Neighbour asking money for gigantic fence

[no_joke]

My next-door neighbour decided to build an 8 foot high fence (on my side) without consulting with me, now wants me to chip in half of the cost. Here's the backstory:

The homes on our street backout onto a stormwater trough, so all the backyards slope down into the trough. My next-door neighbour decided to put concrete blocks around the perimeter of his backyard and backfill with 2 feet of topsoil so that the ground surface would be approximately level with his walk-out patio. Then, they built a 6 foot fence on top, so that I basically have an 8 foot fence on my side. I saw that they were doing this and knew it wasn't up to code; fence was too tall, ground didn't have the proper grade. I didn't like it but since he didn't make any mention of splitting the cost and being a laissez faire, libertarian kind of guy, I let it be. Now a few weeks later, he's asking for half the cost of the fence from me. (Are you kidding me?)

Costs are a private manner, as defined by the City and he isn't going to get a dime so long as I have anything to say about it, so Beyond, this is a manner of tact. How should I tell this guy to "sod off" without coming across like a jerk?


Calgary land use bylaw (http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_6_0_778_202_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Development+and+Building+Approvals+and+Land+Use+Planning+and+Policy/Home+Building+and+Renovations/I+Want+to+Build/Fence/Fence.htm).

*Updated with pics!*
The first pic is taken from my side. The second one from the other side of the neighbour's house so my house is in the background.
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8072/img0417d.th.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/img0417d.jpg/)

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3779/img0423oh.th.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/img0423oh.jpg/)

[mowglee]

Show him that link and tell him that why should you have to pay for something you didn't agree to

[1-Bar]

call by-law if it isn't up to code....then you won't have to worry about that conversation regarding money :thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

Ignore his invoice. This summer BBQ a lot and say nice fence when you see him. Say it sincerely. Say it often.

Every time.

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Ignore his invoice. This summer BBQ a lot and say nice fence when you see him. Say it sincerely. Say it often.

Every time.
:rofl: THIS!

[dsr7723]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Ignore his invoice. This summer BBQ a lot and say nice fence when you see him. Say it sincerely. Say it often.

Every time.

X3!!!

[legendboy]

^ haha

but seriously, your neighbour is a dick

[GoChris]

Ya, as stated you don't owe him anything. My neighbor just did the same thing, built a fence real quick after me just moving in, based on his budget, his guy, his timeline. I told him I can't split it with him, he wasn't happy but I didn't even have my grading certificate yet, what was I suppose to do.

Tell him it's just not in your budget and push him off or flat out tell him you aren't paying for it.

[SilverGS]

Yeah if he didn't consult you in any manner why should you pay any of it?

I split with my neighbour but he asked me in advance what I wanted and what I was ok with and even made it cheaper by bringing in a buddy and the 2 of them built it themselves so no labour cost. He even had a nice detailed budget of the cost before doing any work to make sure I was okay with the cost of the materials.

[kaput]

.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Ignore his invoice. This summer BBQ a lot and say nice fence when you see him. Say it sincerely. Say it often.

Every time.

:thumbsup: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[gyu]

How much are you guys paying for the one side of the fence? My fam split with the neighbor about a year or two ago and got a chain link fence on that one side and it cost about 1250-1500 and that's split (I'm pretty sure) :eek:

[bignerd]

Yeah we had a neighbor do this to us, waited until they knew we had bought the house (live behind them, new build) and we lived here for like two weeks and he's building a fence even though he had probably lived in his home for a year or more already.

Only reason we paid half was because he had a hook up at a mill and got the wood really really cheap.

[no_joke]

ZorroAMG: Ignore his invoice. This summer BBQ a lot and say nice fence when you see him. Say it sincerely. Say it often. Every time.

