Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

A few months ago, our next door neighbor ( whom we don't get along with
because he complains about EVERYTHING ALL the time ), put up three
sections of 6' x 8' foot panels of wooden stockade fencing in the
backyard where his garden is located, on our shared property line.

He didn't want our kids to throw any balls into his precious vegatable
garden when they are out playing soccer or baseball in the backyard.
Plus, there are deer in the wooded area behind our home, and last year
the deer ate his tomato plants on him, so he also put up the wooden
stockade fence, to keep the deer out.

Anyway, because he does a vegatable garden every single year, he has
removed ALOT of his soil from where his garden area is, so our backyard
is up higher than his garden area.

Well, when he installed the fence, he installed it about 3-4 inches back
from the property line, toward his garden, but he didn't want the grass
or soil on the property line touching his fence, so he dug out a big
trench about 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide from the property line to
his fence.

So if you went right up to the property line, there was a big slooping
trench 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide on the property line, that went up
to his fence, which was about 3 inches back from the property line.

When the kids played baseball in the backyard, the balls kept going into
the slooping trench and underneath his fence and into his garden, which
he started complaining about. Then when my husband mowed the lawn a
couple of weeks ago, our push lawnmower slid right down into the trench,
and the front wheel got stuck under his fence. And last week my 5 year
old daughter and her cousin were playing baseball in the backyard, and
my daughter ran over to get the ball near the trench, and she fell into
the trench and almost broke her ankle and foot.

So last weekend, my husband in I bought about 15-20 bags of topsoil and
filled the trench in, smoothed it out, and seeded it with grass seed.
Well my nosy neighbor saw us watering the grass seed all week, and was
wondering why we were watering his fence?? So 2 days ago, he decided to
walk over into OUR yard, to see why we kept watering near his fence, and
he saw that we filled the trench in with soil.

So yesterday we got into a big fight with him, because he is all mad,
because he says that his wooden spruce fence is now buried in 2 feet of
topsoil, and that the soil is going to rot his fence away!! I told him
that we planted grass seed there, and the grass isn't going to harm the
fence, but he says the soil under the grass is going to rot the fence!!

He complained that its HIS fence, and he paid for it, and plus its back
about 4 inches from the property line. But, I told him that the the
slooping 2-3 foot deep trench that he dug out was right ON the shared
property line, and that my daughter almost broke her foot in it last
week, along with our lawnmower getting stuck under there, and his
CONSTANT complaints about the kids balls ending up in his precious
garden.

He said that if we wanted to put soil there, we should have put a board
up against his fence first, and then filled it up with soil and grass
seed, that way no soil would be touching his fence to rot it out!!

I felt like telling him that if we wanted, we could get him in trouble
with the city for putting his fence BACKWARDS!!! He put the fence with
the smooth side facing his garden, and he put the inside of the fence
facing our yard. Our city ordinances state that whenever a homeowner
installs a fence in their yard, the smooth side of the fence is suppose
to face the property line of your neighbor, and the inside of the fence
is suppose to face your house. Well he installed the fence backwards in
his backyard, as well as on the side of his house where our shared
property line is.

Plus, he has a "For Sale By Owner" sign in his yard, in which he is
trying to sell his house. So I felt like asking him why is complaining
about how we filled in the trench with soil, when he is trying to sell
his house??

But we already know the answer to that!! Thats because he doesn't want
to sell it, and has NO intentions of ever selling it!!! For the past 4
years straight, he always puts his house on the market, EVERY year, NOT
to sell it, but see what kinds of offers he gets. He thinks that someone
is going to offer him like $500,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape home
built in 1925.

I know he has NO plans on selling it, because yesterday when he was
arguing with us, he said that because we filled in the trench with 2-3
feet of soil, next year the bottom of the fence which is now buried in
dirt ( on our side of the fence ), is going to be all rotted out, and he
will have to replace it and buy a new fence now!!

So, is this true?? Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

If we want to be the good neighbors, and put a piece of wood there like
he said, up against his fence, and then refill it again, what type of
wood should we use??

Should we use something besides wood, like plastic, or plexiglass, or
that "Particle Board" wood??

What about using that cement "Duraboard" stuff that they sell for
bathroom walls as an alternative to sheetrock??

We have some "Waferboard" wood lying around that we don't need, but I
read that "Waferboard" rots out fast??

The one thing I hate, is that we now have some nice, thick green grass
growing there where the "former" slooping trench was. So to put
something there up against his fence, we would now have to dig out and
kill all of the nice baby grass that has already started to sprout, and
go through the process of seeding and watering all over again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what we should do??

Should we dig up all the soil and baby grass, and put a board or
something else there against his fence, and then fill it back in with
topsoil, and reseed all over again?? If so, what should we use to place
up against his fence??

Should we just ignore him, and let the new grass continue to grow
there??

Sense he is the one who started the fight with us yesterday and starting
complaining, should we complain to, and report him to the city for
installing his fence backwards??

Any suggestions and advice would greatly be appreciated!!

Thanks!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
A few months ago, our next door neighbor ( whom we don't get along with
because he complains about EVERYTHING ALL the time ), put up three
sections of 6' x 8' foot panels of wooden stockade fencing in the
backyard where his garden is located, on our shared property line.

He didn't want our kids to throw any balls into his precious vegatable
garden when they are out playing soccer or baseball in the backyard.
Plus, there are deer in the wooded area behind our home, and last year
the deer ate his tomato plants on him, so he also put up the wooden
stockade fence, to keep the deer out.

Anyway, because he does a vegatable garden every single year, he has
removed ALOT of his soil from where his garden area is, so our backyard
is up higher than his garden area.

Well, when he installed the fence, he installed it about 3-4 inches back
from the property line, toward his garden, but he didn't want the grass
or soil on the property line touching his fence, so he dug out a big
trench about 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide from the property line to
his fence.

So if you went right up to the property line, there was a big slooping
trench 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide on the property line, that went up
to his fence, which was about 3 inches back from the property line.

When the kids played baseball in the backyard, the balls kept going into
the slooping trench and underneath his fence and into his garden, which
he started complaining about. Then when my husband mowed the lawn a
couple of weeks ago, our push lawnmower slid right down into the trench,
and the front wheel got stuck under his fence. And last week my 5 year
old daughter and her cousin were playing baseball in the backyard, and
my daughter ran over to get the ball near the trench, and she fell into
the trench and almost broke her ankle and foot.

So last weekend, my husband in I bought about 15-20 bags of topsoil and
filled the trench in, smoothed it out, and seeded it with grass seed.
Well my nosy neighbor saw us watering the grass seed all week, and was
wondering why we were watering his fence?? So 2 days ago, he decided to
walk over into OUR yard, to see why we kept watering near his fence, and
he saw that we filled the trench in with soil.

So yesterday we got into a big fight with him, because he is all mad,
because he says that his wooden spruce fence is now buried in 2 feet of
topsoil, and that the soil is going to rot his fence away!! I told him
that we planted grass seed there, and the grass isn't going to harm the
fence, but he says the soil under the grass is going to rot the fence!!

He complained that its HIS fence, and he paid for it, and plus its back
about 4 inches from the property line. But, I told him that the the
slooping 2-3 foot deep trench that he dug out was right ON the shared
property line, and that my daughter almost broke her foot in it last
week, along with our lawnmower getting stuck under there, and his
CONSTANT complaints about the kids balls ending up in his precious
garden.

