I'm puzzled by the advice to just put up your own fence a few inches away. Those few inches of no man's or woman's land are going to be an unreachable, unmanageable incubator of noxious weeds, uncuttable grasses, baby trees that can't be pulled out for love nor money; trash will perhaps come to rest in there. Are you going to lean over it and spray Round Up endangering your own health, the neighbor's health, the birds and reptiles ? In Texas snakes and rodents would also find it convenient. Just plant a pretty green hedge of something inexpensive and durable.
Build a wall or fence to the maximum height to hide your neighbor's eyesore. Then plant fast growing evergreen or holly hedge trees to grow even higher. Certain varieties of evergreen are horizontally compact and grow to heights of ten feet or more. Privet is relatively fast growing to great heights and easy to trim. That is what I once did proactively to hide a hot tub from the neighbors and within three years I had a wall of green much higher than the six foot fence.
The easiest remedy is to plant (on your side) lovely landscaping which will eventually cover the monstrosity of the ugly fence. One day you will look at it, laugh, and realize you have outsmarted your neighbors for their stupidity, vengeance, or whatever.
5
I had a problem with everything on a neighbor's property, some was reportable, some was not. The fence was okay but transparent. I landscaped with a dense collection of quick growing shrubs. It worked.
3
I don't get this. Why not put up your own fence on your side -- no attached to anything, just your own fence on your own property, problem solved. I had a similar situation with a neighbour who had an ugly chain link fence -- I asked his to split the cost of putting up a wood fence that gave some privacy to both of us and he refused so I put one up myself.
6
This is exactly what we did. I could not take looking at the chainlink fences between properties... Plus, everytime the next door neighbour went to town with his powerful lawnmower (for a 20feet by 30feet surface of mostly a wild weed field) we'd get the bits from his lawnmower and weeds would bloom on our little patch of nice turf... So a fence stopped all of that. We dug inside our property line, did concrete foundations and put a bamboo fence, so it doesn't take too much space and it's pretty ecological.
5
My small HOA had the same problem. We have a road of about 1000 feet that had homes within the neighborhood on one side, and what was undeveloped forest on the other. That land (about 10 acres) sold to a local doctor to put up a mansion, and for some distasteful reason, they torn down every tree, put up a chain linked fence (which is ugly as is) and told us that if the neighborhood wanted anything 'prettier' we would have to pay for it - he needs it for 'keeping in the dogs' and he doesn't care what it looks like because he won't see it anyways behind built up ~10 foot tall mounds of earth closer in around his property. He told us we were 'lucky' he bought it anyways because he was building a beautiful home. Well, we weren't going to pay for his grace's fence, and we spent about 1/4 the cost of a new fence on a row of fast growing, drought tolerant bushes that will completely block his fence in just a few years.
8
Big mistake to report the neighbor. Don't escalate it. If persuasion doesn't work, mask it from your side. Better spend your money on landscaping than legal fees or aggravation. Talk hedge will do the trick.
10
Build your own fence to mask your neighbors. Voila!
4
People often claim to know where the property line is, but don't. A registered Surveyor could tell you--and peg the two corners of concern. Some Surveyors will use flagging tape to indicate the property line, or can produce a drawing from their site plot that will show fence, etc., in relation to property line.
Beyond that: hedging. Please mulch and water it properly and it will serve you for decades.
10
I would go to a Nursery. Explain the situation and get the fastest growing hedges or trees to plant all along that side of the fence.
3
I vote wholeheartedly for planting a decorative hedge/trees. A friend of mine did this and it was legal, tasteful, and solved the problem without rancor.
5
Ask him if you could decorate the doors etc (trash) on your side. If he says no ask what you have done to offend him and perhaps he would like to come to dinner one evening so that the two of you could get to know one another.
For sure a hedge would work, tho that can be expensive. You can get a six foot tall bamboo fence very cheap tho! Amazon or Home Depot sell them. They’re very pretty. Just buy one and put it up on your side, between your view and his fence.