Lol although I'm a natural jackass, I'd still like to be diplomatic about the situation. Though I am tempted.


gyu: How much are you guys paying for the one side of the fence? My fam split with the neighbor about a year or two ago and got a chain link fence on that one side and it cost about 1250-1500 and that's split (I'm pretty sure)

I'd say that's about right. My neighbour wants ~$550 for all wood. <looks at itemized spreadsheet> 12 foot posts for a fence, yup sounds about right lol

[firecotch]

pay up. don't be a jerk. you being cheap will affect the good neighbour relationship.

[project240]

Originally posted by firecotch
pay up. don't be a jerk. you being cheap will affect the good neighbour relationship.


The neighbour built the fence he wanted without asking first... and is now asking for OP to pay for half.

Who's the jerk?

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by no_joke
Costs are a private manner, as defined by the City and he isn't going to get a dime so long as I have anything to say about it, so Beyond, this is a manner of tact. How should I tell this guy to "sod off" without coming across like a jerk?

Fence is on concrete blocks, which are on his property. This is 100% his fence, and you have no financial obligation.

BTW, post pics.

[ddduke]

I think one thing that everyone forgot to ask is if he even did a good job. I see home owner built fences on a daily basis and 98% of the time they're piss poor, so that may also give you a little bit of leverage not to pay. You can tell him you planned on hiring a professional and the fence he built isn't what you wanted.

Like someone else said, you can also call bylaw. Recently we did a fence on a 2 foot tall retaining wall and the fence couldn't exceed 4.5 feet above the wall. The neighbour was a dick and even called it in to the city complaining, city worker was out the very next day to make sure everything was done right.

I'm sure if you call it in, it will be dealt with immediately.

[GoChris]

Well, just measured my neighbors fence he put up, he put it six inches onto his side. Thus forcing me to build my own fence if I want to fence in my yard. two fence, right beside each other. Talk about dick move. All because he didn't consult or wait extra days for me to get my grading certificate. :banghead:

[bignerd]

I thought if you built your fence over your property line it had to be over by like 20 cms before the city will step in and make you move it? Not sure... this is from the City of Calgary website.

A fence is a structure which may be used to prevent or restrict passage, to provide visual screening, sound attenuation, yard decor, protection from dust or the elements, or to mark a boundary.

Location and Height
Maximum heights allowed are:

1.2 metres (4') for any portion of a fence extending between the foremost front facade of the main residential building and the front property line;
2.0 metres (6'6") in all other cases; and
2.5 metres (8'2") at the highest point of a gate that is not more than 2.5 metres in length.
For corner lots, within the corner visibility triangle (the triangular area formed by the two curb lines and a straight line which intersects them 7.5 metres from the corner where they meet), no higher than 0.75 m (2'6"). Please see the diagram in the Fences (437 KB) brochure.

Fences cannot be located on City property, and cannot be located on any City of Calgary utility right-of-way (URW). Your Real Property Report will show the location of the property lines and any utility rights-of-way.

Permit Requirements
If the height and location of the fence complies with the rules of the Land Use Bylaw, no permit is required prior to construction. If the height of the fence does NOT comply with the Land Use Bylaw rules, you may apply for a Development Permit to relax the rules. Development Permit approval is NOT guaranteed.

Retaining walls one metre (39") and higher require both a development permit and a building permit.

Important Notes:
Always remember to call Alberta One Call at 1-800-242-3447 before you dig. For more information on this service or to submit a locate request, visit Alberta One Call .
Any costs for construction and/or maintenance of the fence is a private issue between neighbours.
Fences on residential property are the responsibility of the property owner; the fence must be located within your property boundaries and it must comply with the Land Use Bylaw height restrictions.
The homeowner must make sure the work being carried out does not contravene the requirements of restrictive covenants, caveats, or any other restrictions that are registered against the property.

[xxviet]

Dude this is what you should do, go get a kids fence the white one thats like 4 feet tall and put it 1 inch away from his fence and say why should i pay for your fence when i have to pay for my own
http://www.edboothart.com/assets/Christi/kids_rooms/white_picket_fence_lg.jpg

[bignerd]

Originally posted by GoChris
Well, just measured my neighbors fence he put up, he put it six inches onto his side. Thus forcing me to build my own fence if I want to fence in my yard. two fence, right beside each other. Talk about dick move. All because he didn't consult or wait extra days for me to get my grading certificate. :banghead:

Build your fence inside of his, to the max height allowed and paint his side pink.

