Fences making good neighbors rant.

[Moabite]

I'm so grateful for all the replies! So I am sure that I've been reasonable enough. I'm gonna give him some more money and I am going to tie into this fence. And if he don't like it, well at least the fence gives us privacy

!

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

What is it made of Mohagany?

It is made of redwood with inset panels of heavy gauge rusted corrugated steel.​

 

[Catstar68]

Sounds cool. Please post a picture!

 

[twentynine]

$30 a foot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A he built it----------------- cost is only for materials!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Does any one but me think that's a big bunch of money for a fence?

Yeah! Read the rest of the post just now. Evidently a few other folks feel the same way.

I picture things such as fence in a much more utilitarian fashion. You can get a nice fence--- REAL NICE---- fence for $10 per foot if you do it yourself. $30 per foot that's out of the ball park in my opinion.

 

[annageckos]

There is no reason to pay anything into this fence. When we replaced our old fence never once did I think to ask (or tell) the neighbors for money. You own nothing, even if you do benefit from the the fence. He is lucky he got what he got and I wouldn't give him a cent more.

 

[PineappleMama]

Fence is on his property, any court in the land will rule that it is his to do with what he wants, you have no rights whatsoever... so, NO you shouldn't have had to pay a dime, you were being nice to do it.

Otherwise he very well may have had to lower his standards, his plan, to afford to pay for HIS fence.

He wanted it fancy, you'd have been happy with sturdy, both chipped in accordingly.

I'd be happy if my neighbors were half so considerate.

 

[Moabite]

I do try to be a good neighbor, but being nice I guess is something that people tend to read as weak. Talk about boundary issues, my other neighbor has become my worsed enemy because of his fence issues. His old dried out rotten fence started to blow over, and if he had asked me, I'd have fixed it but he rudely barged in about half tanked, to my back yard while I was having dinner and demanded that I fix his fence on the spot and fix it his way. He was so belligerent about it, you would have thought that I broke his fence. I had to split a cord of wood to relieve the tension that rightfully should have used to punch him in the jaw.

We still don't talk. I didn't fix his fence either. I don't want to be between two neighbors who hate me.

 

[thaiturkey]

Posters who suggest that the OP pay nothing to the neighbour for one reason or another seem not to have noticed that he wrote this right at the beginning of the thread:

'He told me he had "big plans" to make a "furniture grade" fence. I said I would do what I could to help pay for it but that it was going to be his fence and on his property but he did design it so that it looks the same on both sides.'

The OP committed himself to paying something toward the cost of the fence; not half though. He knew that it would be a 'furniture grade' fence and. therefore, knew that it would be expensive. The OP seems to be a reasonable person and wants to rub along with his neighbours without trouble. So, his issue is how to honour his obligation. I posted my suggestion the other day. Advising him not to pay when he already has paid something and promised to do what he could to help with the costs doesn't seem to help very much.

 

[Moabite]

I appreciate all of the replies. I realized that it was going to be expensive before he started. Materials are expensive around here because we are a small town with a tourist economy. The nearest Home Depot (or equivalent) is about 110 miles away and corrugated metal has become very trendy to the "upwardly mobile". It isn't unusual to see intensionally rusted corrugated metal roofs on $5 million cabins. I got myself into this, I shall honor my word. If he doesn't like, it it wont affect my conscience. It is nice to have a online community of folks to check my rationality. Thank you.

 

[herfrds]

From what you are saying I would sit down with him over a cup of coffee and talk about what is going on with the re-model.
Sounds like you want to work it out with him.
Ask to see the receipts for the materials and total them up.
If you do pay him for half f the cost of the fence get a receipt from him showing that you did pay him and remember to include that first $700 you paid.
It is called covering your butt.

 

[wpalmisano]

Quote:
He wanted the fence, and as I see it you gave him about 22% of the cost. He should be happy. If you pony up a whole 1/3rd, he should be elated. In the event is isn't, who cares? There is a fence and you won't have to see him. Come right out and ask him what he thinks is fair and negotiate from there.