talk to me about fences

[Backroads]

So our new house is lovely, save for the fact it's on a semi-busy street. This doesn't bother Husband or I any as I grew up on a fairly busy street except for Baby worries. So I want a fence in the front yard (city ordinances allow this and half the neighbors have fences).

What kind should I get? I dont like the look of chain link, do like the look of vinyl or wood.

Pros and cons of those? Other good options?

[SpiritDragon]

Pros and cons...

 

Vinyl can tend to crack easily and can often end up with dings out of it from going around it with a trimmer, otherwise it can be quite nice and low maintenance.

 

Wood is prone to warping if not built well so as to avoid it. It will require restaining/painting from time to time but is otherwise quite durable.

 

Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder.

 

I haven't priced either out, so I'll be no help there and it is probably different where you live than where I do anyhow.

[Guest]

Vinyl - one time shot.  Not much maintenance needed afterwards especially if you grow vines over it.  Many designs resembling wood.  No need to paint usually.  Cons - some are flimsy.  The ones that aren't are expensive.

 

Wood - can design according to your own specific preference.  Sturdy and cheap.  Have to be maintained - painted or rotting boards replaced.  Having vines climbing on it could make it rot faster.

 

In my first house, my husband and I put up a 3.5 foot wooden fence along our front yard with an arbor over the gate.  We planted jasmine along it.  17 years later, we pass by the house and the fence is now a hedge of jasmine.  You can't see the wood anymore.  It smells sooooo awesome walking through the arbor and the little white dots on a sea of green is so pretty.  The house went up for sale last year.  I was soooo wanting to buy it back!  We would have bought it too if it weren't for the fact that they asked too much for the house and my husband thinks the realtor (who was the same guy who sold the house for us way back when) played on my emotional attachment to it.

[applepansy]

In Utah Vinyl has a tendency to get brittle in the cold temps we experience here.  Then a bump can crack the vinyl.  They tell you that doesn't happen but the vinyl fence around our church breaks every year.

 

I agree that with your feelings on chain link.  My sister did a wood fence and then on the bottom 3 feet they put up horse fencing against the wood.  That way the babies couldn't crawl under.

 

We will probably do vinyl with wood underneath.  Less breaking.  And we will probably do the wire fencing on the bottom too.  We live on a road that gets busier every year.  Right now though the kids play in the back yard and in the wilderness :).  (The wilderness is the scrub oak "forest" on the back 1/3 of our property.)  There is enough room to play back there so its not an issue unless they want to ride bikes

[Maureen]

I am also checking out types of fences. I really like how the vinyl looks, but it is quite expensive. I think I'll just keep checking out this thread, to see what others say.

 

M.

[Just_A_Guy]

We have vinyl fencing.  I hate the stuff--lots of cracks and chips.  I like the climbing-vine thing (my parents in CA have always done that in their backyard with star jasmine, and I gotta agree with Anatess--it looks and smells amazing).  Not sure how star jasmine would do in Utah; but I've seen Virginia Creeper do pretty well out here.  My in-laws in Utah County have also had pretty good luck with wisteria.

 

If I were going to go the vine-covered-fence route, I probably wouldn't even bother with chain link--just set some 4x4 posts with galvanized hog wire panels hung between the posts.

[Backroads]

I would love nothing more than to have a vine-covered fence. We are in Weber county somewhat north of Utah county. I imagine what works there would work here though I might see what plants are lucky for everyone else.

[Wordnerd]

Whatever you do don't use plastic orange snowfence like our (former) neighbour put up between our houses. Pros - cheap, but cons - ugly, will look like its half falling down within days, orange!!!, also your neighbours may take it down when they find the city does not regulate fencing material, and when you put it up again, your neighbours will take it down again...and so on.

Good fences make for good neighbours so glad we have moved.

[bytebear]

Wood. We just put in a back yard fence, and the "nice" side faces the neighbors (since they have a more prominent view and they paid 60%). The framing is a ligher tan, and the boards are darker wood, and I absolutely love the look. It is beautiful.

[applepansy]

I would love nothing more than to have a vine-covered fence. We are in Weber county somewhat north of Utah county. I imagine what works there would work here though I might see what plants are lucky for everyone else.

Wisteria will do well where you live.  Also Honeysuckle and Morning Glory and there is another that starts with a C.  brain fog moment.  Anyway, there are vines that would do well.  There are also bushes that make good fences.

[applepansy]

Whatever you do don't use plastic orange snowfence like our (former) neighbour put up between our houses. Pros - cheap, but cons - ugly, will look like its half falling down within days, orange!!!, also your neighbours may take it down when they find the city does not regulate fencing material, and when you put it up again, your neighbours will take it down again...and so on.

Good fences make for good neighbours so glad we have moved.

I have to ask.. :)  did you take it down?

 

I agree "good fences make good neighbors"  I've never heard the saying applied to the materials of the fence.  I also heard it applied to a sturdy fence on a property line both parties agree on.

[Wordnerd]

I have to ask.. :)  did you take it down?

 

 

Yes, then he put it up again, then my husband took it down again. This was after a year of trying to reason with him, he was a problem neighbour who was very agressive and tended to threaten people, he had a long history with half the street and we had filed many complaints about his behaviour but the police wouldn't do anything about him, so all the good people just kept moving away. You probably wouldn't believe half of the stuff he got away with, like deliberately swerving his car at people (and children) if he didn't like something you did or said (such as complaining about his speeding). I eventually got him ticketed for harassing my dog, and had to go to court because he was determined to fight the ticket, but he lost. I find it really ironic that after 7 years of harassment animal control cared more about my dog being harassed than the police cared about the safety of my children.