He said that if we wanted to put soil there, we should have put a board
up against his fence first, and then filled it up with soil and grass
seed, that way no soil would be touching his fence to rot it out!!

I felt like telling him that if we wanted, we could get him in trouble
with the city for putting his fence BACKWARDS!!! He put the fence with
the smooth side facing his garden, and he put the inside of the fence
facing our yard. Our city ordinances state that whenever a homeowner
installs a fence in their yard, the smooth side of the fence is suppose
to face the property line of your neighbor, and the inside of the fence
is suppose to face your house. Well he installed the fence backwards in
his backyard, as well as on the side of his house where our shared
property line is.

Plus, he has a "For Sale By Owner" sign in his yard, in which he is
trying to sell his house. So I felt like asking him why is complaining
about how we filled in the trench with soil, when he is trying to sell
his house??

But we already know the answer to that!! Thats because he doesn't want
to sell it, and has NO intentions of ever selling it!!! For the past 4
years straight, he always puts his house on the market, EVERY year, NOT
to sell it, but see what kinds of offers he gets. He thinks that someone
is going to offer him like $500,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape home
built in 1925.

I know he has NO plans on selling it, because yesterday when he was
arguing with us, he said that because we filled in the trench with 2-3
feet of soil, next year the bottom of the fence which is now buried in
dirt ( on our side of the fence ), is going to be all rotted out, and he
will have to replace it and buy a new fence now!!

So, is this true?? Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

If we want to be the good neighbors, and put a piece of wood there like
he said, up against his fence, and then refill it again, what type of
wood should we use??

Should we use something besides wood, like plastic, or plexiglass, or
that "Particle Board" wood??

What about using that cement "Duraboard" stuff that they sell for
bathroom walls as an alternative to sheetrock??

We have some "Waferboard" wood lying around that we don't need, but I
read that "Waferboard" rots out fast??

The one thing I hate, is that we now have some nice, thick green grass
growing there where the "former" slooping trench was. So to put
something there up against his fence, we would now have to dig out and
kill all of the nice baby grass that has already started to sprout, and
go through the process of seeding and watering all over again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what we should do??

Should we dig up all the soil and baby grass, and put a board or
something else there against his fence, and then fill it back in with
topsoil, and reseed all over again?? If so, what should we use to place
up against his fence??

Should we just ignore him, and let the new grass continue to grow
there??

Sense he is the one who started the fight with us yesterday and starting
complaining, should we complain to, and report him to the city for
installing his fence backwards??

Any suggestions and advice would greatly be appreciated!!

Thanks!


Shoot the S.O.B !!!!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? Shorter question, longer reply!!
 

"MICHELLE H." wrote in message ...


[snip]
Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

If we want to be the good neighbors, and put a piece of wood there like
he said, up against his fence, and then refill it again, what type of
wood should we use??

[snip]

Any suggestions and advice would greatly be appreciated!!

A few thoughts but no advice or conclusions. I'll take it on faith that the ditch is actually 2' deep--

Short answer -- an unreinforced ditch 2' high will wash out in the next heavy rain. You haven't solved the problem with light fill and grass seed. This is a safety hazard and code violation. To reinforce it will probably require a retaining wall, building permit and engineering inspection. Tell your insurance company and suggest that your neighbor contact his insurance company to make sure he is protected.

Other comments:

-- Yes, burying part of a wooden fence will rot away the wood and could be a path for termites. If I had spent a lot of money on wooden fence panels I'd be upset if a neighbor piled up dirt on the outside.

-- You can use PT#1 wood for places in contact with the ground, but how would you shore up the side of the ditch without crossing into his property?

-- Technically, if the fence is inside his property line, you had no right to pile dirt up against it -- it's not your property.

-- The ditch might be classified by a lawyer as an "attractive nuisance", making him liable if someone outside was injured by falling into the ditch or getting caught under the fence.

-- I have a certain amount of sympathy for a homeowner trying to grow a garden that is regularly invaded by the neighbors' kids, soccer balls, deer, etc.

-- City inspectors hate getting involved in these sorts of personal disputes, and ultimately it's up to each homeowner to either get along with their neighbors or just ignore them.

-- If you're in a homeowners' association, the association should have given approval for the fence -- I gather from your post that you're not in an association.

-- Code enforcement probably has rules about fences, turfed areas and drainage that are being violated. If you take your complaint to code enforcement, they may find the fence/ditch violates their ordinances and force him to fill it in.

-- Code enforcement might also cite him for improper (backwards) fence installation, but what good does that do you? It doesn't solve the ditch problem and just makes it that much harder to get some cooperation.

-- Do any of the neighbors on the other two sides of his property have the same problem? Then you could make a united approach that would depersonalize the conflict to some extent

-- Do fences in your area require a building permit? Did he get one?

-- Your neighbor probably has friends in the neighborhood, hopefully that you get along with better. Can you appeal to them in a way that indicates that you would like to solve the problem without being confrontational.

-- From your post, a large part of your problem appears to be that both you and your neighbor care a lot about the precise location of your property line. Also, that your children have fairly routinely crossed that line into his yard, leaving them vulnerable to claims of damaging his garden.

-- Can you go back to your neighbor, after some reflection, in a calmer manner and try to get some cooperation in something that would protect his garden yet keep your children safe? How about filling in the ditch, reseeding, moving the fence to the property line, with the bottom of the fence close enough to grade so that balls, etc. can't roll through, but high enough so that the wood stays intact. You agree to maintain your side, he his side.

-- Failing that, why not install your own (chain link?) fence at the property line. You've got all your yard, the children are protected from the ditch, and except for an occasional high lob, the soccer balls will stay out of his garden --

I once had a similar fastidioous and demanding neighbor -- ultimately I handled it by using advice from a radio talk show host -- when dealing with him I just stayed "Cheerful and stupid." It kept me calm and probably aggravated him more than anything else I could do --

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

yes, the soil will probably rot the fence unless the wood is weather
treated. I have picket fence that connected to only a little bit of
soil and after about four months began to rot.

I have a similar situation with people throwing soccer balls and other
things into my flowers. I solved it by moving my nice flowers
elsewhere even though it was on my property. This is really
irritating as the kids that threw the balls just didn't care and the
police were too busy to deal with this. I also stopped from growing a
veggie garden because of this--it's just going to break.

Definately check with city code enforcement and first make sure that
everything that's been done is up to code. Ultimately, if something as
minor as this were to go to court for any reason, you'd be protected
because you adhered to code. My city (Escondido, Ca) has a website
with all their codes in building specifications. When I needed to
build a retaining wall, this was the website I downloaded the
information from. Code violations can be really epensive
(experience!).

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? Shorter question, longerreply!!
 

To answer some of the questions, we don't know if our city requires a
permit to build a wooden stockade fence. We are going to call them (
City Hall ) tomorrow to try to find out.

Also, yes, the day after we got done filling in the ditch with soil, we
got a big thundertorm with HEAVY rain, and a 7 foot long section of
topsoil completely washed away, and we had to refill it the next day
with another 5-6 bags of 40 pound topsoil. So if we have another heavy
rainstorm, it may all wash away again?? But will it wash away, even if
grass is starting to grow there??

We knew that by placing the soil all the way to his fence, that we were
actually filling in his property as well, but the thing is, he dug this
slooping trench right on our shared property line, so we just filled in
the whole thing, not knowing that the soil would rot away the wood.