[kaput]

.

[bignerd]

I guess the fact if his fence is 6 inches inside his property line you cannot attach your fence or gate to it without having technically a six inch gap......

[craigcd]

It is BS that he didnt consult you before building. If he did a decent job i would pay him, I would you rather take the larger fence with more privacy- also it sounds like you didnt even have to help. I cant stand people that dont split on fence builds however he should have handled it a bit different.

[Masked Bandit]

I'm all for being a considerate neighbour but this guy didn't even ask you about it? I wouldn't pay him anything.

[GoChris]

Yes I'd have a 6 inch gap if I just built a back fence and a side gate. Not very useful since I have a couple small dogs. He knew what he was doing, it was a dick move. Guess he didn't want a neighbor he could be on speaking terms with.

[Disoblige]

k guys.. OP posted this thread on asking HOW should he tell the guy to F off without sounding like a dick, not if he should pay for it or not.

I would simply go and tell him that he didn't consult first before building and because of that, I don't want to pay his half of the budget. It's about mutual respect. If he doesn't have the decency to even discuss his plans with you when he had the intention of splitting the cost with you, then why should you respect his decision to have you pay half?

Utter bullshit. I'm sure if he was a person with half a brain, he would understand this.

You can give him a scenario yourself. What if you built a fence to your liking? Just because he likes his 8 foot tall fence doesn't mean you have the same taste as him.

[5hift]

I would just tell him that you would have considered contributing to a neighborly shared fence, but not to a personal security fence that is not to code, obtrusive to all of the other neighbors, and may be forced down by the city anyways.

[Kona9]

I say wait until you find out what the City says. If it is not to code and needs to be redone, then you wouldn't have wasted any time up until this point.

There is no particular way to tell him. He didn't give two shits about you when he built it (wrong), so the best way to tell him to piss off, is to just ignore him. A) He didn't do it legally, B) you don't legally have to pay him.

However, if the city makes him tear it down, then I say let's get a Beyond meet at your place, and we build a fence properly on your side so his rebuild is that much tougher to do. A one day super structure of a fence built by the Beyond Army. (and no cocky jerks that want to show up to be tough)

Once the Fence is built to your liking and code, we will take photos of every inch of your fence on his side, give him the link to a thread on Beyond about it, and post the pics so he can't be as much of a douche the second time around, by damaging your side if he chooses to build something on his side. This way you will have mass back up of photos and volunteers. If the jack ass you say is in you, would like to come out, I am sure there are a few users on Beyond that wouldn't mind upping their user rating. They can paint one side of each board Pink prior to it being fitted and hung.

If I can find and recover a stolen car for a Beyonder and get ripped off of the reward, I am sure I can help another out by building a fence. I like Sailor Jerry and Coke.

[Dilmah]

Originally posted by kaput


I don't understand the problem. Why would you build your own fence beside his when he's essentially giving you a slightly larger yard? It sounds like a bonus to me - free fence and more space, what am I missing? :dunno:

Agree, I'd tell him it's not up to code and not what I wanted so I can't pay for it.

[bignerd]

So do you have the retaining wall that he built as part of your "fence" then?

I would just tell him if he wants you to pay for half of anything in the future, to please consult with your first before just assuming you will pay up after he builds something to his liking only.

[bignerd]

Originally posted by GoChris
Yes I'd have a 6 inch gap if I just built a back fence and a side gate. Not very useful since I have a couple small dogs. He knew what he was doing, it was a dick move. Guess he didn't want a neighbor he could be on speaking terms with.

As for your situation, I would still call the city and ask, I thought that fences, garages etc.. had to be over the actual property line by like 20 cm before you can dispute it. If this IS the case, you could put your 4X4 right beside his fence even though it is 6 inches on his side and attach your fence to the post.