[bytebear]

My dad did put a chain link fence up in the side yard, and planted grapes along it.  They filled it in, and we had tons of grapes and grape juice.

[NeuroTypical]

Nobody has suggested the obvious choice - stone battlements.  With archer slots so you can fight off the food rioters.

 

 

On the plus side, you can design the whole thing in Minecraft to get a sense of look and feel.

 

Am I right?

[mordorbund]

Nobody has suggested the obvious choice - stone battlements.  With archer slots so you can fight off the food rioters.

 

 

On the plus side, you can design the whole thing in Minecraft to get a sense of look and feel.

 

Am I right?

 

I think this one best fits the tone of the thread title.

 

 

You are standing on the front porch of your house facing SOUTH. Surrounding your property is a moat. A neighbor is standing on the other side to the EAST.

> talk to neighbor

Neighbor: Howdy, I'm Slardblag! It's nice to see someone finally move in to the old Wythcote property. I'm kind of suprised the city didn't just destroy the whole thing after -- Well I don't want to bother you with rumors.

> talk about fences

Slardblag: We just HAD to put up a fence after the Wythcote's battlements were torn down by a -- Where are my manners!? Would you care for a glass of lemonade?

[Guest]

Those stone battlements look awesome!  LOL...

 

Actually, brick fencing can be financially doable if you do the masonry yourself and just have the brick faced over hollow blocks.

 

I found this through google:

http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/fencing/front-yard.html

 

I think the 3rd one looks great except it is too tall for a front fence.  I don't like fencing that you can't see much of the house over...

[Just_A_Guy]

Wisteria will do well where you live.  Also Honeysuckle and Morning Glory and there is another that starts with a C.  brain fog moment.  Anyway, there are vines that would do well.  There are also bushes that make good fences.

 

Morning Glory is a sore spot with me--it's in our lawn and I've spent a good two years trying to eradicate it, with virtually no success.

 

I like the Honeysuckle idea, though.

[Guest]

Morning Glory is a sore spot with me--it's in our lawn and I've spent a good two years trying to eradicate it, with virtually no success.

 

I like the Honeysuckle idea, though.

 

What?  Morning Glory is awesome!

[Just_A_Guy]

Sure, it's awesome when it stays where I want it to be.  b)

 

It's when it spreads out that it becomes an issue.

[pam]

Morning Glory is a curse here in Utah.  I hate the stuff.

[applepansy]

Yes, then he put it up again, then my husband took it down again. This was after a year of trying to reason with him, he was a problem neighbour who was very agressive and tended to threaten people, he had a long history with half the street and we had filed many complaints about his behaviour but the police wouldn't do anything about him, so all the good people just kept moving away. You probably wouldn't believe half of the stuff he got away with, like deliberately swerving his car at people (and children) if he didn't like something you did or said (such as complaining about his speeding). I eventually got him ticketed for harassing my dog, and had to go to court because he was determined to fight the ticket, but he lost. I find it really ironic that after 7 years of harassment animal control cared more about my dog being harassed than the police cared about the safety of my children.

was the fence on the property line or on his property or on yours?  rhetorical question there.  :)  I have dealt with onery neighbors.  We're currently living next to one.  Thankfully there is about an acre between their house and ours...but we share the property line.  

 

If he pain for the fence and it was on the property line or on his side of it... inches matter... its good he didn't sue you.

[applepansy]

Nobody has suggested the obvious choice - stone battlements.  With archer slots so you can fight off the food rioters.

 

 

On the plus side, you can design the whole thing in Minecraft to get a sense of look and feel.

 

Am I right?

This is the fence I want between me and the neighbor on our north.  

[Backroads]

Actually, I have toyed around with getting stone from my in-laws (they no longer quarry and just charge a tiny amount for the remaining stone.

The betterment in Park Valley quartz would be awesome for defending our food storage (which seems to have an usually high amount of pasta and MREs as we discovered today).

[Iggy]

In my neck of the woods (West Coast aka Washington and Oregon), when you build the fence is must be on your side of the property line and the *good* side must face outwards. 

 

My brother sued his neighbor for building his fence one foot inside of his (brother's) property line. When all was settled in court, my brother not only ended up owning the fence, he also ended up owning 18" of this guys property. The neighbor just would not move the fence. Had my brother not sued, then after 7 years, the guy would have owned 18" into my brothers property. He couldn't afford to lose that much, as it would have included part of his garage.

 

Our back yard fence is rotted and falling down. It was one of the cheapest made fences I have ever seen - made with 1x4 fir. Our landowner owns it - so he needs to replace it. He has convinced the neighbors on the other side of the fence (there are about 5 of them) that he is NOT the owner - so a few of them have replaced their portion. 

 

If they only had taken a walk down our side of the street - they would have seen that the fence is the same. He owns the Mobile Home Park - the park was here first - his father built the fence to separate the park from the home owners from the park. 

 

Because I don't own the land - I am not paying to have a fence built . BUT when I do have my 6.5' x 12' x 8' high greenhouse set up, that fence is going to get iron t-posts installed to keep it from falling onto my greenhouse. 

[Suzie]

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it said "Talk to me about feces" and I was like "Why Backroads wants to talk about THAT!?".