Nieghbors & Fences

[AMG_G]

Scary how people can buy a 500k home and not afford a few hundred for a shared fence. Shows you how stretched people really are. To the people who don't pay because the neighbor didn't discuss the details prior, that's just an excuse you use to avoid paying and I bet you anything you're hoping they don't come and talk to you so that you can justify cheaping out. It's not like building a fence is a 1 hour thing, it takes weeks of planning. You could have approached them first and stated that if they don't discuss details with you you're aren't paying. I'm sure they would've responded positively.

[FlameOn]

Talk to them before you get the fence built, in writing. If you get the fence built and its not the type they want, etc, they are under no obligation to pay you at all.

A friend of mine moved into his new home and the neighbour just showed up and demanded money. He asked the city and they told him he didn't need to pay in that situation and if it was the least bit on your property you could ask them to take the fence down and they'd have to do it. Turns out the neighbour got the fence free from the builder and just wanted some cash.

[flamesfever]

From my perspective there are a number of items that should be discussed and resolved:

1. Who provides the supervision
2.. The type of fence that would satisfy all parties
3. The cost and how it should be shared...and paid for
4. How the fence is to be built e.g. by contractor, by one of the residents, etc.
5. Who buys the beer to celebrate the completion

This obviously requires getting together in a spirit of good neighbourliness and willingness to act for the best interest of all parties involved.

I've always believed that one of the most important things in life is to do all that is necessary to ensure you have the best neighbours as possible.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by AMG_G

Scary how people can buy a 500k home and not afford a few hundred for a shared fence. Shows you how stretched people really are. To the people who don't pay because the neighbor didn't discuss the details prior, that's just an excuse you use to avoid paying and I bet you anything you're hoping they don't come and talk to you so that you can justify cheaping out. It's not like building a fence is a 1 hour thing, it takes weeks of planning. You could have approached them first and stated that if they don't discuss details with you you're aren't paying. I'm sure they would've responded positively.

You kind of have a point there, but at the end of the day, if the guy who's building the fence can't be bothered to talk to whoever he thinks is going to pitch in BEFOREHAND, he pretty much deserves to be stiffed afterward.

Maybe some people don't care about a fence and would rather drop that grand on a vacation. Or maybe an RESP for their kids. Just because you want a fence doesn't mean I do. You can't just go spending my money without asking me first. If a neighbour pulled a stunt like that on me, I probably wouldn't even be polite. It'd be a hearty laugh as I shut the door in his or her face.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by vtec260

Sounds like what happened to me and my neighbour right after we moved into the house last year. Never mentioned any type of cost share, quote, etc. during the time they did the landscaping, even though we talked several times while they were landscaping. After 3 months of putting up the fence, they brought an invoice over, apologizing for late billing, right before Christmas. They "expected and assumed" that cost should be shared according to some kind of bylaw of the neighbourhood. I asked them to produce proof that I HAVE to pay and they couldn't. Once they talked about going to the small claims court, I shut the door. Never talked to them in last 3 months. Not my loss.

I probably would have paid half if the cost was discussed and got some quotes to support their cost. But the way they approached really pissed me off so they are getting $0. Money is not the issue, it's the principle that is at stake.

I am pretty sure that there is law to back them up on that, and if they did pursue it in court they would get the money. It came up in a previous thread of this type on CP.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I am pretty sure that there is law to back them up on that, and if they did pursue it in court they would get the money. It came up in a previous thread of this type on CP.

Shouldn't the neighbour still talk to the other person before money starts being spent? Man, my gears would be so ground if I just got a bill like that one day. I owe you a grand, do I? For a fence? Ok, here's $1,000 worth of loam. I figured you want a garden. What's that? You don't? Too bad.

Seriously. It's complete BS that a neighbour just starts building something like that and expects money afterward. How does he know that maybe the neighbour is fully capable of building a fence himself, and maybe has a father in law that can get him lumber for dirt cheap? There are many reasons why you're an absolute fool to go building a fence without consulting your neighbour beforehand.