9
Not a good idea unless you want to spend a lot of time unsuccessfully trying to prevent bamboo from spreading everywhere. It popped up 25 feet across the lawn at my friend's house. Impossible to get rid of.
Do NOT plant bamboo, anywhere, anytime.
9
Stephanie's suggestion was bamboo fencing, not bamboo. It's a good suggestion. Once I was in a rental house with awful view of neighbours, I used bamboo screens, fastened wherever I could. It worked great, and when I moved, I simply rolled them up.
Get a survey to determine fence locations first
15
Go with the hedge or an asortment of plantings to obsqure the fence.
Skip the cookie advice.
19
I know this is off topic, but I'm curious about why there's so much hate for the chain link fence? I have fond memories of the ones in the park when I was a kid. They're so easy to climb! The poor man's climbing wall!
7
Joy where you find it. Actual real rock outcroppings, empty lots, rushing gutters after a hard rain, the cinder pile behind the township building. Climbing trees with no net. Lol. Building a fort at the dump, parts of which were inherited from previous kids now grown.
You may be off topic, but you’re comment is much appreciated. Why must everything be so ‘nice?’
6
It isn't the chain link fence that offends. It's the new opaque materials -- from corrugated roofing material to old wood that the neighbor has attached to the chain link that bothers the writer. I would suggest that he get a survey to see if the fence really is on the neighbor's property, and if it is, erect another fence on his side to block the view of the neighbor's.
7
As much as all those resentful talk of gentrification, people don't like chain link fence precisely because they look CHEAP. People don't want gentrification if they can't afford it themselves, but they want all the benefits that come from the prettying up of everything.
2
Put up a permitted chain link fence. Plant with ivy. The ivy will soon cover the fence and the view of the trash fence will be blocked.
13
Like bamboo, ivy is extremely invasive. Don't even think about planting it. It will also eat your brickwork.
3
Ivy does like to spread, but Boston Ivy does NOT eat your brickwork. I plant it everywhere and it isn't difficult to manage, though it isn't evergreen. (The more evergreen English ivy does eat brickwork though)
We had a similar situation and rather than antagonize our neighbor, we planted arrrowwood hedges. They are sturdy and get lovely blossoms in spring and turn gold in fall. And the hedges were much cheaper than a fence!
36
I doubt that the neighbors position that the fence is “his” would hold up. A boundary line fence is generally held to be common property, and you’re entitled to attach things to your side. Get some advice about aggressive, fast-growing foliage and plant your side of the line with whatever would cover the eye-sore quickly, and leave it at that. Let the problem be his, not yours, and let him become invisible for the rest of your tenancy of your home. Some people are just hard to like.
22
You can spend all you want about determining perimeters for the fence, but ultimately what it comes down to is this: There is probably better than 50/50 chance that the neighbor has the fence well within his property line, then what are you going to do? You can do NOTHING to force others to do anything to their yard to provide you a pretty view. Get over it.
2
I grew up in small-town rural Iowa, and whenever homemade fencing like that sprouted up, it usually had something to do with concealing a meth lab.
20
Dealing with a similar situation now... I've resigned myself to some aggressive landscaping on my side of the trump-esque wall and taking solace that overlooking a hideous fence is probably better than a clear line of sight of my loony neighbors.
22
Why not build your own fence to block the neighbor's?
22
I had a similar issue in my neighborhood. On our side, we created a "trellis" of sorts out of two railroad ties - connected with a trellis. We planted creeping plants that wound through the trellis. It was about 7 feet high and 10 feet long.
8
My neighbor's front yard is an eyesore, but there is nothing I can do about it unless he violates a city code.
3
Here in the uk,
working class people live so close to each other,
that they can here just about everything they say and do.
This standard has not changed for the past 50 years.
Many working class people still live in homes that were built during the mid 20th century.
Those homes of course reflect the standards of that period of time.