Yes, we were thinking the same thing today. That maybe we will just put
up own own 4' high chainlink fence, to keep the kids away from there,
so that nobody falls in and breaks an ankle or a foot.

Also, our kids our young ( under 10 ), so when I say that they might
accidently hit a ball into his garden, I am talking about those white
PLASTIC Whiffle-balls, not some heavy baseball that is going to do any
damage to his plants. Plus, its not like a ball lands in his garden
every single day, I say maybe this happens like 3-4 times a year at the
most. But when he had the slooping trench there, for a few months now,
their Whiffle-balls, Nerf balls, etc, etc. kept going down into the
slooping trench, and into his garden. He would never give the balls back
to the kids either, he just threw them into the woods, intead of giving
it back to them.

As I said in my original post, he said that we should have put a piece
of wood up against his fence before filling in the trench. If we have
another heavy rainstorm, and the soil washes all away again, what kind
of wood are we suppose to put there?? Waferboard? Plywood? 2 x 4's?
Plexiglass? Plastic? Concrete Duraboard?

Thanks for all of the great responses, information, and suggestions so
far. Please keep them coming.

Thanks!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? More....
 

Also, to answer your other question regarding the other side of his
house which is fenced, yes, there is also a 6' foot high by 8' feet wide
wooden spruce stockade fence that he and a couple of his friends/family
members installed last year.

YES, that fence ( which is on the right side of his house next to the
neighbors on the other side of him ), that fence faces the CORRECT
direction. The smooth side faces his neighbors house, and the inside of
the fence faces his house and yard.

Also, last summer, when him and his buddies installed a 6' x 8' spruce
stockade fence in his backyard, they put the fence backwards, with the
smooth side facing his backyard and house, and the inside of the fence
facing the woods.

Then this spring, they put up the 6' x 8' foot spruce stockade fence on
the left side of his house on our shared property line, and that fence
is facing backwards as well. He has the smooth side of the fence facing
his house, and the inside of the fence facing our house.

As far as communicating with him, and letting him move the three 6' x 8'
foot wooden stockade fence panels, and moving them to our shared
property line, so that there will no longer be a slooping trench there
for the kids to fall into, or the balls to go under, this wouldn't
really work, because he dug the trench right ON the property line. His
fence is a few inches back from the property line, but he dug the trench
right on our shared property line. So in order for him to cover up the
trench, he would have to place the fence right on our property, which I
doubt he would want to do, sense we don't like each other and don't get
along.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? More....
 

"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
Also, to answer your other question regarding the other side of his
house which is fenced, yes, there is also a 6' foot high by 8' feet wide
wooden spruce stockade fence that he and a couple of his friends/family
members installed last year.

YES, that fence ( which is on the right side of his house next to the
neighbors on the other side of him ), that fence faces the CORRECT
direction. The smooth side faces his neighbors house, and the inside of
the fence faces his house and yard.

Also, last summer, when him and his buddies installed a 6' x 8' spruce
stockade fence in his backyard, they put the fence backwards, with the
smooth side facing his backyard and house, and the inside of the fence
facing the woods.

Then this spring, they put up the 6' x 8' foot spruce stockade fence on
the left side of his house on our shared property line, and that fence
is facing backwards as well. He has the smooth side of the fence facing
his house, and the inside of the fence facing our house.

As far as communicating with him, and letting him move the three 6' x 8'
foot wooden stockade fence panels, and moving them to our shared
property line, so that there will no longer be a slooping trench there
for the kids to fall into, or the balls to go under, this wouldn't
really work, because he dug the trench right ON the property line. His
fence is a few inches back from the property line, but he dug the trench
right on our shared property line. So in order for him to cover up the
trench, he would have to place the fence right on our property, which I
doubt he would want to do, sense we don't like each other and don't get
along.


What the heck is a "slooping trench"?

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? More....
 

on 6/18/2008 9:24 PM Hairy said the following:
"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...

Also, to answer your other question regarding the other side of his
house which is fenced, yes, there is also a 6' foot high by 8' feet wide
wooden spruce stockade fence that he and a couple of his friends/family
members installed last year.

YES, that fence ( which is on the right side of his house next to the
neighbors on the other side of him ), that fence faces the CORRECT
direction. The smooth side faces his neighbors house, and the inside of
the fence faces his house and yard.

Also, last summer, when him and his buddies installed a 6' x 8' spruce
stockade fence in his backyard, they put the fence backwards, with the
smooth side facing his backyard and house, and the inside of the fence
facing the woods.

Then this spring, they put up the 6' x 8' foot spruce stockade fence on
the left side of his house on our shared property line, and that fence
is facing backwards as well. He has the smooth side of the fence facing
his house, and the inside of the fence facing our house.

As far as communicating with him, and letting him move the three 6' x 8'
foot wooden stockade fence panels, and moving them to our shared
property line, so that there will no longer be a slooping trench there
for the kids to fall into, or the balls to go under, this wouldn't
really work, because he dug the trench right ON the property line. His
fence is a few inches back from the property line, but he dug the trench
right on our shared property line. So in order for him to cover up the
trench, he would have to place the fence right on our property, which I
doubt he would want to do, sense we don't like each other and don't get
along.



What the heck is a "slooping trench"?

Remove the extraneous 'o' from the word.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? More....
 

"willshak" wrote in message
m...
on 6/18/2008 9:24 PM Hairy said the following:
"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...

Also, to answer your other question regarding the other side of his
house which is fenced, yes, there is also a 6' foot high by 8' feet wide
wooden spruce stockade fence that he and a couple of his friends/family
members installed last year.

YES, that fence ( which is on the right side of his house next to the
neighbors on the other side of him ), that fence faces the CORRECT
direction. The smooth side faces his neighbors house, and the inside of
the fence faces his house and yard.

Also, last summer, when him and his buddies installed a 6' x 8' spruce
stockade fence in his backyard, they put the fence backwards, with the
smooth side facing his backyard and house, and the inside of the fence
facing the woods.

Then this spring, they put up the 6' x 8' foot spruce stockade fence on
the left side of his house on our shared property line, and that fence
is facing backwards as well. He has the smooth side of the fence facing
his house, and the inside of the fence facing our house.

As far as communicating with him, and letting him move the three 6' x 8'
foot wooden stockade fence panels, and moving them to our shared
property line, so that there will no longer be a slooping trench there
for the kids to fall into, or the balls to go under, this wouldn't
really work, because he dug the trench right ON the property line. His
fence is a few inches back from the property line, but he dug the trench
right on our shared property line. So in order for him to cover up the
trench, he would have to place the fence right on our property, which I
doubt he would want to do, sense we don't like each other and don't get
along.



What the heck is a "slooping trench"?

Remove the extraneous 'o' from the word.


Thanks. That should have occured to me, but it didn't.

Dave

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

Your neighbor has the right to fence his property. He probably has the
right to put the good side facing him. After all it is his fence and he
paid for it. You do not have the right to cross the property line or to add
dirt to his property. If your dirt is washing into his yard he probably is
very unhappy. You are crossing the line and liable if he wishes to take
action. You may put up your own fence on your property if you don't like
his.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

I read it a couple of times. The distance of the width of the trench and
the distance of the closest to your property line don't jive for any
appreciable amount of time considering natural erosion, and the depth you
noted. Unless of course the trench is of rock.
--
Dave
"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
A few months ago, our next door neighbor ( whom we don't get along with
because he complains about EVERYTHING ALL the time ), put up three
sections of 6' x 8' foot panels of wooden stockade fencing in the
backyard where his garden is located, on our shared property line.

