Burning Question: Do You Fence?
This week we got to thinking about where you guys stand when it comes to fences. Do you believe they make good neighbors or do you hate how they break up the landscape and alienate the people in your community? Whether you love ‘em for the privacy they offer or loathe them for the communication breakdown they may create, we’d love to hear which side of the fence you guys stand on.
And speaking of hiding from the neighbors, here’s how we hid a few ugly exterior eyesores from the rest of the neighborhood with- you guessed it- paint (what can we say, it’s our favorite cure-all!).
Image found here.
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Privacy fences are the only way to go in Oklahoma. Chain link screams out for improvement. No fence just sounds like chaos.
I agree. Privacy fences are the way to go. We will never live without one, especially because of our big ol’ lab that lives outside.
I have one of those dogs who, if loose, will run as fast and far as he can. A fence is a must! All the yards on our black have chain link fences. Separate, but not too. Next summer I’m going to experiment with vines to make the fence prettier.
That should have said block ;)
I liked chainlink when I was a kid because it made the yard feel more open. We have a privacy fence and I hate the way it makes our yard feel so closed in. But we also have a dog we want to be able to roam free in the backyard.
I think a good compromise I have seen around here is a 3-slat wooden fence (typical Kentucky horsefarm look) that has hogwire stapled to it. The hogwire is practically invisible and yet it still keeps the dog inside. For bigger dogs that may be able to jump a slat fence, there are new non-wood options that look like picket fences but go around 8 foot high. They are secure but give a feeling of openness.
Wish we didn’t have to have a fence, since in my opinion, they do feel exclusive, but with three (big) dogs, we have no choice!
With young kids, they’re kind of a necessity. My son is too young for me to let him run around outside by himself, but even if I’m out there with him, we need some sort of boundary to stop him from constantly invading neighbor’s yards. Your question is interesting, though, because I guess a low wall could serve the same purpose. Well, until he learned to climb it. It is a little sad how fences cut you off from neighbors. Porches can help to alleviate that a little.
There is something to be said for both arguments. I love the look of spacious yards that kind of gel together. However, we recently moved from a townhouse into our first home and while shopping fenced in back yard (for our puppy girl) was priority #3 right after 3beds, 2 baths! We love it that she gets to hang outside whenever she wants – and we think she likes it too. The days of timing potty breaks are over!! I think it depends on the property and where you are.
I don’t understand why people don’t have fences… I can’t wait to get ours up. We’re one the only houses so far on our block, and we constantly have people walking around in our backyard looking at the construction and getting ideas… It’s both irritating and scary!
While we’ve met our neighbours and think they’re nice, I don’t wanna be sharing my backyard barbecue and got tin sessions with him and his friends… Plus, we’re getting a dog, so we’ll need to fence him in!
In the city, fences are a must. In the country, no fence.
I live on a corner lot, on a pretty busy street. I’m crossing my fingers (and my toes) that my HOA will allow me to put up a privacy fence. I’d like to have a garden…which typically requires a lot of bending over…you get the idea!
We live in a neighborhood with only a few fences & it’s nice to look in our backyard and see lots of grass & trees (some of which aren’t ours to mow & trim!) But we got a puppy in the spring & so getting a fence is now sounding like a better & better idea. I don’t think we’d go for privacy, maybe just a little picket fence to keep the pup in but still allow visibility into the other yards.
I don’t have an opinion. But I’m definitely going to be checking back to see if this turns into a repeat of the “cul-de-sac question”. I have rarely been so shocked by the vehemence of people’s opinions.
We have 2 dogs, so a fence is a must to let them run free in the backyard without loving on the neighbors.
I think privacy fences are required for backyards. Most of us don’t have a forest in our backyard like you guys do though. I don’t really socialize with my neighbors though.
We’re glad we have a privacy fence. I agree with Misty – no fence would be chaos. The hubs and I live in a neighborhood that was built in the 80′s and a lot of those original residents are still there. We’re not so sure they are keen on the 20 somethings in the corner house…so we’re happy to have the fence for when we enjoy colder weather out by the fire pit.
