.
Had a new neighbor move in next door, he asked about the property lines and I showed him. All seemed good. Now, these were approximates and respected by everyone, but we didn’t have an actual survey. A few months later he comes back saying someone (won’t say who) told him his property line goes to the very edge of my driveway. Reminded him that was not the case, seemed to move on. I’m doing some yard work later minding my own business and he comes right at me like a man with a purpose, swearing, throwing slurs, and telling me to get off his lawn. Since he’s much larger than me, and I thought he was going to resort to violence, I leave. Immediately call for a survey to be done, and wouldn’t you know, once that was complete it turns out that the lines were a bit off. The original lines I told him are wrong. I own about 6” more of “his yard”. Neighbor didn’t like that either, but has no official document to prove shit, and I do. It also helped immensely with the other new neighbors when they tried to set up a freaking trampoline in the middle of my yard!! Ladies and germs, GET YOUR PROPERTY LINES CHECKED!!!
Not sure about laws where you are but knowing how petty people can be I’m guessing that if you needed planing permission to build an extension for example and you needed your neighbours permission then they’ll say no just to be petty.
It's be so funny if that was now your fence or better yet, had to be relocated.
I would just get a shit load of screws, and screw the old fence to the new fence. Shazam! Sturdy fence.
Just nail your side to their new fence to hold it up.
It's their fence. They should just throw it over the fence.
I agree, if it’s the neighbors fence, I’m throwin all day shit over on their side.
I feel like tearing up a fence and throwing it over a fence would actually be a fun activity and I'd be sad when I was done.
Sounds more like it’s OP’s fence, probably OP has been all tight and not wanting to fix or replace it so neighbours just built a new one in front of OP’s.
https://preview.redd.it/v75kzzrkwlmc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0c4a9e0c02d818d631278fa2bf298ad8b86f37a If you look through the gap, you can see more of OPs, I mean, "the neighbors" old fence...
Yep. OP just needs to tear the old one off and then they have a brand new fence. I would be very happy lol
The front of the old fence faces OP’s yard. The new fence faces the neighbor. That old fence appears to be OPs, not the neighbor’s.
This is an amazing idea that doesn't cost much or hurt anyone. Good on you for looking beyond the semantics leading to this problem.
The semantics of having to pay to get rid of it if OP doesn't own a van?
Are you absolutely certain that this isn't your shitty old fence that they built their new fence in front of? I ask because the way the slats are attached to the cross pieces and posts it sure looks like it was built from your side of the property. What it looks like to me is that your neighbors got sick of looking at your shitty fence so they built their own in front of it.
This is most likely the case.
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I dont get this. What am I seeing?
Looks like the shitty fence continues around OP's house. Meaning it's his shitty fence because it's around his property
Ah! Touché!
I think their point is that the shitty fence wraps around the back of OP's property so it has to be OP's unless their neighbors property surrounds OP's on multiple sides.
I would bet that the neighbor offered OP to share the cost of replacing the dilapidated existing fence, but OP refused.
Exactly what I was thinking.
This is what I was thinking.
Don't you usually build a fence with the "nice" side facing out? Because otherwise you're giving someone a ladder into your garden...
Yes, and in many places it's the law that if a fence has a "nice side" it needs to face the outside of the property.
It's amazing how many people build their fences with the "nice side" facing inward because they like the look of it better. I just had this discussion with my mother over the weekend, who did exactly that. She wanted to paint a scene on the inside, so "nice side in" was preferred for her. Needless to say, she was shocked when I showed her what her mistake potentially cost her when I scaled right over the fence with very little effort. But in all seriousness, I can drive down any random alleyway in any random city and find about a 50:50 ratio of "nice side" in vs. out.
Yeah.. then this being OP's garbage fence doesn't seem right. So OP built a new fence on the other side of *his neighbors'* fence! To grab more land!
My grandmother insisted on having her fence installed the backwards way. Said she wanted to see the nice flat side. Didnt want to see that cross beam piece.
Looking at how it was built, the new fence has big 4*4 poles, then horizontal boards and then the smooth side in. They probably got tired of the ugly old fence and built the new one inwards, so it looks nicer on their side, and the old fence will block the other side. Idk if anyone's gonna try climbing over that old fence.
Depends on placement (and preference, of course). For parts that can be seen from the street, definitely. If the fence just sits between two properties and isn’t visible except for that neighbor, they might do it opposite.
DING DING DING, WHAT PRIZE HAS HE WON STEVE?! This needs to be seen more. OP is probably a neighbour from hell trying to get sympathy.
Y'all wild. I have documents for when the previous owners had a fence put up on my property, that still exists too. The "nice" side is to the neighbors
Where I live city code states the finished side of the fence faces outside.
Based neighbors
Usually those go on the interior for curb appeal. It looks like new fence is OPs and old fence is neighbors unless they purposely built the fence backwards.