Are you sure he did it on purpose and just didn't move it in a bit to be sure he was not OVER the line? You could always make the argument since he moved it over so much he wasn't planning on using the last 6 inches of his yard anyways so.......

[CUG]

Originally posted by 5hift
I would just tell him that you would have considered contributing to a neighborly shared fence, but not to a personal security fence that is not to code, obtrusive to all of the other neighbors, and may be forced down by the city anyways. This is the most realistic response you could give. Bang on.

I had to replace a fence on one side because my neighbors garden rotted it out and was about to fall over. I just replaced it and didn't bother them over the matter (I rarely if ever talk to them) I don't need the bullshit and it was a menial cost.

[RecoilS14]

It's 6inches on HIS property, I don't see any obligation on your part at all. It his fence on his property. It's not a fence dividing the property.

[FraserB]

I'd help out with Kona's plan. Linking him to Beyond and seeing his posts would be the only payment needed :rofl:

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Kona9

If I can find and recover a stolen car for a Beyonder and get ripped off of the reward, I am sure I can help another out by building a fence. I like Sailor Jerry and Coke.
I remember that thread.. Makes me mad just thinking about it. Just wish we didn't have people like that in our community.

[Xtrema]

Can u or your other neighbors tolerate that kind of fence?

If so, just pay the man. If not, show him the bylaw that u won't owe him a dime since u did not sign off on the design.

I would find ways to avoid the latter option as u don't really want pissed off neighbors.

I love it when a hoa dictate what kind of fence everyone gets.

[CUG]

Originally posted by Disoblige

I remember that thread.. Makes me mad just thinking about it. Just wish we didn't have people like that in our community. WHAO, back story to that?? Link? Anything?

[t-im]

Originally posted by Xtrema
I love it when a hoa dictate what kind of fence everyone gets.

Or when they dictate that no one can have a fence at all, and to make use of trees/plants etc.

[core_upt]

Originally posted by 5hift
I would just tell him that you would have considered contributing to a neighborly shared fence, but not to a personal security fence that is not to code, obtrusive to all of the other neighbors, and may be forced down by the city anyways.

Yup. And as a final slap in the face, say your brother/cousin/father owns a fencing company, and could have built it at cost had he just asked first.

[Weapon_R]

Any pics of this fence yet?

[UndrgroundRider]

Originally posted by no_joke
My next-door neighbour decided to put concrete blocks around the perimeter of his backyard and backfill with 2 feet of topsoil so that the ground surface would be approximately level with his walk-out patio. Then, they built a 6 foot fence on top, so that I basically have an 8 foot fence on my side.

Just be straight with the guy. You don't like the fence, it's not up to code, and it's on his property. If you're going to pay half, you're gonna want half of the say in how it's constructed. There's no point beating around the bush, be a man and say what you really think.

I don't think it's a good idea to attach to that fence. There's a reason you drill down a couple of feet to put your fence posts in. If he just laid blocks on-top of the existing soil then that fence won't last more than a winter or two. The frost heave will take care of it real quick.

[no_joke]

Originally posted by Disoblige
k guys.. OP posted this thread on asking HOW should he tell the guy to F off without sounding like a dick, not if he should pay for it or not.

I would simply go and tell him that he didn't consult first before building and because of that, I don't want to pay his half of the budget. It's about mutual respect. If he doesn't have the decency to even discuss his plans with you when he had the intention of splitting the cost with you, then why should you respect his decision to have you pay half?

Utter bullshit. I'm sure if he was a person with half a brain, he would understand this.

You can give him a scenario yourself. What if you built a fence to your liking? Just because he likes his 8 foot tall fence doesn't mean you have the same taste as him.

You hit the nail on the head. I or the other 2 adjacent neighbours can dislike the fence for any number of reasons but the annoying/insulting this is that he went ahead and did what he wanted without consulting us. It's all about mutual respect- I'm not worried about coming off like a "bad neighbour" by rejecting his proposal- he is already one for asking me in the first place IMO.