Little or no sound insulation, tiny kitchens, a box that serves as a bedroom and den.
The lot for working class people living in the uk is hard to bear
because the local authorities tend to neglect them and what they do give tends to be 3rd rate all the time.
Under such conditions it is hardly surprising that neighbors are at each others throats on a daily basis.
Living in London leaves much to be desired.
I wonder what life is like for working class people in the states?
13
Are you sure the fence is on your neighbor's property? We had a fence dispute with an apartment building once. We had a property survey done. Turns out the fence started on a shared property line but gradually encroached about 6 inches to a foot onto our side. The construction crew had apparently been hired on the cheap and built around certain property features. The neighbor had three choices. Let us do whatever we wanted. Work out a joint agreement on the fence. Remove the fence at their cost and build a new one within their property lines.
If the fence is not on your property, the decision is even easier. Build a privacy fence adjacent to the neighbor's fence. The local zoning department can help you with permits for various fence heights. A fence really isn't hard to build yourself. Obviously, a good contractor could do all this for you but obviously at premium. The important thing is to make sure you're recording and permitting everything properly. If your neighbor has a problem, you can say "not my problem," right back at them.
This is why boundary disputes are usually settled over a cup of coffee rather than in a court room.
19
Screen out the ugly view entirely and do some really nice landscaping on your side of the fence - ask advice from your local nursery as to what will thrive in that spot.
23
Planting a hedge is an excellent suggestion. There are some very fast growing hedges. The added side benefit is noise reduction. Do it now; by the end of the summer, you can stop being irritated by the neighbor.
23
Great idea. If you live in the south, another solution is to put in a few kudzu plants. Left alone they can quickly engulf your neighbor's fence and quite possibly his house.
29
If you've ever driven through Georgia or the Carolinas, you know Jimd is right about this...it could be the best revenge.
1
Of course, the kudzu might also engulf your OWN house.
3
No mention was made of what problem the neighbor is trying to solve or how much he can afford to pay to solve it. I'd start with the former and then consider the latter. We just installed an attractive fence in our front yard but our neighbor on the east side has a ratty looking chain length fence between our yards. It's what they can afford, and they are two sisters in their 70s. Not much we can do at the moment. We plan to (someday) negotiate with the next owners.
5
Ask them if you can affix a nice cedar-wood lattice on your side. It'll hide the cyclone fence very nicely.
Chain-link fences were all the style half a century or more ago. When our old picket fence died of termites, when I was a little kid, my family replaced it with a cyclone fence. So did all the neighbors in turn. Even then, I hated the look of them.
9
1) check the survey to be sure the fence is on his property.
2) price inexpensive options to block the entire length of it.
Columnar shrubs. Wattle Fencing. A combination. Don't negotiate with this twit. It'll only slow you down.
21
Or report him to the city for improper waste disposal, if the fence on his side is lined with demolition left-overs. Garbage is garbage, whatever he calls it.
5
Negotiated solution doubtful. If person was reasonable they wouldn't do it in the first place. Appeal to authorities also doubtful. Delay penalizes the victim. Fretting and argument means loss of sleep. Build own fence or move.
30
I can't imagine that municipal ordinances don't already exist in your community that specifically define what kind of fences are allowed. Usually ordinances/rules are published on the website for the city, township, etc. Find them, read them, and if necessary file a complaint. The chain link fence may be in compliance, but lashing backyard junk to it probably is not.
Don't feel bad about it. The neighbor obviously doesn't care how you feel. Also agree with some other comments about hedgerows. Although not an immediate solution, time passes quickly and you'll never be sorry about the time & money spent on a lush, green landscape that blocks out the neighbors. Make sure it's evergreen!