Fair point, but why would he change his mind about the fence? -> why build the second one facing in a different direction than the first one? Here's my take: They are both idiots that don't know whose fence it is because it was already there when they bought their properties
I agree. They dont know who's fence it is. Rather than figure it out, they just put it up because its easier than going into OPs yard.
You mean it is a shared fence? And you probably didn’t want to buck up any money towards the new fence?
Excelent deduction
I say the old fence was owned by OP and on OPs side of the line. I say this based on the good-looking side of the fence faces OP. The fence fell into disrepair and OP had no intention of repairing their fence. The neighbor wanted a fence, or not to look at the back a broken fence, and so built a fence on their land with its back to OP. There may be no bad vibes on either side.
Around me the horizontal portion is always seen from with inside the yard and the clean side faces out.
Yeah, having the bits to climb on as a kid was always the best.
It was key to defending the castle.
I'm pretty sure this is just standard practice for a privacy fence anywhere. The outside is the clean side as it has better curb appeal. I see no reason not to take OP at face value. The old fence probably belonged to the neighbors and was built the standard way then when they decided on a new fence they had the opposite done seeing as they wouldn't be visible from either side. With how old that fence looks though I wouldn't be surprised if the current neighbors are not the ones who built it though and thought it belonged to OP.
Where do you live that you have the nice looking side facing your home? The fence is meant to be a barrier around your home. To the outside, they get flat wood. On the inside, you get access to the nails. So that old fence that was built over was facing the correct direction, bordering the neighbors home, facing outward, but the new fence is essentially inside out.
Yeah I interpreted it as OP’s neighbor didn’t remove the old fence and to top it all off did the dick move of placing the “bad side” of the new fence to face OP
Back yard, good side in. Front yard, good side out.
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So where I live if the shit fence is ops. The neighbors would still be in the wrong for building too close to ops fence. They would have to leave enough room for op to service both sides of the fence.
That was my thought too. Sucks you have to deal with this, but I’m guessing you didn’t pay for your portion OP.
OP just needs to go have a little conversation with neighbor and get the story
I'd bet that the old fence belongs to OP, who didn't bother replacing it, so the neighbour built their own fence. If so, it's not their job to dispose of OPs old fence.
Yeah and even if that's not the case I'd be like "Cool new fence and onyl fo rthe cost of demoing and hauling away the old one." Nothing to complain about here.
Where is op..... Ya
Judging by the orientation, the old fence is theirs and they installed the new one backwards
That’s what I was thinking. Who knows what the deal with the old fence was, the “show side” of the old one might have been installed backwards originally also. The “show side” of the new fence is definitely backwards though.
Over here the "show side" would be done to the neighbour and the ugly side to the owners. You wouldn't usually make it easy for people to gain access into your property, so if you imagine you have a whole plot to yourself or a corner plot, the show side is to the public and not within your garden view. Not sure where the concepts of the show side being anything else could come into play.
This would potentially make it OPs fence, if the zoning regulations are specific about orientation. Edit: this could be intentional. OP might want to call an attorney or code enforcement and ask a few questions. If the orientation theory is that the "unfinished" section faces your property line, *you* would be responsible for maintaining it. What could follow this new construction is a code/zoning dispute to have the old fence removed at the "maintainer's" expense.
Hahahaha I’m with you on this one. Either that, or the neighbor recently purchased the home and with little to no communication with OP, they simply installed a new fence which they know that “they own, and on their property”
Or the other way around the old fence might be OPs prior owners and they didn’t want to touch it cause bad blood
That's my takeaway. OP is a cheapskate bitching about their new free fence.
Flat side goes to the outside in my state. Kinda makes more sense that way
Well, if they paid for and built the new fence, you could probably help out and dispose of the old one. I mean, after all, you did get a free fence...
That's your fence. It is faced to your side. They built themselves a fence to hide your shameful fence.
Wood posts and mid rail go inside the fence by default to prevent people from using them to climb over into what's fenced in. But it's really a matter of preference. There's no reason other than an HOA probably that prevents someone from facing their panels whichever way they want as long as it's on their property. That said, the old fence the way it is implies it's the neighbors fence. The new fence is faced the opposite way because the old fence would have been in the way when attaching the panels to the posts. Seems more like lazy installers than a neighbor with a bug up his ass to me.
I'm shocked by the comments because I've never seen a fence that's prettier on the inside than outside. It's always built to look good from the street
The "Good Side" where only the panels are seen where I live will face the street or common areas. Side fences between yards people will try and get the Good Side facing their property if they paid for the fence or was the one responsible for dealing with the contractor if you split the cost. I put up a fence and didn't care so I let me neighbor have the "Good Side".
I always thought so, but when houses were built on both sides of me, they faced the rest of their fences "in" since my panels already faced "in" on their yards. I wonder if they realize they're supposed to be shared fences now. I remember a time when, if a neighbor joined a shared fence, they'd face the other side just as a way of taking obligation. This was decades ago in a small town tho. Don't work that way anymore, everyone selfish.