Actually, when they were building it, I told him that I thought it was too high but he seemed pretty indifferent to my opinion. Going back to my OP, I wasn't going to do too much to stop him seeing as how the subject of money was never brought up. And upon closer inspection, the fence is entirely on his property save for a cm or two of the retaining wall that might cross the boundary....

[no_joke]

Originally posted by Kona9
I say wait until you find out what the City says. If it is not to code and needs to be redone, then you wouldn't have wasted any time up until this point.

There is no particular way to tell him. He didn't give two shits about you when he built it (wrong), so the best way to tell him to piss off, is to just ignore him. A) He didn't do it legally, B) you don't legally have to pay him.

However, if the city makes him tear it down, then I say let's get a Beyond meet at your place, and we build a fence properly on your side so his rebuild is that much tougher to do. A one day super structure of a fence built by the Beyond Army. (and no cocky jerks that want to show up to be tough)

Once the Fence is built to your liking and code, we will take photos of every inch of your fence on his side, give him the link to a thread on Beyond about it, and post the pics so he can't be as much of a douche the second time around, by damaging your side if he chooses to build something on his side. This way you will have mass back up of photos and volunteers. If the jack ass you say is in you, would like to come out, I am sure there are a few users on Beyond that wouldn't mind upping their user rating. They can paint one side of each board Pink prior to it being fitted and hung.

If I can find and recover a stolen car for a Beyonder and get ripped off of the reward, I am sure I can help another out by building a fence. I like Sailor Jerry and Coke.

That would be priceless :D With all the excessive concrete, wood, and soil, it would be quite the expensive teardown job. Without another fence in the way lol

This pic was taken from my side. Sorry blurry iPhone pic. Note the orange flagging on the top of the fence on my side. This marks the property line. The fence is on his side.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8072/img0417d.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/img0417d.jpg/)

This pic was taken from the other side. So my house is the one with brown deck. The other fence is the standard 6' for reference.

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3779/img0423oh.jpg (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/img0423oh.jpg/)

[sputnik]

Here is an easier thing to do.

Based on the pictures your neighbour has illegally regraded his property. According to city grading regulations you are not allow to modify the way your property drains. He has obviously flattened his backyard by adding a retaining wall around the yard and backfilling it.

Call the city and tell them about your neighbours DIY grading job and they will tell him to tear down the fence and charge him to dig out all of the sod, fill and tear down the retaining wall.

This should keep him from bothering you for money.

Here is a link for more information.

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_6_0_771_203_0_43/http;/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Water+Services/Water+and+Wastewater+Systems/Storm+Drainage+System/Lot+Grading+Bylaw/Lot+Grading+Bylaw+FAQ.htm

[kaput]

.

[no_joke]

Yup, 3 adjacent neighbours (no back alley). One family is away as far as I can tell, and the other one probably doesn't have the money to pay anyways. I'd be curious as well...

[no_joke]

Originally posted by sputnik
Here is an easier thing to do.

Based on the pictures your neighbour has illegally regraded his property. According to city grading regulations you are not allow to modify the way your property drains. He has obviously flattened his backyard by adding a retaining wall around the yard and backfilling it.

Call the city and tell them about your neighbours DIY grading job and they will tell him to tear down the fence and charge him to dig out all of the sod, fill and tear down the retaining wall.

This should keep him from bothering you for money.

Here is a link for more information.

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_6_0_771_203_0_43/http;/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Water+Services/Water+and+Wastewater+Systems/Storm+Drainage+System/Lot+Grading+Bylaw/Lot+Grading+Bylaw+FAQ.htm

Wow useful link, thanks!

[bignerd]

No kidding, I would not be paying for that behemoth of a fence. Is he just supposed to assume you are okay with the extra water draining into the lots around him?

If you do call the city and complain I am pretty sure they do not release WHO called but I am guessing he will assume it is one of his three neighbors anyhow.