Yes. I had a six foot cedar fence installed last year. I appreciate the privacy, mainly from passers-by not neighbors. It keeps out random animals, people cutting through, and makes it so easy to let the dog out.
It was a really hard decision though to put it in my 1920s city neighborhood with fantastic neighbors. I went around and spoke with them first, and made sure to work on the landscaping outside the fence.
Only one neighbor made the comment that she can’t just walk tomatoes to my backdoor anymore (she’s 96) but otherwise everything has been positive.
Yes ABSOLUTELY! to fences. We just finished replacing our trashy chain link with a beautiful 6 ft redwood privacy fence over Labor Day weekend. Our dog and the neighbor did not get along (it degraded into hose spraying, constant barking and cursing) so a privacy fence was a must! Now we’re happy, our neighbors are happy, and most importantly, our dog is happy!
Fencing is the reason why I’ll be buying 35 acres soon. I prefer hedges and landscaping to define a property line. They can be more private too;)
It depends on your location… In the City they are necessary. Anywhere else no fences. My HOA does not allow any sort of fences (except around a pool) – it keeps the neighborhood feeling open and inviting.
We have two rescue greyhounds so a fenced backyard was very important, they love to run as well as lay in the sun and be lazy. It’s not visible from the front of the house which is good because it’s currently chainlink. We don’t mind it on one side because those neighbors have well-kept backyards and there are huge beautiful Althea bushes in front of the fence in the back. But the other neighbors have an eyesore of a yard (kudzu, yikes!) so we’re planning to replace it soon.
My 8 foot high wood privacy fence helps me feel safe! I have locks on the 2 “doors” in the fence (one opens to the back alley, where trash is collected, and one opens to the side yard) which is also a nice safety feature. Can’t WAIT to get a remote controlled gate for the driveway which will make access to the back of my house and backyard controlled only by me!
I’m a big fan of fences, particularly privacy fences. When you live in an area with neighbors you love, it’s a wonderful thing, but you still need your privacy too. In our case, we have a couple on the left of us that don’t really care for their property/lawn and on the right of us there are constant renters. So, they often pile things up outside or inside the garage, don’t care for the property as an owner would and in generally can be noisy at times. We decided to put up a fence on our front property (it sounds worse than it it, I promise!). We put up a simple fence with posts and chicken wire and then planted beautiful confederate Jasmine. It has been 2.5 years and it is growing really well. When it blooms in the spring, it smells heavenly, and we have a little more privacy. If I could change anything it would be our existing chain link fence that is on either side of our backyard, it is original with our 50′s house, I would love a beautiful tall white fence someday…
One more thing: well-constructed privacy fences boost property value.
I live in the city and have a chain link fence (there when I moved it). Hoping to replace it with something nicer. In my neighborhood, most of us have fences in our back yards. It is nice have private space in the back. When we want to be social, we hang out in the front where most of us have porches. I like having space for outdoor hospitality as well as the ability to be outside without having to chat it up with people.
I actually have both a privacy fence (in the backyard between my house and the neighbor’s) and a bull-wire fence that makes my house more open and allows for a view of the creek behind me.
I don’t really like chain link, but I think bull-wire fences can look really modern. They’re getting really popular here in Austin. I don’t have a picture of mine with me, but here’s what I’m talking about:
http://www.austexfenceanddeck.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bull-wire-stained-redwood.jpg
Yes to the fence. We always wanted a puppy so we knew that when we got one it was the perfect time to announce we were putting one up. It worked out great because we already had one to the side of the neighbors who we hang out with, so no harm done, and the rest faces the street.
It was a total DIY project, the hubby and I did it with the help of his parents. In a true bonding moment, his mom and I ran the saw while his dad and he measured and hung the pickets.
We actually think it improves the look of our house. I stained it a warm cedar tone this spring to help keep the color and quality last, and we also put little solar-powered lantern capstones on the post so it subtly lights up at night. And it has held the dog so far – well until somebody forgot to shut the gate and he took off running for his favorite park!
