Fences making good neighbors rant.

[gettinaclue]

I wouldn't have given him any money. His property, his fense, his bill.

I'm all for good neighborly relations, but that's going to far for me.

 

[AhBee01]

The only fence that might require sharing cost is fence that holds live stock, if both parties have livestock and want to share the fence line! That is how it is here and it is kept on the down low! LOL!!!

 

[herfrds]

You went way and above what a regular neighbor would do.
Unless you did something in writing saying you were going to pay for half, he doesn't have a leg to stand on.

AhBee01 out here the person who maintains the fence owns it. If your stock tears it down you have to fix. Had some former neighbors that learned that one after their cows tore down some of our fence for the second time.

 

[TyrannosaurusChix]

oiy... what a sucky situation. if he wanted a certain dollar amount, he should have made that plain. $700 is a lot of money to pay for someone ELSE'S fence. IMO you did $700 more than you needed to. He should be grateful for anything at all.


I realise that not everyone is like I am, but i like to ask a million questions, work out a budget and then plan for the worst case scenario so i dont end up in a situation owing more than anticipated . he should have done this and your $700 should have been like Christmas morning to him!~

 

[thaiturkey]

How about asking him to show you the receipts for materials and comparing the total with the cost of a standard type fence? You offered to help with the cost as far as you could and a share of the standard cost would be reasonable. You would have built a fence yourself one day, you said, so you would have spent money sooner or later.

I have no idea what your local regulations are about this sort of thing but I doubt whether anyone would see it as reasonable that you pay for more than half the cost of something standard. If he wants to make a work of art at greater expense, the difference must be surely up to him.

Good luck and try not to make an enemy of a neighbour.

 

[Mattemma]

If it was your fence too then yes pay half.It is his fence.HIS ALONE though you may benefit from it.Still you are not permitted to paint or attach things to his fence,so no I would not pay a penny more.If you want to stay on his good side you will end up paying half the fence cost,and then(imo) if I were you HE would no longer be on MY good side. I would be furious about being asked to pay for a fence that is not even half mine by law.I mean what kind of person does that to a neighbor?Shoot,just by his attitude he would no longer be on my good side.

Smile,wave,and go about your business.Respect his fence by not attaching things to it or damaging it in any way-that is all you own him.

Sometimes fences end friendly neighbor relations,but life will go on. We paid thousands for our fence. I never thought to ask any of the neighbors if they want to pay some it.I gave a few years for the fence idea to sink in,but feathers still flew when it actually went up.

Best wishes whatever you decide. NFH situations that can develop from these sorts of incidents are the pits.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Where is the fence? On the property line? Inset (by how much) from the property line? Does it follow the previous fenceline? If so, who owned that fence?

$700 is far less than a third of $3200; closer to a fifth (actually 22%). A third would be $1067. The sharing the cost of a fence between properties is common. The biggest issue you have is lack of communication. Did you ever say, "Neighbor, I am strapped for $$ trying to get the house finished, and right now I simply cannot spare more than $700 to contribute to financing the fence." That could have led to a fuller discussion on timing & style & while you might not have spent anymore, would have prevented ill will. You would have been able to say that his big plans are great for him, but not so much for you.

If the fence is on the property line, paying for half the cost of a regular (not furniture grade) fence as was suggested seems like a reasonable compromise. If offset into his property, then I don't think you should pay at all. In either case, it is awise idea to check your state and local laws, just so you know the legalities of what is required.

 

[Stevo]

$30.00 a foot for a fence??????????

What is it made of Mohagany?

 

[Catstar68]

Quote:
Good point! You can get granite countertops installed for that price.

Not taking into account square footage, of course.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Best to put any agreements in writing. Time fogs the mind otherwise.