I have seen people that "terrace" their backyard and the eventually have it drop back down to the original level but have never seen someone level and fill the entire thing before...

[masoncgy]

Wow... what is that garden area adjacent to the retaining wall like during/after heavy downpours?

I assume that water collects and stands around this area pretty badly, yes?

With his yard levelled off like that, you are going to end up (if not happening already) with all of his water run-off in your yard as it will drain down and pool in that area. Eventually, this will cause his retaining wall & that fence to lean.

I wouldn't give him a dime. That retaining wall & fence, while decent looking, is ridiculous. Get the City on it.

[7thgenvic]

I wouldn't pay the guy. But in one way, I kinda like what he did with the leveling of his backyard. He probably will have it drain into the gutter. Just wait till you get a heavy rain and see how the water drains. I'm sure you won't have a problem and the larger fence gives you more privacy. Who wants to see their neighbors through a tiny fence.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by 7thgenvic
I wouldn't pay the guy. But in one way, I kinda like what he did with the leveling of his backyard. He probably will have it drain into the gutter. Just wait till you get a heavy rain and see how the water drains. I'm sure you won't have a problem and the larger fence gives you more privacy. Who wants to see their neighbors through a tiny fence.

The only person getting more privacy is the neighbour. This setup actually makes it easier for him to look down into your yard.

[no_joke]

Originally posted by masoncgy
Wow... what is that garden area adjacent to the retaining wall like during/after heavy downpours?

I assume that water collects and stands around this area pretty badly, yes?

With his yard levelled off like that, you are going to end up (if not happening already) with all of his water run-off in your yard as it will drain down and pool in that area. Eventually, this will cause his retaining wall &amp; that fence to lean.

I wouldn't give him a dime. That retaining wall &amp; fence, while decent looking, is ridiculous. Get the City on it.
We had that big storm here about 3 weeks ago and the runoff from his "wasn't bad" as far as I could tell. The adjacent garden area is also the spillway for our own gutters so it does get very wet. Like you said it looks alright now, but in a few years... I don't know...


Originally posted by SilverGS
The only person getting more privacy is the neighbour. This setup actually makes it easier for him to look down into your yard.

Precisely. The big shot with his gigantic fence has his place surrounded by the Great Wall. (Fyi I'm Chinese, neighbour isn't ;))

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by GoChris
Well, just measured my neighbors fence he put up, he put it six inches onto his side. Thus forcing me to build my own fence if I want to fence in my yard. two fence, right beside each other. Talk about dick move. All because he didn't consult or wait extra days for me to get my grading certificate. :banghead:

Am I missing something here? He put up a fence on HIS side, and is not asking you to pay for any of it. Why build your own fence? Who cares... you already have one now?

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by GoChris
My neighbor just did the same thing, built a fence real quick after me just moving in, based on his budget, his guy, his timeline. I told him I can't split it with him, he wasn't happy but I didn't even have my grading certificate yet, what was I suppose to do.

It seems the neighbor did ask for partial payment? :dunno:

[bignerd]

It looks like he has some type of drain sticking out from the retaining wall? Looks like french drain or a white tube at the bottom of the retaining wall to dump water into the trough thingy?

[Kloubek]

ok... my bad. ASKED, but was denied. :)

[kaput]

.

[hampstor]

Yet another bylaw you can use against him... I'm fairly certain that you can't direct water into a swale like that (in your second pic)... it has to end a few metres away so that the ground has a chance to absorb some of the water.

Edit: yep, looked it up under the drainage bylaw.

http://www.calgary.ca/docgallery/bu/cityclerks/37m2005.pdf

- Except where a Parcel has Negative Drainage, no Person shall allow downspouts, eavestroughing, piping or other means of directing Storm Drainage on a Parcel to terminate within 2 metres of:

(a) a Reserve;
(b) a Surface Drainage Facility, except where such Surface Drainage Facility
is located in a Sideyard; or
(c) a Street.