My preference would be for an open (picket?) fence and a shrub border, maybe lavender and rosemary and holly and such. Hedges are better for wildlife than fences!!
Wow – talk about timely post! Hubby and his dad just put in the first two posts for our fence/gate last night! We just bought our house this April, and while 95% of the backyard is fenced, there is a 11 ft opening that we’re closing off with a gate. With a toddler and a dog, it’s a necessity. The rest of the yard has a chain-link, which will be replaced with a 6 ft cedar, privacy fence next spring. Part of the fence is only 3 feet tall, and our daughter made it over in the first month we lived here! I love the privacy a wood fence gives (we’re behind a H.S. and a lot of students walk by and Mocha barks her head off) but we get along really well with our neighbors too. We have assured them we don’t want to be unfriendly or snooty, but with a dog and a child we want them to be able to run loose in the backyard. They understand. The front of our home is open though!
It is rare to not have a fence in California
We couldn’t get a fence put up fast enough on our property! Prior to building one on the sides (we already had one along the back) we used to have kids from the house behind us run through our property to visit kids on our street. Sometimes they’d fall on their way over – or they would through a bike or scooter over the fence first. It was a liability suit waiting to happen…
We’re fencers too. Mainly b/c of the dogs and HOA rules governing swingsets, boats etc that have to be stored BEHIND a fence. Our property does back up to conservation so our back fence is picket so it feels more open and affords us a very nice view. We will be replacing our wooden picket with black chain link when we finish our yard project so that our view will be even better and less obstructed.
We are definitely pro-fence. Although we love our neighbors, having a fence is nice for our dogs (and client dogs that visit too). We have black chain link in our backyard, and it is now covered with native vines to the point where you can’t even see the chain link anymore! Two of our dogs could clear the 4.5 ft fence so we added a dog run on the side of our house that is 8 ft. It is has vines too, so soon it will be secure and private. Vines have definitely been our favorite way to disguise a less than lovely fence.
A fence is a must when you have a big dog. Right now the house we live in is mostly fenced (except for a portion near each side of the house) so we have to keep an eye on our dog each time we let him outside. If it was completely fenced it would be a much better place for him to play, without us worrying that he will take off into the street. A love wooden or brick privacy fences…whether you love your neighbors or not it is kind of nice to have a little space of your own.
I was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, PA and there were no fences (except a few chain link fences here and there). There was just no space for fences. Now I live in Oklahoma and EVERYONE has privacy fences. I like my fence – especially now that I have 3 dogs that run around in the back yard.
Our HOA won’t allow fences, sheds, swingsets, etc. So, the backyards where we live are bare as can be.
I wish we could have a small privacy fence. Would keep the neighbors black lab from doing his business in our yard…I grew up on a farm shoveling and tossing manure…let’s just say one day their dog’s business ended up on their back deck…by mistake!!!
We have a partially fenced in yard (2 sides). I wish it was completely fenced in so our dog could go out w/o us fearing that he’ll run in the street (and for privacy reasons..), but I do like that we don’t have to open and close a gate every time we walk around our house and mow the lawn…
I am undecided. We have no fence- I like the look of downtown communities with fences though and it seems that with local parks they get just as much neighborhood interaction as they would without the fence (probably even more) and like one poster mentioned, it’s nice to keep your uglies hidden (garden, tool sheds, etc.) I am opposed to chain link though, it’s too reminiscent of rundown areas. AND why aren’t people mentioning electric fences for their animals? Our German Shepard is outdoors during the day and we LOVE that he stays within his boundaries. It has been a positive experience for us and I would totally recommend the electric fence to others.
We put up a non-privacy, picket fence as soon as we got a dog.
Old neighborhood rules (set by the developer when the houses were just being built but not necessarily adhered to now) means most of the fences in our area are lower, 4-feet or so, and have spaces between the pickets. We have a smallish dog (20-lb beagle), so this suits us just fine. You can still have friendly chats with your neighbors, but the dog stays in.