11
One resident in my little upstate village of Nassau here is in the midst of painting her 6’ fence bright purple. I happen to like it, but I think she’s doing to irritate the guy who lives next door. He got his friends in the village to force her to get rid of her chickens. There are a bunch of chickens in the village, but only the one woman had to get rid of them. She ran out of money to fight, so I guess this is cheap revenge! I personally think it’s hysterical. My question is what did you do to piss off your neighbor? Maybe you can figure it out and come up with some compromise so the tacky fence disappears. (Google “Nassau” and “chickens” and you can find the local newspaper’s story, complete with chicken puns.)
13
Good for her.
7
Dare I ask what your backyard looks like such that your neighbor feels it necessary for him to block it from his view with all that junk? Xylosma are pretty hardy and make good screens because they grow pretty wide and tall. Since planting it I hardly even know my crazy neighbor is there anymore. If only the noise . . . . Oye vey, life will be peaceful when we’re all gone.
6
You live in Queens? Check to see if your neighbor is a Trump. If so, cut off his microtweeter, and he will stop claiming the fake news that the fence is on his property.
6
This column is all too often about people who think they have problems. For real housing problems, see today's front page article about unethical landlords trying to push out rent-regulated tenants. Now there's a problem!
14
Be nice. The original question was written nicely and with no sense the writer thinks this fence is a tragedy equivalent to any of the comparisons you are trying to make.
The author posed a real estate question to a real estate column. Not every problem has to be enormous to be worthy of consideration.
67
Oh, enough with the self-righteousness. Those of us who live in big, thriving cities these days are well aware of the scary housing situation that people of low and moderate means are facing. That doesn't mean that a person's problem concerning the value and enjoyment of their home is invalid.
16
LIke others, we finally gave up and had a fence put up in front of our neighbor's fence after the last hurricane blew part of his unsightly fence and a couple of trees onto our side. He did not care by then as long as it cost him nothing. It was worth the clean up and fence cost. The naked new fence looks much better and plantings will improve it even more with time. If the mess had been higher than fence height however, we would have complained to the city.
7
I am planting Limelight Hydrangeas (panicle Hydrangea paniculata) and Morninging Light (miscanthus sinensis) on my side of my neighbor's 8-foot chain-link fence. These plants grow to between 6-8 feet and need minimal care once they are established. Check them both out on Gardenia.com if your interest is piqued.
Along a 5-foot chain-link fence that our absent neighbor on the side put up 35 years ago when he bought the property and then abandoned it to return to its feral state.I have planted rosemary. It is another hearty plant that will grow to 6-feet tall. At two years it's now are 3-feet. It's a hardy plant but requires a bit more attention since it can spread out to 6-feet and I want it to maintain at 3 feet wide. A side benefit, which I didn't anticipate, is the rosemary seems to keep the snails out of back yard. The local cats don't like it either.
8
I had a very similar problem. I solved it by going to the neighbor and telling them that I was going to build a 6' high palisade wood fence immediately on my side of the property line. BUT, I told my neighbor that if I were to do that and their chain link remained in place, it would create a problem for them (more than for me) as leaves and other debris trapped between the two fences would become highly visible to them, and would create a zone for rats to nest in, etc. I then suggested that I pay for a new wood fence right on the property line, with the existing chain link one to be removed. The neighbor agreed. Of course she did, as she got a nice wood fence for free. But I was happy in the end to be rid of that chain link!
43
A fence right on the property line is a prescription for future problems. Who is the legal owner? The current neighbor may be fine with the arrangement, but what about a future owner, who might decide to paint it, remove it, etc? And such a fence could complicate the future sale of your own property.
6
My new neighbour (new neighbourhood, they went in first) threatened to put up one of those oh-so-natural-looking white plastic fences.
We managed to get him to go with wood instead, by offering to pay for half of it, which we did
Of course, he never did share the actual bill with me, so I'm quite sure we also paid for half of his extension to his house and his side gate.
Still, probably worth it not to be looking at dirty white plastic.