[The Yen Man]

Well, my neighbor kind of went ahead and started building the fence. He was doing it himself. I approached him and let him know I'm more than happy to foot half the bill for materials. I don't have kids or dogs, so realistically I don't need a fence and wasn't looking to build one yet. But the guy decided to, so I thought it's fair I pay for half the materials. I told him I wanted to see all the invoices though, and that I didn't want any expensive fence, just a normal one.

He hasn't approached me at all since it was done, so I haven't brought it up. But is expecting about an $800 share from me fair? I don't want to pay more than that for one side of a fence that I didn't need.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by AMG_G

Scary how people can buy a 500k home and not afford a few hundred for a shared fence. Shows you how stretched people really are. To the people who don't pay because the neighbor didn't discuss the details prior, that's just an excuse you use to avoid paying and I bet you anything you're hoping they don't come and talk to you so that you can justify cheaping out. It's not like building a fence is a 1 hour thing, it takes weeks of planning. You could have approached them first and stated that if they don't discuss details with you you're aren't paying. I'm sure they would've responded positively.

And another thing... A fence does not take weeks of planning unless you're building a fence around a section of land. A backyard fence can be devised in the morning, lumber purchased by 10am and on site by lunch. Post holes dug and posts erected by dinner, and the stringers and boards finished by noon the next day.

A guy could go camping one weekend and come home to see a neighbour built a fence. To that I say F.U. You would not get a penny out of me.

[J Diddy]

Definitely talk to your neighbors because they might know somebody that can get a deal on materials. We got our post holes done for us for a buck a hole because the neighbor knew somebody. Another neighbor had a cement mixer which we borrowed too. We also got tips from another neighbor that builds fences for a living. So you never know what your neighbors may be able to offer...other than just cash for the materials.

I preferred doing all the work myself. My one neighbor was pretty useless so I just had him pay for materials. My other neighbor and I would butt heads a bit on how it should be done but we eventually worked well together and cruised through our shared side of the fence.

To those people that build a fence without asking your neighbor...screw you! It has never happened to me but has happened to people I know and it just turns ugly fast.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I am pretty sure that there is law to back them up on that, and if they did pursue it in court they would get the money. It came up in a previous thread of this type on CP.

There isn't. I've been down that road. In my first house (new build) the dirtbag neighbour didn't even sod his yard. He wouldn't go in on a fence...I held out for a couple of years and finally built one at my expense just so I didn't have to look at his weeds anymore.

If you don't believe me call the City and ask - there is nothing illegal about not wanting a fence.

And there is no good solution when you live beside a low-life that won't chip in. Some of my friends told me "just build it six inches on your property line and paint his side pink" and stuff like that. Yeah, like I really want to gift him 30 square feet of my property because he's a jerk.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Well, my neighbor kind of went ahead and started building the fence. He was doing it himself. I approached him and let him know I'm more than happy to foot half the bill for materials. I don't have kids or dogs, so realistically I don't need a fence and wasn't looking to build one yet. But the guy decided to, so I thought it's fair I pay for half the materials. I told him I wanted to see all the invoices though, and that I didn't want any expensive fence, just a normal one.

He hasn't approached me at all since it was done, so I haven't brought it up. But is expecting about an $800 share from me fair? I don't want to pay more than that for one side of a fence that I didn't need.

I know it is somewhat presumptuous of your neighbour to go ahead and build an adjoining fence without contacting you. However, I think the fact that you approached him and offered to pay for half the cost of materials somewhat obligates you to do just that. If however, he refuses to show the invoices, and the cost seems unreasonable, I would feel free to offer him what you would expect to pay for a normal, relatively inexpensive fence. I think chances are he may not ask for anything.

I believe doing the right thing, by others, pays huge dividends in the long run.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Seriously. It's complete BS that a neighbour just starts building something like that and expects money afterward. How does he know that maybe the neighbour is fully capable of building a fence himself, and maybe has a father in law that can get him lumber for dirt cheap? There are many reasons why you're an absolute fool to go building a fence without consulting your neighbour beforehand.