We have also noticed that the barkiest dogs in the neighborhood are behind the few privacy fences that exist in our neighborhood. Most of the other dogs can see through the gappy picket fences they live in, so they’re not nearly as excited by those mysterious noises on the other side of the fence.
Good city fences make good city neighbors, for sure! Basically, the smaller the property, the more important the fence. Whether the city, burbs or country, it’s nice to define property lines, but with more land, it’s nicer to define with landscaping. I don’t know where we’d be without our fence …. even though I’ve lived on my block for 25 years and we’re basically next door to my parents!
I think NON-chainlink fences are necessary. I hate the look of houses backing up to each other without fences. It doesn’t make your yard look bigger. You just hope the lines are blurred with other peoples property. When we were house hunting I hated looking at places without fences because I like to know exactly where our yard would end. No fences just scream brand new cookie cutter development to me.
Every backyard in our 40-year-old-plus neighborhood has a fence. The area is quite hilly and we’re all at slightly different elevations with retaining walls between yards, topped with fences. Most fences are wood with the occasional cyclone fence. Ours is being pushed over by the trees on the property line. Apparently somebody didn’t do their research and was surprised to learn that trees *grow*.
6-Foot Privacy Fence…all the way. In our neighbordhood, we have some not-so-nice, not-so-neighborly people…so keeping our privacy under wraps is VERY important. We host alot of parties too…Lord knows they would be ALL over that!
Our neighborhood actually doesn’t allow privacy fences…and why really live in a neighborhood if you never want to see your neighbors? But sometimes small children & dogs make fences necessary…we did a low(4 foot) spaced picket fence. It allows a safe perimeter around our yard, without blocking ourselves off.
I’m all for fences. It’s nice to have delineated areas. We have a metal(mesh?) type fence in our back yard. It doesn’t break up the landscape too much b/c it isn’t solid, but it makes a great play area for our pup!
We just got a few quotes, because we have a dog that stays in our yard for the most part, but we still need one for him. We don’t think wooden fences are that attractive for our house, but like them on other homes. but do not want to pay $8,000 for the wrought iron-looking, aluminum. I would love to do a white vinyl fence, but they are extremely expensive, as well.
I think we are going to do a wooden fence with a deep stain and aluminum gates for around 5/6000. It’s an investment and improves the value of our home, but what a chunk of change!
I’ve seen a wooden fence stained black and those are really pretty, too. I think white would look best for our home, but I wouldn’t want I’m sure the upkeep would be too much.
We just shelled out a lot of money to replace our 40 year old fence. I actually liked the way our yard looked after we tore down the old fence. It was really quite pretty to have our yard open to our neighbors yards. But now that the fence is rebuilt we are very happy, as are our neighbors. Privacy is nice and even when you like your neighbors (as we do), we don’t want to be constantly checking up on each other!!! I do have to say that when we drive out in the country and see the enormous back yards with no fences, it’s very beautiful.
When you are on 1/3 of an acre, having no fence is just a little too close for comfort.
We’re really conflicted on the subject of fences. We currently have a 5 foot tall, white picket fence that surrounds our house. In the back yard, we’d love to have more privacy since we are surrounded by neighbors and our lots are small. On the other hand, we feel like our front yard fence tells people to “stay away” (although it does a really nice job at keeping solicitors away). We’ve contemplated removing it, but after getting a dog, we realize that it’s easier to watch her in the front yard versus the back.
Yes to the fence. We are in the city but we first got the fence to keep the skunks and deer out! We also have a pool, so its the law here to have a 6 foot fence with locking gate around it. My fence on one side is not high enough, our neighbors can still see us from their deck :/ My trees are not growing fast enough!
Wow, great question. I would have never even thought there were two sides to this. I’ve never ever (even in boston) lived in a house with no fence. Not having a fence would be like not having window dressings. I like the privacy a fence offers and think it’s still possible to be a good neighbor!