7
A row of bed springs mounted vertically side-by-side, tied together with wire, keep out many small animals, allow space for plant growth untrimmed up the pattern of spiral coils, serve as screen for the old Plymouth Valiant station wagon now a chicken coop, for the defunct refrigerator used to store chicken feed out there. Ottowa's Daniel earlier here has the right idea. Neighbors - love 'em or lose 'em.
5
Bed springs support a lovely growth of bindweed. Have seen this done in places.
2
Simple. Build a fence on your property in front of his fence to block the unsightly view. Board on board design is effective to conceal the fence. Report his fence if over 6 feet. Regulations say 6 feet unless there is a permit granted for a specific reason for a taller fence. Usually next to commercial property.
16
The writer describes my neighbor's fence to a T: Sheets of plywood, corrugated roofing, and an old door! Amazing.
The Big Box stores - Home Depot, Lowes - sell nice looking and fairly inexpensive panels that can be used as fencing. You could even become creative with the arrangement. Hang plants over the tops, stagger them, plant a few Cyprus trees in between, the possibilities are endless.
The neighbor isn't going to cooperate, ever. So have some fun and enjoy your own private view.
35
A beer summit?
The neighbor is already unreasonable, do you really want the neighbor to be unreasonable AND drunk?
30
Some people like to be noticed or display power where none exists. In other words, the neighbor might be doing this because he enjoys annoying the writer.
I agree with the commenters who say plant something.
36
I'm just joking, but I couldn't resist saying, Build A Wall.
47
The only remedy for trashy neighbors is for them or you to move.
(Can we plant a fast-growing hedge around the White House?)
28
That was helpful
My father did not like being told what t do. When his friend next door asked what kind of fence he planned to build my father thought it was funny to say, "... about six feet tall and pink." When the neighbor took him seriously and objected to his poor taste we were almost immediately surrounded by an unsightly, very tall bright pink wooden fence. Throughout my high school years no one had trouble finding my house.
Try talking funny and nice. No one likes being told what to do.
15
Great story.
3
We are all told what to do and not to do; it's called the law.
5
Yeah, but worth the psychological damage of a parent like that? I doubt it.
1
Lots of good advice here, but I would engage the services of Attorney Michael Cohen, who would instruct someone to "have a conversation" with the problematic neighbor . . . either the fence, or the neighbor, will disappear.
13
Here's a guess that he is blocking your view because he is or is planning to do something illegal. Raise marijuana? Pit bulls? Hide stolen property? You get the idea. So it is worth reporting to the police, and filming him with your cell camera, especially if he is threatening you or other neighbors.
7
I agree. But make sure you don't aim the camera into private areas of his home (check NY laws). See him only in public and keep the camera ready in those cases.
8
Determine ownership. Have the property surveyed by a licensed surveyor (see yellow pages) who will compare his results against the survey filed with your deed to find out who actually owns this fence. If you own, notify Neighbor by certified letter and then tear it down. Don't step on his petunias while you're doing it. ....You're welcome.
28
Forget fences. Construct a chicken coop and house some chickens. You'll have a nice supply of eggs. And the fecal waste can be composted in a bin located--you guessed it--right next to your neighbours fence and downwind. That'll teach him!
7
Plant scarlet runner beans.
7
The glaringly obvious solution is just to build a tall wood fence on your side of the property - you'll never even see your neighbor.
25
COOKIES - hahaha!
Try screening with trees like Schwoebel hollies instead - they have soft evergreen leaves similar to boxwoods, but they grow to be 6 to 8 feet tall:
Ilex crenata Schwoebel Upright
Ilex (Holly)
slender, hardy holly
Height: 8 ft
Spread: 4 ft
21
My friend attempted to do a small repair on his fence.
The neighbors brought the county down on him for a $30 repair. The law had changed requiring a permit for any repair on a fence not permitted in the past.
The inspectors were helpful, and sympathetic, despite the neighbors harassment. He had a survey redone. Put the fence 6'' back from the property line. Had it been on the line the neighbor would have had a say.