He didn't want our kids to throw any balls into his precious vegatable
garden when they are out playing soccer or baseball in the backyard.
Plus, there are deer in the wooded area behind our home, and last year
the deer ate his tomato plants on him, so he also put up the wooden
stockade fence, to keep the deer out.

Anyway, because he does a vegatable garden every single year, he has
removed ALOT of his soil from where his garden area is, so our backyard
is up higher than his garden area.

Well, when he installed the fence, he installed it about 3-4 inches back
from the property line, toward his garden, but he didn't want the grass
or soil on the property line touching his fence, so he dug out a big
trench about 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide from the property line to
his fence.

So if you went right up to the property line, there was a big slooping
trench 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide on the property line, that went up
to his fence, which was about 3 inches back from the property line.

When the kids played baseball in the backyard, the balls kept going into
the slooping trench and underneath his fence and into his garden, which
he started complaining about. Then when my husband mowed the lawn a
couple of weeks ago, our push lawnmower slid right down into the trench,
and the front wheel got stuck under his fence. And last week my 5 year
old daughter and her cousin were playing baseball in the backyard, and
my daughter ran over to get the ball near the trench, and she fell into
the trench and almost broke her ankle and foot.

So last weekend, my husband in I bought about 15-20 bags of topsoil and
filled the trench in, smoothed it out, and seeded it with grass seed.
Well my nosy neighbor saw us watering the grass seed all week, and was
wondering why we were watering his fence?? So 2 days ago, he decided to
walk over into OUR yard, to see why we kept watering near his fence, and
he saw that we filled the trench in with soil.

So yesterday we got into a big fight with him, because he is all mad,
because he says that his wooden spruce fence is now buried in 2 feet of
topsoil, and that the soil is going to rot his fence away!! I told him
that we planted grass seed there, and the grass isn't going to harm the
fence, but he says the soil under the grass is going to rot the fence!!

He complained that its HIS fence, and he paid for it, and plus its back
about 4 inches from the property line. But, I told him that the the
slooping 2-3 foot deep trench that he dug out was right ON the shared
property line, and that my daughter almost broke her foot in it last
week, along with our lawnmower getting stuck under there, and his
CONSTANT complaints about the kids balls ending up in his precious
garden.

He said that if we wanted to put soil there, we should have put a board
up against his fence first, and then filled it up with soil and grass
seed, that way no soil would be touching his fence to rot it out!!

I felt like telling him that if we wanted, we could get him in trouble
with the city for putting his fence BACKWARDS!!! He put the fence with
the smooth side facing his garden, and he put the inside of the fence
facing our yard. Our city ordinances state that whenever a homeowner
installs a fence in their yard, the smooth side of the fence is suppose
to face the property line of your neighbor, and the inside of the fence
is suppose to face your house. Well he installed the fence backwards in
his backyard, as well as on the side of his house where our shared
property line is.

Plus, he has a "For Sale By Owner" sign in his yard, in which he is
trying to sell his house. So I felt like asking him why is complaining
about how we filled in the trench with soil, when he is trying to sell
his house??

But we already know the answer to that!! Thats because he doesn't want
to sell it, and has NO intentions of ever selling it!!! For the past 4
years straight, he always puts his house on the market, EVERY year, NOT
to sell it, but see what kinds of offers he gets. He thinks that someone
is going to offer him like $500,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape home
built in 1925.

I know he has NO plans on selling it, because yesterday when he was
arguing with us, he said that because we filled in the trench with 2-3
feet of soil, next year the bottom of the fence which is now buried in
dirt ( on our side of the fence ), is going to be all rotted out, and he
will have to replace it and buy a new fence now!!

So, is this true?? Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

If we want to be the good neighbors, and put a piece of wood there like
he said, up against his fence, and then refill it again, what type of
wood should we use??

Should we use something besides wood, like plastic, or plexiglass, or
that "Particle Board" wood??

What about using that cement "Duraboard" stuff that they sell for
bathroom walls as an alternative to sheetrock??

We have some "Waferboard" wood lying around that we don't need, but I
read that "Waferboard" rots out fast??

The one thing I hate, is that we now have some nice, thick green grass
growing there where the "former" slooping trench was. So to put
something there up against his fence, we would now have to dig out and
kill all of the nice baby grass that has already started to sprout, and
go through the process of seeding and watering all over again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what we should do??

Should we dig up all the soil and baby grass, and put a board or
something else there against his fence, and then fill it back in with
topsoil, and reseed all over again?? If so, what should we use to place
up against his fence??

Should we just ignore him, and let the new grass continue to grow
there??

Sense he is the one who started the fight with us yesterday and starting
complaining, should we complain to, and report him to the city for
installing his fence backwards??

Any suggestions and advice would greatly be appreciated!!

Thanks!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

Michelle,

Look into putting together a retaining wall out of stacked blocks
(pavestone.com). I just built one last month and although carrying
the blocks around was heavy work, it was super easy to build. You'll
read all this stuff about putting the blocks in many inches of crushed
rock but I didn't nor did I bury the first course and the wall looks
absolutely beautiful. The blocks were about $1.30 each from Home
Depot. The only warning I'd have is to tell your kids to stay away
from it if you build it. The blocks are a little jagged and might hurt
them. But there are other styles you can choose from.

Good luck with this, your neighbor--although sounds like a pain in the
butt--might have a point.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

I think you exaggerate a little too much. First for you to complain about
him gardening, is petty, I like gardens, that is what back yards are for.
And how does gardening each year be a cause of his soil level to drop below
yours.

For a ditch to be 2 to 3 feet deep and 2 feet wide is very large and could
not be filled in with a mere 15 to 20 bags of topsoil. If the ditch extends
into your side of the property, that was the time to complain as he has no
right to touch your land. If it is all on his property, he can do what he
wants but should support the soil on your side if the slope is not gradual
enough to support the sides. If the ditch is all on his property, install
your own fence on your side of the line to keep your unruly kids enclosed
and prevent balls from crossing. They have no right to trash his garden.



"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
A few months ago, our next door neighbor ( whom we don't get along with
because he complains about EVERYTHING ALL the time ), put up three
sections of 6' x 8' foot panels of wooden stockade fencing in the
backyard where his garden is located, on our shared property line.

He didn't want our kids to throw any balls into his precious vegatable
garden when they are out playing soccer or baseball in the backyard.
Plus, there are deer in the wooded area behind our home, and last year
the deer ate his tomato plants on him, so he also put up the wooden
stockade fence, to keep the deer out.

Anyway, because he does a vegatable garden every single year, he has
removed ALOT of his soil from where his garden area is, so our backyard
is up higher than his garden area.

Well, when he installed the fence, he installed it about 3-4 inches back
from the property line, toward his garden, but he didn't want the grass
or soil on the property line touching his fence, so he dug out a big
trench about 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide from the property line to
his fence.

So if you went right up to the property line, there was a big slooping
trench 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide on the property line, that went up
to his fence, which was about 3 inches back from the property line.