I agree totally that it is BS.

Originally Posted by 4X4

And another thing... A fence does not take weeks of planning unless you're building a fence around a section of land. A backyard fence can be devised in the morning, lumber purchased by 10am and on site by lunch. Post holes dug and posts erected by dinner, and the stringers and boards finished by noon the next day.

A guy could go camping one weekend and come home to see a neighbour built a fence. To that I say F.U. You would not get a penny out of me.

That is actually how it happened at my house. We decided on Friday night that we were going to build a fence rather than a garage, talked to the neighbours with a Totem flyer in hand. Borrowed the 3 ton truck from the father in law to bring the bobcat to my place and do the material pickup on Saturday. By Sunday evening we were done pretty much all the fencing, with he exception of the gates.

[You Need a Thneed]

I've never been in the situation, but I would not pay a dime for a fence that a neighbour just built without consulting me.

I would not personally pay a dime for labour, be cause I'd gladly build the fence myself.

If I'm going to pay money for a fence, I'm going to have some say into what the fence will look like, and what materials are used.

Someday if we move to a place that doesn't have a fence, us having kids means that a fence would have to be built right away. If the neighbours wanted say in the fence, they would have to pay their part.

[Pilsner12]

I agree with the fact that it is only fair to be included in the planning and decisions when building a fence between homes. I would not move forward without doing so. However if it was something that you had full intentions on doing in the first place and upon review of the recipts found the price to be resonable then you are doing just as AMG_G said in an earlier post and looking for an excuse to avoid paying anything. If you had no intentions of ever building a fence or found the cost to be unresonable after some research then it's time to talk to the neighbour and express your concerns. Simply saying screw you and closing the door hardly seems like an adult or respectful way to handle the situation. And yes respect could have been given back by not assuming anything and building a fence without prior discussions but step up and be the bigger person. I always have found it hard to believe when people I know say they don't know any of their neighbours but now find it easier to understand with so many people having a screw you attitude over something like a fence.

[Flashpoint]

This is why I never answer the front door.

[Russic]

My brother in law is kind of ... well ... racist. When it came time to build his fence he talked openly with his white neighbors but conveniently forgot to talk to his east-indian neighbors. Their response to receiving an invoice when the work was all done was "we didn't want a fence and you should have talked to us first. Have a good day." He was out about $2000 and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. I still find it kinda funny.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, like I really want to gift him 30 square feet of my property because he's a jerk.

That 30 square feet of property between the property line and the other side of your fence would be a great place to grow some stinging nettles or some Scottish thistle shrubs.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

That 30 square feet of property between the property line and the other side of your fence would be a great place to grow some stinging nettles or some Scottish thistle shrubs.

Oooooohhhh...you evil evil bashtard!

[Old Yeller]

I made a dog run which involved extending my fence and moving the gate up. I talked to my neighbor (who also owned a dog) and he said he wasn't interested in having a dog run of his own... fair enough.

So I bought all the materials and did all the work myself... a few weeks later I came home one day to find him putting in one post beside his house so he could attach a gate to his side of the fence and create his own dog run.

I gave him my materials cost and said told him if he wanted to attach a gate to *MY* post it would cost him 50% of all my materials otherwise I'd be taking his gate down.

He finally ponied up a few weeks later, but he was almost annoyed to have to do so and our friendly neighbor relationship was never the same afterwards... I don't really think I was in the wrong but it was an annoying situation for sure.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Russic

My brother in law is kind of ... well ... racist. When it came time to build his fence he talked openly with his white neighbors but conveniently forgot to talk to his east-indian neighbors. Their response to receiving an invoice when the work was all done was "we didn't want a fence and you should have talked to us first. Have a good day." He was out about $2000 and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. I still find it kinda funny.

Karma's a bitch.