Put up a a six foot tall fence and totally blocked their view of the park. Blocked his view of their house.He was sick of seeing their trash containers and recycling.
They declined to chip in on the paint for to be seen on their side of the fence.
Painted the panels Fuchsia, umber,copper, kryptonite, yellow, orange, umber.
A rainbow flag to honor his lesbian sister.
31
Clumping bamboo quickly creates a tall hedge that stays green all year, is not invasive and keeps your pandas well fed.
27
Just be sure to get the right kind of bamboo or it will take over the neighborhood . . .
12
It's possible that your neighbor is sending you a subliminal message. Knowing what he detests may help you. In my case, after I installed a nice $2,000 wood trellis my neighbor removed part of his lawn and made, just in front, a very unattractive garden vegetables that was often neglected. My response was simple. My garage's back side is adjacent and visible from his patio, a place where he likes to relax with his wife and friends. I transformed that place, invisible from my property, in a kind of dumping ground with old unused pipes, pieces of gutters and scrap metal.
About a month after, his untilled veggies place was cleaned up and rearranged neatly. I did the same on my side. Since then I had no more issues with him.
12
Just plant a row of trees and shrubs on your side to block the view. The birds will thank you!
30
Plant creeping ivy. Maybe not nice but it'll cover the eyesore eventually.
3
I see your point, but nobody should ever plant English Ivy. Birds spread the seeds all over the neighboring area, and pretty soon you have an infestation of ivy taking over forest areas. Ivy was finally banned at my university because the arboretum behind the campus was being choked with ivy. Pretty, but very invasive.
23
No longer a member of the Ivy League, I presume.
1
My community allows most everything, EXCEPT, (1) no fences and (2) get approval to take down any tree, living or dead. I like it here. We also don’t mow our commons while the buttercups are blooming.
4
"We also don’t mow our commons while the buttercups are blooming" - - I, too, love buttercups; but GOOD fences make good neighbors.
11
What do you all do with your dogs?
2
A fair question. The “invisible fence” companies get lots of business.
1
Ask your neighbor why he did this to his fence. It doesn't seem to make sense, since it must look just as awful from his side and has no doubt lowered his property value as well. I often find that if I know the reasoning behind something that upsets me, I can cope with it a little better. Good luck!
11
You know, MSH, the writer lives in Queens. Here in New York City, it's a bad idea to ask a neighbor "why he did this to his fence." It can be mistaken as aggressive disapproval, and here such an attitude is not tolerated.
You should have heard the reaction I got from a man whom I asked not to urinate against my house, on the driveway side.
2
I was guilty of having an eyesore fence for years. It was a 6' wooden stockade fence that was slowly falling apart. A few years ago I replaced it with an easy to maintain 6' vinyl fence which BTW withstood Sandy's 80mph winds. I use the same contractor of course to replace my driveway gate.
My lovely next door neighbor was so happy after I put up the new fence. I apologized for delaying the work for so many years.
39
I actually like chain link which I have oft referred to as part of the vernacular architecture of the south. And it lets the breeze through. But this sounds truly awful. I recommend planting fast growing evergreens. Chinese privet is cheap and will be 8 feet tall and quite wide in 3 years. It will be 4-5 feet tall in 2 years. It will completely screen the eyesore. It is almost impossible to kill and actually makes a lot of privet babies everywhere but these are easily pulled up or mowed down. It has very fragrant tiny white flowers in the spring. Birds love to nest in it. You can either trim it to a neat straight ,even hedge or let it take a more natural tree form. Start now !
63
Ditto to Consuelo.
I'd add that silverberry is also fast, hearty, and drought tolerant. Good for sun and screening.
Ligustrum recurviform (Jap. privet) works well in partial shade. Excellent for hiding the ugly.
4
In our neck of the woods, Virginia Creeper eventually takes over, hiding the whole thing under an agreeable mound of green.
In fall, it turns a beautiful crimson, and in the winter, who cares? We get so much snow here, a visible chain-link fence is the least of our problems.