When the kids played baseball in the backyard, the balls kept going into
the slooping trench and underneath his fence and into his garden, which
he started complaining about. Then when my husband mowed the lawn a
couple of weeks ago, our push lawnmower slid right down into the trench,
and the front wheel got stuck under his fence. And last week my 5 year
old daughter and her cousin were playing baseball in the backyard, and
my daughter ran over to get the ball near the trench, and she fell into
the trench and almost broke her ankle and foot.

So last weekend, my husband in I bought about 15-20 bags of topsoil and
filled the trench in, smoothed it out, and seeded it with grass seed.
Well my nosy neighbor saw us watering the grass seed all week, and was
wondering why we were watering his fence?? So 2 days ago, he decided to
walk over into OUR yard, to see why we kept watering near his fence, and
he saw that we filled the trench in with soil.

So yesterday we got into a big fight with him, because he is all mad,
because he says that his wooden spruce fence is now buried in 2 feet of
topsoil, and that the soil is going to rot his fence away!! I told him
that we planted grass seed there, and the grass isn't going to harm the
fence, but he says the soil under the grass is going to rot the fence!!

He complained that its HIS fence, and he paid for it, and plus its back
about 4 inches from the property line. But, I told him that the the
slooping 2-3 foot deep trench that he dug out was right ON the shared
property line, and that my daughter almost broke her foot in it last
week, along with our lawnmower getting stuck under there, and his
CONSTANT complaints about the kids balls ending up in his precious
garden.

He said that if we wanted to put soil there, we should have put a board
up against his fence first, and then filled it up with soil and grass
seed, that way no soil would be touching his fence to rot it out!!

I felt like telling him that if we wanted, we could get him in trouble
with the city for putting his fence BACKWARDS!!! He put the fence with
the smooth side facing his garden, and he put the inside of the fence
facing our yard. Our city ordinances state that whenever a homeowner
installs a fence in their yard, the smooth side of the fence is suppose
to face the property line of your neighbor, and the inside of the fence
is suppose to face your house. Well he installed the fence backwards in
his backyard, as well as on the side of his house where our shared
property line is.

Plus, he has a "For Sale By Owner" sign in his yard, in which he is
trying to sell his house. So I felt like asking him why is complaining
about how we filled in the trench with soil, when he is trying to sell
his house??

But we already know the answer to that!! Thats because he doesn't want
to sell it, and has NO intentions of ever selling it!!! For the past 4
years straight, he always puts his house on the market, EVERY year, NOT
to sell it, but see what kinds of offers he gets. He thinks that someone
is going to offer him like $500,000 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath cape home
built in 1925.

I know he has NO plans on selling it, because yesterday when he was
arguing with us, he said that because we filled in the trench with 2-3
feet of soil, next year the bottom of the fence which is now buried in
dirt ( on our side of the fence ), is going to be all rotted out, and he
will have to replace it and buy a new fence now!!

So, is this true?? Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

If we want to be the good neighbors, and put a piece of wood there like
he said, up against his fence, and then refill it again, what type of
wood should we use??

Should we use something besides wood, like plastic, or plexiglass, or
that "Particle Board" wood??

What about using that cement "Duraboard" stuff that they sell for
bathroom walls as an alternative to sheetrock??

We have some "Waferboard" wood lying around that we don't need, but I
read that "Waferboard" rots out fast??

The one thing I hate, is that we now have some nice, thick green grass
growing there where the "former" slooping trench was. So to put
something there up against his fence, we would now have to dig out and
kill all of the nice baby grass that has already started to sprout, and
go through the process of seeding and watering all over again.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what we should do??

Should we dig up all the soil and baby grass, and put a board or
something else there against his fence, and then fill it back in with
topsoil, and reseed all over again?? If so, what should we use to place
up against his fence??

Should we just ignore him, and let the new grass continue to grow
there??

Sense he is the one who started the fight with us yesterday and starting
complaining, should we complain to, and report him to the city for
installing his fence backwards??

Any suggestions and advice would greatly be appreciated!!

Thanks!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

"They have no right to trash his garden!!"

I didn't know that ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic "Whiffle-ball" into a
garden was considered "trashing a garden"!!!!!

I could see if the kids were running over into his garden and stepping
and stomping on all his plants, then yeah, that would be trashing his
garden. But thats not what they do, as they KNOW that they are not
allowed to go into his yard ( because of his threats to call the police!
).

But ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic ball over in his garden like 3-4 times
a year is "trashing it"???

COME ON!!!!!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

On Jun 19, 2:15*pm, (MICHELLE H.) wrote:
"They have no right to trash his garden!!"

I didn't know that ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic "Whiffle-ball" into a
garden was considered "trashing a garden"!!!!!

I could see if the kids were running over into his garden and stepping
and stomping on all his plants, then yeah, that would be trashing his
garden. But thats not what they do, as they KNOW that they are not
allowed to go into his yard ( because of his threats to call the police!
).

But ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic ball over in his garden like 3-4 times
a year is "trashing it"???

COME ON!!!!!



Unless I'm missing something, the basic math here doesn't add up. We
are told that:

"Well, when he installed the fence, he installed it about 3-4 inches
back
from the property line, toward his garden, but he didn't want the
grass
or soil on the property line touching his fence, so he dug out a big
trench about 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide from the property line to
his fence.

So if you went right up to the property line, there was a big
slooping
trench 2-3 feet deep, and 2 feet wide on the property line, that went
up
to his fence, which was about 3 inches back from the property line. "

How can you have a 2 ft wide ditch from the property line to his fence
and also have the fence located 3-4 inchs from the property line? If
the fence is 3-4" from the property line and the ditch he dug is on
the OP's side of the fence, which is what it sounds like, then most of
the ditch was dug on the OP's property.

Some pics of this would sure help.

Basicly, if he dug a ditch on the OP's property, then the neighbor is
in the wrong. If the fence and ditch are entirely on his property,
then he could be OK in that regard, but all local ordinances would
still apply. I would think an unmarked 2 ft wide by 3 ft deep ditch
dug by anyone on the edge of their property would be of interest to
the local code official. Even if nothing specifically addresses it,
it could very well fall under some general category of creating a
unsafe/dangerous condition on the property.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

Is it a "wiffle-ball", is it 3 to 4 times a year, do you really know
everything that is going on with your children. Your other descriptions
don't add up, so exaggeration is assumed, so it can be assumed that you
minimize the actions from your side. You need to assume responsibility for
you and your children, and need to be honest with your descriptions. Your
neighbor seems to be overreacting and this is escalating into a battle. Meet
with him and settle your augments like adults. Fence in your backyard to
contain the children's games, to prevent them from spilling into his yard.
His garden is not intruding into your yard.


"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
"They have no right to trash his garden!!"

I didn't know that ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic "Whiffle-ball" into a
garden was considered "trashing a garden"!!!!!

I could see if the kids were running over into his garden and stepping
and stomping on all his plants, then yeah, that would be trashing his
garden. But thats not what they do, as they KNOW that they are not
allowed to go into his yard ( because of his threats to call the police!
).

But ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic ball over in his garden like 3-4 times
a year is "trashing it"???

COME ON!!!!!

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

We had another thunderstorm here last night, with more heavy rain, and
so it looks like that more Topsoil got washed away down towards the
wooded area in back of our home. So when I get the chance, I will go out
there with a tape measure to measure the actually length, width, and
depth of the trench that he dug out.