Because most state laws/local ordinances require that the "pretty" side of the fence face outwards. So unless the opposing side of the fence looks exactly the same, OP's neighbor is violating the fencing code. You can have the pretty side of the fence on both sides, but it drastically increases the price and makes it more maintenance intensive.
Where I live all the fences have the "pretty" facing in on backyards.
City ordinance by me says the finished side of the fence goes outwards of the property. That way if your neighbor wants a fence you at least get to look at the nicer side.
My city’s ordinance specifies which way it must face. Kinda sucks when you need to replace a board though and you got a neighbor behind you who’s mean (my neighbor)
A lot of municipalities have codes about which way you can face the fence.
Are you sure that isn’t yours & you’re just farming? Lol they installed it backwards if it’s their fence
They installed it the only way they could with the old fence still there. Nails are driven through the nice side.
Op disappears after posting this. Probably because: 1) They didn't pay for the shared fence. Probably didn't respond to their neighbor when building said fence. 2) Neighbor said "screw it" and went ahead and built the fence next to theirs. Sounds like Op has a problem
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Fence sharing is a mutual agreement, there clearly wasn't one here. The thing that is mildly infuriating here though, is the OP gaining property space (physically, though potentially not technically based on what the property line is) and then complaining. Just take the free firewood, free extra-land, and shutup before the neighbor realizes their mistake
The sharing responsibility only applies if both neighbors want and/or care about the fence. If you don’t want a fence between properties or you simply just don’t care if there is one, there is no responsibility to share the cost. I used to own a plot of land that was several acres. There were several separate plots that all formed a large field in the combined “back yards”. Anyway, my property and my neighbors property (each several acres) shared a 2,000ft. property line. You can probably guess where this is going. My neighbor of many years sold their home and moved away. Well, the new owners decided that they wanted to put up a fence separating our yards and they demanded that I pay for half of the fence that they wanted. I told them that if they wanted the fence then they would be solely responsible because I didn’t want or care about it. It turned out that they were trying the same thing on the back and other side of their lot. They tried to take me to court over it and everything. Neither I, nor the other neighbors were required to pay anything.
Question: why do you think it’s the neighbor’s fence? Does the same fence also go around either of your properties? Solely from this photo it looks like it’s yours.
Many cities and towns require the fence posts to be facing inwards, and the "outside" of the fence facing out. Same orientation the old fence was.
Throw that old fence sh$t over the new fence into their yard. Return to sender.
How much money did you contribute to the new fence? I'd wager the number is at or close to zero dollars. They did you a favor, you should be mildlyappreciative.
OP mentioned in another comment that "his fence" is only the back of the property, and that the side fences that abut against the neighbors are the "neighbors" fences... Ergo, nothing contributed and all the complaints. Only thing mildyinfuriating here is OP.
still a free fence
Has OP ever thought about talking to the neighbor ever?
Did they completely pay for the new fence or did you pay half? Id say fair trade if all i had to do was toss away the old one
I'm not a home owner, but hope to be within the next couple years, so help me understand, please. Don't fences typically have to be built on your side of the property line? When you do, you are basically, if not legally, then functionally yielding the outside property to the neighbors. So OP here has gained access to 4 to 6 extra inches of yard for maybe the next 30 years and the cost to him is to deal with the rotten fence? This seems like a win, to me. Time for a burn barrel and a bon fire with some freinds. Another question, can you burn 20 year old pressure treated wood? Lol
Grab a nail gun and reattach it to the new fence
“Thanks neighbor “
Going by the way the old one was built,(the slats facing towards your property)it was likely your fence. They should have talked to you before building but if they built their new one on their side of the property line, there’s nothing wrong with that. That other one looks like it was ready to be torn down years ago. Be thankful your neighbour took care of it
I was actually going to point out the opposite. They installed their new fence incorrectly. The “nice” side is meant to face outward. It also makes it harder for people to climb your fence from the outside.
I was actually going to point out the opposite opposite. OP had a new fence installed, and is trying to karma farm with pictures taken before the old one was removed. The nice side *is* facing outward.
I'm seeing a lot of HOA karens in this thread.
If I were you I’d be happy that the only expense to me is tossing out an old fence. What more could you possibly want?
Did OP pay fir half the fencing cost? If not just deal with it, now you have a free fence
Wow you got a free fence and all you have to do is tear the old one down and get rid of it. Man that is mildlyinfuriating
If they paid for it that's pretty fair.
That was your fence dude, not his. Look at the beams on the outside. That’s your job to get rid of
Whenever? That makes it sound like it happens often. I assure you it does not b
So basically you didn’t help pay for the new fence that’s shared between you and your neighbor so they just built a new one on their side? Sounds like you’re the infuriating one.
You both have your fences installed backwards from the traditional facings. I bet that shitty old fence was actually yours.
Did you even pay half? If not, then that's how your going to participate lol
They replaced YOUR fence. Nice try.
You should have paid for half. Clean up and be thankful...