3
I am wondering what the letter writer did to cause the neighbor to put up a fence that essentially says "Enough already." Regardless, I agree with the commenters who suggest hedges. I suppose I should be relieved 911 hasn't been called; however, I suspect it will happen at some point over the neighbor's menacing fence.
13
@Lynn in DC: Who builds a residential fence out of old junk, and how do you figure this to be the letter writer's fault? And the snark at the end? I suspect you would feel very differently if someone did something like this next to your home.
16
Because all new residents who moved to DC, Northern VA (my hometown), and MD are jerks, which is why I have left twice.
@jauri - One person's junk is another person's treasure. BTW a commenter did suggest calling the police so my so-called snark isn't as questionable as you seem to think. As for a neighbor of mine building a "junk" fence, I would prefer that to open backyards, decks, patios, etc that offer little to no privacy.
Your side of the fence is your property, he has abandoned your side unless he makes yearly inspection on that side. It is called adverse possession. If he objects, tell him to hire a surveyor and prove it is his property. If it has been seven years it is yours.
16
Adverse possession has nothing to do with whether your neighbor walks the four corners of his property every year or not. It is NOT a doctrine based on abandonment of use by the property owner. Don't practice law without a license.
By the end of the first year of law school, you would have learned that asserting rights by way of "adverse possession" requires-- wait for it--- some "adverse" action on YOUR part, to "possess" something which is not yours. Something you are, strictly speaking, not allowed to do, but you're doing it anyway. Like putting up siding on the fence facing your yard. And doing it for 7 years without any objection being raised. Or putting a picnic table right up to the fence and using it all the time, or hanging your laundry on the fence, etc.
And doing any of these things in dark of night is legally insufficient- they must be done when the neighbor can see what you're doing, and object if he really objects. The specific words of the doctrine require the adverse use to be "open and notorious."
This neighbor has done nothing so far, besides asking if she can attach something to her side of the offending fence- to which the owner has replied "no." He has asserted his ownership rights, so the theory of "adverse possession" is dead in the water.
31
A neighbor has a driveway that he hasn't used for at least 10 years since he no longer owns a car. He permits another neighbor to use that driveway. Is that 'adverse possession' ?
The laws for adverse possession to which entitle you to 'his' land vary by state. I know the law in NY changed in 2008, and was 10 years until that time. In addition, you must have used the property - not just mown it. In the town I live in, the fence owner must maintain both sides of the fence - check with your local zoning officer - he may not be in compliance with local zoning. Many people set their fences back 3 feet so they can maintain both sides.
Be glad it's just an unsightly fence. My neighbor has started a mini farm and my yard smells of manure consistently now. I'm trying to find a way to have the animals reduced in number....and yes, I am working with an attorney.
6
The real complaint the writer has is "My neighbor did something that I don't like or approve of. How can I force them to remove something that is causing me visual discomfort?" Newsflash: there's no ugly fence/yard police.
As unsightly and horrible as the fence may look-- and I would not be thrilled either-- for goodness sake, solve your own problem. Build a fence of wood on your property, plant bushes, shrubs, find something to put there to obstruct the ugly view. If the neighbor refuses to let the letter writer attach anything on her side of the fence, then they are obviously not very neighborly or cooperative. The letter writer, who asks here what they can do to make another homeowner cater to their wishes doesn't sound very neighborly either.
61
There are no fence police but in NYC you can report certain types of damaged fences (but not a ugly fence) at this link - -
https://www1.nyc.gov/apps/311universalintake/form.htm?serviceName=DOB+Fence
3
@ShirlWhirl: "Newsflash: there's no ugly fence/yard police."
Actually, it is quite common for municipalities to establish and enforce rules regarding building materials and the placement and size of structures. "Newsflash"
11
@jaurl I said there is no police for ugly fence or yard. Nothing about materials, height or rules. The letter writer is peeved that the neighbor put up something she thinks is unattractive. I don't blame her for being upset at an eyesore, but asking "What can I do?" is code for "How can I make them accommodate my wishes?" instead of handling it themselves with one of the many very obvious solutions available.