Also, someone asked how would his vegetable gardening would cause him to
lose soil?? I don't know what he did with all the soil from his garden,
but for some reason, our backyards are both level and at the same
height, until you get to behind his garage where his vegetable garden
area is, where he dug this trench and installed the fence. Our grass
backyard in this area, is like 3-4 feet ( rough estitmate ), higher up
than where his garden is.

Before this fence was installed, the property line WAS around this
height as well, and then it would slope down toward his garden where he
used to have a smaller 3' x 8' foot wooden picket fence, which was a few
feet FARTHER back from where this newer one is now. He got rid of that
fence, because the deer would come out at night, and just stick their
head and necks right over the 3' foot fence and eat his vegetable
plants.

So when he installed this newer 6' x 8' foot wooden stockade fence, he
put it CLOSER towards the property line so that he would have more space
for his garden, and he installed it about 4 inches back from the
property line. But because the property line, and right around the
property line on his side as well as our side was higher up than his
garden, he didn't want the grass and dirt to be touching the fence, so
he dug out all the grass and dirt right on the property line, leaving
this huge unsafe trench there.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

So, is this true?? Will the bottom of the fence rot out from having 2-3
feet of topsoil up against it, on our our side of the fence??

Yes, It will rot.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
"They have no right to trash his garden!!"

I didn't know that ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic "Whiffle-ball" into a
garden was considered "trashing a garden"!!!!!

I could see if the kids were running over into his garden and stepping
and stomping on all his plants, then yeah, that would be trashing his
garden. But thats not what they do, as they KNOW that they are not
allowed to go into his yard ( because of his threats to call the police!
).

But ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic ball over in his garden like 3-4 times
a year is "trashing it"???

COME ON!!!!!


No "COME ON". Kinda depends what's in the garden at the time, like new
sprouts just seeing the sun for the first time. It probably escalated from
there, to an over-protective gardener. Maybe a recluse responding the only
way he/she is comfortable with. I don't know, just hearing your side.
Sounds like something that could be worked out locally, but, it also sounds
you've never addressed your neighbor personally in an amiable manner. Just
an irritant to you that you can't kill with your bug spray.

And the factual data about the so-called ditch vs. the amount of topsoil you
and your husband used to fill the ditch in is so bogus... And, you
acknowledged that the ditch was on his property. All of which you snipped
out in your previous reply of course.
--
Dave

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

On Jun 20, 12:44*am, "Dioclese" NONE wrote:
"MICHELLE H." wrote in message

...





"They have no right to trash his garden!!"

I didn't know that ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic "Whiffle-ball" into a
garden was considered "trashing a garden"!!!!!

I could see if the kids were running over into his garden and stepping
and stomping on all his plants, then yeah, that would be trashing his
garden. But thats not what they do, as they KNOW that they are not
allowed to go into his yard ( because of his threats to call the police!
).

But ACCIDENTLY hitting a plastic ball over in his garden like 3-4 times
a year is "trashing it"???

COME ON!!!!!

No "COME ON". *Kinda depends what's in the garden at the time, like new
sprouts just seeing the sun for the first time. *It probably escalated from
there, to an over-protective gardener. *Maybe a recluse responding the only
way he/she is comfortable with. *I don't know, just hearing your side.
Sounds like something that could be worked out locally, but, it also sounds
you've never addressed your neighbor personally in an amiable manner. *Just
an irritant to you that you can't kill with your bug spray.

And the factual data about the so-called ditch vs. the amount of topsoil you
and your husband used to fill the ditch in is so bogus... *


Another good point. The ditch is supposed to be 2 ft wide, by 2 or 3
ft deep and with three 8 ft fence sections, it must be about 24 ft
long. That's 100 to 124 cubic feet. You sure can't fill that up
with 20 bags of topsoil. And with the ditch 2 feet wide at the
property line, the fence 4" from the property line, the whole geometry
of this doesn't add up.





And, you
acknowledged that the ditch was on his property. *All of which you snipped
out in your previous reply of course.
--
Dave- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

THE MEASUREMENTS....
 

Hello everyone,

Just got home a little while ago, and so I went out and took the
measurements of this trench, for everyone asking just how big this thing
really is.

Here are the measurements just taken today:

1) The trench he dug, is 24-25 feet LONG. This one is easy to figure
out, because it is the same length as the fence ( three 8 foot sections
= 24 feet ), but he actually started and stopped the trench a little
more than the length of the fence.

2) The WIDTH of the trench is about 10 1/2 inches wide, from the
property line marker pole, to his fence.

3) The DEPTH of the trench is between 18-19 inches deep. It could have
been deeper than this, because I measured where most of the soil got
washed away the other night when we got heavy rain from a thunderstorm.
So there could be some topsoil remaining that didn't wash away yet, and
so it could have been deeper?? But right now it is between 18-19 inches
deep in a 7-8 foot long section.

NOTES:
---------------

When he got into the fight with us about this whole situation a few days
ago, HE is the one who kept saying that "the fence isn't on the property
line, but 4 inches back from it on his property".

Actually, from the property line marker pole which is cemented into the
ground, the fence is actually about 10 1/2 inches back from the property
line, so this is how WIDE the trench is.
The reason the fence is 10 1/2 inches back from the property line, is
because as I said when I started this topic, the fence is BACKWARDS,
with the smooth side facing his yard, and the inside of the fence facing
our yard. The fence POSTS are about "4 inches back" from the property
line. But because he installed the fence backwards, the fence is
actually farther back, 10 1/2 inches, because it is on the INSIDE of the
fence posts.

So while we know that the fence posts and the fence are on his property,
and this trench that he dug out is MOSTLY on his property, it still
starts at the property line, and this thing is 24-25 feet long, 10 1/2
inches wide, and 18-19 inches deep. And so we worry about our young
children falling into this and breaking their foot or ankle or
something!!!!!

Also, because our backyard is up higher than where this trench is, and
he made this trench SLOPE downwards toward the fence and his garden.
What if the soil from our backyard starts to erode and wash away because
of this??

For some reason, when he dug out and made this trench, he didn't dig it
out nice and flat, he dug it out at an angle, and left it as a hill, so
that is SLOPES downward toward his fence and garden.

So this is why almost all of the topsoil and grass seed we put there
washed away, because it all washed down under the fence, and into his
garden.

What is everybodys opinion on this?? Is this considered a safety
hazard?? Should we report him to the city hall code violation department
for this trench being a nuissance as well as UNSAFE??

Comments and suggestions would be very much appreciated!!!!!

Thanks!

SORRY....
 

Sorry to all the people who kept saying that "this doesn't add up" and
all that, and yes you are RIGHT. It wouldn't have added up, because we
never measured this trench, and so when I said it was 2-3 feet deep and
2-3 feet wide in my original post, I was just ESTIMATING it.

When we got into a fight with him the other day, HE was the one that
kept saying that he put the fence "4 inches back from the property
line". So that is why I said in my original post that the fence was 4
inches back from the property line, because I was going by with what HE
said.

As far as the topsoil goes, when we filled this trench in with topsoil,
we used roughly about 15 bags or so, with DIFFERENT amounts in each bag.
The reason for this is because first we used this generic Home Depot
topsoil that was like $1.19 for a 40 pound bag. The stuff sucked because
it was all wet, and it was loaded with all kinds of debris, like tons of
rocks, sticks, pieces of plastic, paper, someones broken eye glasses
frame, pieces of black roof shingles, etc, etc. So we then switched
over to a different brand, and used "Scotts Premium Organic Topsoil"
which came in a ".75 cubic foot bag", which was $1.99 a bag.