[GoChris]

Originally posted by bignerd


As for your situation, I would still call the city and ask, I thought that fences, garages etc.. had to be over the actual property line by like 20 cm before you can dispute it. If this IS the case, you could put your 4X4 right beside his fence even though it is 6 inches on his side and attach your fence to the post.

Are you sure he did it on purpose and just didn't move it in a bit to be sure he was not OVER the line? You could always make the argument since he moved it over so much he wasn't planning on using the last 6 inches of his yard anyways so.......

Know where I can find anything written on that 20cm? If that was the case that'd be awesome, 6 more inches of yard! lol

[bignerd]

Nope don't know, haha thats why I said to call the city :) The city is not going to step in and deal with issues like that when it is only a few cm's, inches etc...

[GoChris]

Yes I've been planning to call them. So I'll try to find out!

[shutterbug_art8]

That looks like the Great Wall of China.

[sillysod]

Wow.... so cheap

Were you planning on having no fence at all around your neighbours? The guy built the fence and charged you only materials - regardless if he asked you or not.

Maybe you aren't crazy about the height, but then maybe YOU should have built it.

I actualy think the higher fence is nice, he could have made a complete abortion fence and you would be fucked.

Looks like it's nice and straight etc. and the only reason he built it is because those shitty lots slope like a motherfucker and he probably wanted to be able to have a yard that you can put a chair on without falling over.

Honestly $500 for a fence is absolutely nothing. Neighbours in my area all paid over $700/side for their fences - and they werent built that nicely. I did mine myself and materials were right around the $600.00 mark.

IMO just pay up. if you can't afford $500.00 right now then let the guy know you need time to come up with the money.

[project240]

Originally posted by sillysod
Wow.... so cheap

Were you planning on having no fence at all around your neighbours? The guy built the fence and charged you only materials - regardless if he asked you or not.

Maybe you aren't crazy about the height, but then maybe YOU should have built it.

I actualy think the higher fence is nice, he could have made a complete abortion fence and you would be fucked.

Looks like it's nice and straight etc. and the only reason he built it is because those shitty lots slope like a motherfucker and he probably wanted to be able to have a yard that you can put a chair on without falling over.

Honestly $500 for a fence is absolutely nothing. Neighbours in my area all paid over $700/side for their fences - and they werent built that nicely. I did mine myself and materials were right around the $600.00 mark.

IMO just pay up. if you can't afford $500.00 right now then let the guy know you need time to come up with the money.


Should he ask for that money back when the city comes and tells him to tear it down because it is illegal? And if they don't come, should he ask for the money back when the retaining walls gives way after a couple winters?

[whiskas]

Good fences make good neighbors... or something like that.

[Sugarphreak]

....

[masoncgy]

Uhhh... those lots 'slope' for a reason... :dunno:

If my neighbor put up a fence that was not to code near my property line without consulting me, I'd tell him to take a hike when he came to the door collecting.

If a good fence makes good neighbors, then what does a bad (or unwanted) fence make?

Yeah, exactly.

[sillysod]

Originally posted by masoncgy
Uhhh... those lots 'slope' for a reason... :dunno:

If my neighbor put up a fence that was not to code near my property line without consulting me, I'd tell him to take a hike when he came to the door collecting.

If a good fence makes good neighbors, then what does a bad (or unwanted) fence make?

Yeah, exactly.

that lot has a lot of slope, that's why the guy did that.

The city isn't going to do shit about the fence unless he makes a huge scene about it. We have a garage in our alley that was built right on the edge of the property line (it has to be 3 feet back from the alley) and he just went downtown, paid an extra $300.00 to get it rubber stamped. it looks like shit and there is nothing anybody can do about it.

This is a fence in a neighbourhood where everybody that sits in their yards gets to stare at everybody else in their yards. I would be all for a high fence. Just my opinion.

You definately CAN tell the guy to go fuck himself, but remember that he will be living within a few feet of you. Nothing is worse than shitty neighbours.