"Since your legal options are limited, try the art of persuasion. Take him a beer or a plate of cookies and broach the topic."
This suggestion cracked me up. Does the writer live in New York City? The creator of such a hideous fence more than likely will laugh in the person's face or throw the beer and plate of cookies right back at the person. They are obviously not dealing with a reasonable individual who would purposely ugly up his fence like that.
98
Maybe a beer and a fistful of cash would do it.
8
I think you are missing the entire point. The neighbor ( rightly imo) dislikes your chainlink fence. Chainlink is an eyesore. You need a fence because?? Take it down and use just a hedgerow. We need more habitat, not fences.
12
The chain-link, or cyclone, fence belongs to the neighbor who attached the eyesores to it on his side.
That neighbor does not want the letter writer to attach something more scenic, like lattice, to his side.
Chain-link fences went out of fashion decades ago. And good riddance! Whoever put it up is long gone, but it does belong to one house or the other, and evidently it is not the property of the letter writer.
For my part, I have lattice attached to my neighbor's cyclone fence because I've always disliked the look of cyclone fence. We both have things growing along the fence and lattice. Pretty.
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My four foot chain link was a lot better than the six foot ugly white vinyl fences my neighbors have put up. The edges of the vinyl fences turn black and need cleaning as landscapers kick mud on them. Before the vinyl fences I had a lovely view of an expanse of green grass and it let breezes through. The white fences don't really provide privacy because I can still see into their yard from the windows.
The worse thing about the white vinyl fences is the awful glare when the sun hits them (thinking of the view from a sibling's kitchen.) There are more friendky colors -- beige, off white, gray, and (I think) dark green.
The letter writer needs to build their own fence. A good guess his making a mess of his fence out of retribution. Wonder what the letter writer did to him?
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@Reader In Wash, DC: This is getting weird. Every third comment is someone blaming the letter writer for some imagined sleight after their neighbor lines his own fence with scrap building materials. I'm guessing this is what Facebook must be like. Sheesh.
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Hedgerow. An easy, eco-friendly and attractive solution from old Europe that is almost forgotten. Rather than just evergreen shrubs, include some rambling roses, elderberry, hawthorn, hollies, fruiting bushes, viburnum. You will pretty quickly get flowers, lovely fall foliage, and the hedge will attract birds.
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Get some tall metal stakes, sink them very close to the cyclone fence, and affix some nice lattice to it. The lattice will block the eyesore and it won't be on his property.
There are different grades of lattice, and there's plastic lattice if you prefer.
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Depending on the location of the fence, you may actually be putting your fence on his property. Be sure you know where the lot line is before installing anything.
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It's rare that someone installs a fence a foot or two within his own boundaries -- and certainly not in New York City, where every inch counts. The writer is probably safe enough leaving half a foot leeway.
My fence is 2 feet from the property line. I didn’t want to have to cut down the trees that were on the actual boundary line. Check where the line is and what your code is regarding fences before you do anything.
Or just skip all the hassles and simply build a view-obstructing fence on your side of the property line, making sure it fits with height and substance requirements for your state, local and subdivision rules.
There are lots of panel/plank fences, wood, metal and vinyl, that would block the view of his fence adornments and give you a backdrop for landscaping or adornments of your own.
One upside would be that you would probably never have a conversation with that neighbor again.
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Another option would be to find out if the fence is truly on his property. You could find out where the property line is from the survey that was done when you bought the house.
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Maybe he did this because he doesn't want to see your yard and he can't afford anything else? You can offer to pay for a wooden fence (to replace his, or on your property).
Or, like the suggestion- plant hedges. Evergreens grow more slowly but they block visibility all year round.
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Think of it as "found art." Sounds interesting to me.
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