When we filled in the trench, it WAS NOT completely filled up to the
top. We filled in most of it, but when we got done, it still WASN'T as
high and or as even as the rest of our lawn. It was still a few inches
lower then the rest of the backyard on our side of the property line. We
didn't feel like driving another 25 minutes back to Home Depot for more
topsoil, so we just decided to seed it with grass seed.

So I am SORRY for giving the WRONG facts in my original post, saying
that the fence was 4 inches back, but the trench was 2-3 feet wide.

After going out there today, and measuring it with a tape measure, I now
know the ACCURATE measurements of this trench that he dug out, which is
24-25 feet LONG, 10 1/2 - 11 inches WIDE, and 18-19 inches DEEP.

And as I said in my last post right before this one, the FENCE POSTS are
about 4 inches back from the property line, but the fence is about 10
1/2 to 11 inches back from the property line, because he installed the
fence backwards, and its on the inside of the posts.

So this is the ACTUAL size of the trench from the property line: 10 1/2
to 11 inches wide, 18 to 19 inches deep, and 24 to 25 feet long.

SORRY....
 

What you are describing is a "ditch". Ditches exist all over the world, I
have on beside the street and one down the side of my property that drains
it to the street ditch. Ditches have existed and exist everywhere with
virtually no danger to pets, children nor adults unless they are full of
water and someone falls in unconscious. He has a right to dig a ditch on his
property, however, if the sides are at about 45 degrees or steeper, you may
have a complaint that he has made your property unstable. He then should
install a retaining wall along the edge to hold up the soil. This is where
you need to sweet talk him into seeing your side before you call the
authorities.


"MICHELLE H." wrote in message
...
Sorry to all the people who kept saying that "this doesn't add up" and
all that, and yes you are RIGHT. It wouldn't have added up, because we
never measured this trench, and so when I said it was 2-3 feet deep and
2-3 feet wide in my original post, I was just ESTIMATING it.

When we got into a fight with him the other day, HE was the one that
kept saying that he put the fence "4 inches back from the property
line". So that is why I said in my original post that the fence was 4
inches back from the property line, because I was going by with what HE
said.

As far as the topsoil goes, when we filled this trench in with topsoil,
we used roughly about 15 bags or so, with DIFFERENT amounts in each bag.
The reason for this is because first we used this generic Home Depot
topsoil that was like $1.19 for a 40 pound bag. The stuff sucked because
it was all wet, and it was loaded with all kinds of debris, like tons of
rocks, sticks, pieces of plastic, paper, someones broken eye glasses
frame, pieces of black roof shingles, etc, etc. So we then switched
over to a different brand, and used "Scotts Premium Organic Topsoil"
which came in a ".75 cubic foot bag", which was $1.99 a bag.

When we filled in the trench, it WAS NOT completely filled up to the
top. We filled in most of it, but when we got done, it still WASN'T as
high and or as even as the rest of our lawn. It was still a few inches
lower then the rest of the backyard on our side of the property line. We
didn't feel like driving another 25 minutes back to Home Depot for more
topsoil, so we just decided to seed it with grass seed.

So I am SORRY for giving the WRONG facts in my original post, saying
that the fence was 4 inches back, but the trench was 2-3 feet wide.

After going out there today, and measuring it with a tape measure, I now
know the ACCURATE measurements of this trench that he dug out, which is
24-25 feet LONG, 10 1/2 - 11 inches WIDE, and 18-19 inches DEEP.

And as I said in my last post right before this one, the FENCE POSTS are
about 4 inches back from the property line, but the fence is about 10
1/2 to 11 inches back from the property line, because he installed the
fence backwards, and its on the inside of the posts.

So this is the ACTUAL size of the trench from the property line: 10 1/2
to 11 inches wide, 18 to 19 inches deep, and 24 to 25 feet long.

THE MEASUREMENTS....
 

MICHELLE H. babbled:

The reason the fence is 10 1/2 inches back from the property line, is
because as I said when I started this topic, the fence is BACKWARDS,
with the smooth side facing his yard, and the inside of the fence facing
our yard.

When you install a fence, you get to choose who gets to view the pretty
side. If he installed the fence then he can have the good side facing
him. That doesn't make it "BACKWARDS". If you installed it then you were
stupid for putting the good side away from you.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor.

--
Art

THE MEASUREMENTS....
 

on 6/20/2008 8:51 PM Art said the following:
MICHELLE H. babbled:

The reason the fence is 10 1/2 inches back from the property line, is
because as I said when I started this topic, the fence is BACKWARDS,
with the smooth side facing his yard, and the inside of the fence facing
our yard.

When you install a fence, you get to choose who gets to view the
pretty side. If he installed the fence then he can have the good side
facing him. That doesn't make it "BACKWARDS". If you installed it then
you were stupid for putting the good side away from you.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor.


In places where there are zoning laws and enforcement, the good side
faces away from the owner's property. Why should the person not fencing
in the property have to look at the ugly side of a fence? Would you put
the ugly side of a fence facing the street?

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

Yes, Willshack is RIGHT!!!!!
 

The last comment from "willshack" is EXCACTLY right!! In our city, the
ZONING LAWS state that "whenever a fence is installed by a homeowner on
private property, the smooth side of the fence MUST face your neighbors
property, and the inside of the fence must face your property. Failure
to install the fence this way is a CODE VIOLATION and is subjected to a
DAILY fine by the city, until the fence is installed the CORRECT way".

So if I report him for this, he would would be in big trouble, and have
ALOT of work to do. Because as I stated in one of my previous posts, he
installed the fence backwards not only on the left side of his house,
108 feet, where our shared property line is, but he installed it this
way in the back of his house as well, and that is about 75 feet long.

So basically it looks pretty stupid. On the RIGHT side of his house, he
has about 108 feet long of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence,
and this is facing the CORRECT way ( per our city zoning laws and codes
), with the smooth side facing his neighbors yard, and the inside facing
his yard.

But on the LEFT side of his house where we share the property line, he
has the 108 feet of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence facing the
WRONG way, with the smooth side facing his house, and the inside facing
our yard and house.

It is also the same way in his backyard, where last year he installed 75
feet long of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence. This is facing
the WRONG way as well, as he has the smooth side facing his yard and
house, and the inside facing the woods.

So if we wanted, we could get him in trouble for not obeying the citys
zoning laws for having the MAJORITY of his fence installed the WRONG
way. But as someone said in another post, how would this solve the
problem of the 24-25 foot long, 10 1/2 to 11 inch wide, 18 to 19 inch
deep trench/ditch that he dug there on the property line which is our
main concern anyway.

Even if he turned his fence the correct way, and faced the smooth side
of the fence toward our property as the city zoning laws state, the
trench/ditch is still going to be there.

Yes, Willshack is RIGHT!!!!!
 

on 6/21/2008 9:15 AM MICHELLE H. said the following:
The last comment from "willshack" is EXCACTLY right!! In our city, the
ZONING LAWS state that "whenever a fence is installed by a homeowner on
private property, the smooth side of the fence MUST face your neighbors
property, and the inside of the fence must face your property. Failure
to install the fence this way is a CODE VIOLATION and is subjected to a
DAILY fine by the city, until the fence is installed the CORRECT way".

So if I report him for this, he would would be in big trouble, and have
ALOT of work to do. Because as I stated in one of my previous posts, he
installed the fence backwards not only on the left side of his house,
108 feet, where our shared property line is, but he installed it this
way in the back of his house as well, and that is about 75 feet long.

So basically it looks pretty stupid. On the RIGHT side of his house, he
has about 108 feet long of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence,
and this is facing the CORRECT way ( per our city zoning laws and codes
), with the smooth side facing his neighbors yard, and the inside facing
his yard.

But on the LEFT side of his house where we share the property line, he
has the 108 feet of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence facing the
WRONG way, with the smooth side facing his house, and the inside facing
our yard and house.

It is also the same way in his backyard, where last year he installed 75
feet long of 6' x 8' foot wooden spruce stockade fence. This is facing
the WRONG way as well, as he has the smooth side facing his yard and
house, and the inside facing the woods.

So if we wanted, we could get him in trouble for not obeying the citys
zoning laws for having the MAJORITY of his fence installed the WRONG
way. But as someone said in another post, how would this solve the
problem of the 24-25 foot long, 10 1/2 to 11 inch wide, 18 to 19 inch
deep trench/ditch that he dug there on the property line which is our
main concern anyway.

Even if he turned his fence the correct way, and faced the smooth side
of the fence toward our property as the city zoning laws state, the
trench/ditch is still going to be there.


Well, if the fence was installed wrong according to your local zoning
law, then the zoning department probably was never contacted before
installing this fence, because they would have told him the right way to
face the fence, and how far from the property line he could install it.
Additionally, there probably would have been a permit required, which
would be followed up by an inspection for compliance. Ask the zoning
department for the distance from the property line that a fence can be
erected (it's called 'setback'). He may be in violation of that code
too. When I installed my fence in 1986, the minimum setback distance was
6 inches (I added a couple of inches to that to make it 8 inches from
the property line). The current revised code is 3 feet. I don't have to
move my fence because it is 'grandfathered' to the 1986 code.
He may have to remove the whole fence, posts and all, to comply with the
setback code.
Good luck.


--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

THE MEASUREMENTS....
 

willshak wrote:
on 6/20/2008 8:51 PM Art said the following:
MICHELLE H. babbled:

The reason the fence is 10 1/2 inches back from the property line, is
because as I said when I started this topic, the fence is BACKWARDS,
with the smooth side facing his yard, and the inside of the fence facing
our yard.

When you install a fence, you get to choose who gets to view the
pretty side. If he installed the fence then he can have the good side
facing him. That doesn't make it "BACKWARDS". If you installed it then
you were stupid for putting the good side away from you.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor.


In places where there are zoning laws and enforcement, the good side
faces away from the owner's property. Why should the person not fencing
in the property have to look at the ugly side of a fence? Would you put
the ugly side of a fence facing the street?


In my experience, and I am no fence expert, along the sides and back
where it borders on a neighbor's property, the good side generally faces
in towards whoever installed it. The street side is different, there the
good side faces the street. At least that is std practice where I live.

I would be surprised if any zoning laws or codes address which way a
fence faces. I could see where that could be a real can of worms with
some fences, where it's more a matter of opinion which side is the "good
side."

--
Art

Yes, Willshack is RIGHT!!!!!
 

MICHELLE H. wrote:
The last comment from "willshack" is EXCACTLY right!! In our city, the
ZONING LAWS state that "whenever a fence is installed by a homeowner on
private property, the smooth side of the fence MUST face your neighbors
property, and the inside of the fence must face your property. Failure
to install the fence this way is a CODE VIOLATION and is subjected to a
DAILY fine by the city, until the fence is installed the CORRECT way".

So report it already and quit whining.

--
Art

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

Tom J said:

wrote:


Another good point. The ditch is supposed to be 2 ft wide, by 2 or
3
ft deep and with three 8 ft fence sections, it must be about 24 ft
long. That's 100 to 124 cubic feet. You sure can't fill that up
with 20 bags of topsoil. And with the ditch 2 feet wide at the
property line, the fence 4" from the property line, the whole
geometry
of this doesn't add up.

How long is it going to take you guys & girls to figure out someone is
"pulling your chain"?
:-(

It's a webtv user. They can't figure out how to use a computer to access
the net(s). How can you expect them to judge the size of a ditch? ;)
--

Eggs

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in newsgroups?

THE MEASUREMENTS....
 

On Jun 21, 1:47*pm, Art wrote:
willshak wrote:
on 6/20/2008 8:51 PM Art said the following:
MICHELLE H. babbled:

The reason the fence is 10 1/2 inches back from the property line, is
because as I said when I started this topic, the fence is BACKWARDS,
with the smooth side facing his yard, and the inside of the fence facing
our yard. *

When you install a fence, you get to choose who gets to view the
pretty side. If he installed the fence then he can have the good side
facing him. That doesn't make it "BACKWARDS". If you installed it then
you were stupid for putting the good side away from you.

I'm glad you're not my neighbor.

In places where there are zoning laws and enforcement, the good side
faces away from the owner's property. Why should the person not fencing
in the property have to look at the ugly side of a fence? Would you put
the ugly side of a fence facing the street?

In my experience, and I am no fence expert, along the sides and back
where it borders on a neighbor's property, the good side generally faces
in towards whoever installed it. The street side is different, there the
good side faces the street. At least that is std practice where I live.

I would be surprised if any zoning laws or codes address which way a
fence faces. I could see where that could be a real can of worms with
some fences, where it's more a matter of opinion which side is the "good
side."

--
Art-

It's not at all unusual for municipalities to have ordinances which
specify many things about fences, from setback, to max height, where
they may or may not be installed, (ie not permitted in front yards,
but OK in back), etc. And most definitely it's not unusual for it to
include something about which way the finished side faces. Which
only makes sense, as if you want to put up something it's only
reasonable that the side everyone has to look at be as good as the
side the person putting it up sees.

Neighbor Fence Problem/Question?? LONG!!
 

"Eggs Zachtly" wrote in message
...
Tom J said:

wrote:


Another good point. The ditch is supposed to be 2 ft wide, by 2 or
3
ft deep and with three 8 ft fence sections, it must be about 24 ft
long. That's 100 to 124 cubic feet. You sure can't fill that up
with 20 bags of topsoil. And with the ditch 2 feet wide at the
property line, the fence 4" from the property line, the whole
geometry
of this doesn't add up.

How long is it going to take you guys & girls to figure out someone is
"pulling your chain"?
:-(

It's a webtv user. They can't figure out how to use a computer to access
the net(s). How can you expect them to judge the size of a ditch? ;)
--

Eggs

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in newsgroups?

Right. And if you read one of Michelle's replies, she mentions deer on the
property. Must be awful low fencing for both parties. Zoning laws in
typically almost rural areas aren't typically enforced. Mostly live and let
live attitude. I got back here to find she hung herself with BS.

Always wondered why Microsoft's freebie Outlook Express top posts replies by
default. And, why they never offered a fix for typical newsgroup users.
Doesn't sound difficult in the least.
--
Dave

We have a right to choose.
Choices have consequences,
for both self, and others.
You probably considered yourself.

If you go all the way to red line, there is a big slooping trenches 2-3 feet deep, 2 feet wide of the property line, representing an increase his fence, which is about 3 inches back of the property line.