Have you noticed there are no fences in new neighborhoods?

[orangeblossom]

Maybe it's just regional, but have you noticed that as more neighborhoods are built that the HOAs are not allowing fences.  I don't quite get that, and if I were searching for a house, would likely bypass a neighborhood that didn't allow fences.  

I'm not talking about maybe a year or two in when families are still recovering from the expense of buying a house and are just now ready to build a fence.  I'm talking about completely fences neighborhoods.  For many reasons, I think fences make good neighbors.

I've heard in some neighborhoods it's for aesthetic reasons, because if everyone doesn't get a fence then it it makes the neighborhood less uniform.

I'm just intrigued by it.  I don't see it as often in the south, though I do know an old coworker that lives in a gated community that doesn't allow fences. I've seen it much more in the DC/MD/VA area.

If you live in a neighborhood like that, did your HOA give a reason for no fences?  If you have a dog, do you have an electric fence to keep them contained? 

[aspentosh]

I live in VA and I don't see this at all. Most neighborhoods I go into are older (not new developments at least) and there are tons of fences. Our HOA allows fences provided you follow their guidelines.

[thejen626]

I'm a big fan of fences. I would never buy a house that we couldn't fence in the back yard. I don't want random neighbor kids up on my patio, or "cute widdle dogs" pooping on my grass, or to see my neighbor in his bathrobe watering his plants.

Also, get off my lawn! Lol.

[Deleted]

Yes, I have noticed a lot of homeowners have not installed fences. For us, if the HOA didn't allow a fence it would be a dealbreaker. I need a fence so that my kids can play safely in the backyard and it keeps out other animals from coming onto our property. The place we are under contract does not have a fence but we will be putting one in as soon as we move in.

[orangeblossom]

Jun 14, 2013 7:50:51 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

I live in VA and I don't see this at all. Most neighborhoods I go into are older (not new developments at least) and there are tons of fences. Our HOA allows fences provided you follow their guidelines.

I've seen it a lot in PG County.  It could be that maybe people don't want to or haven't gotten around to wanting/needing a fence.

The reason I thought about it, is I just went through a neighborhood that didn't look to be old and didn't see one single fence.

[aspentosh]

Jun 14, 2013 7:53:01 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jun 14, 2013 7:50:51 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

I live in VA and I don't see this at all. Most neighborhoods I go into are older (not new developments at least) and there are tons of fences. Our HOA allows fences provided you follow their guidelines.

I've seen it a lot in PG County.  It could be that maybe people don't want to or haven't gotten around to wanting a fence.

The reason I thought about it, is I just went through a neighborhood that didn't look to be old and didn't see one single fence.

Does not compute

We put in a fence before we moved in. Like, we contacted the ARB for approval before we signed the mortgage papers and had everything scheduled to start the day we closed. Haha.

[gardengal]

I think it's because sometimes in the larger developments (in further out NoVA at least), the homeowner doesn't own all the land around their property. They only own the first Xft (you'll notice the landscaping kind of stops at a certain point). So they wouldn't own the land that the fence would go on.

[orangeblossom]

Jun 14, 2013 7:54:22 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Jun 14, 2013 7:53:01 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

I've seen it a lot in PG County.  It could be that maybe people don't want to or haven't gotten around to wanting a fence.

The reason I thought about it, is I just went through a neighborhood that didn't look to be old and didn't see one single fence.

Does not compute

We put in a fence before we moved in. Like, we contacted the ARB for approval before we signed the mortgage papers and had everything scheduled to start the day we closed. Haha.

Yeah, DH built our fence not long after we moved in and we didn't even have our dog yet.  Where I live, it's more uncommon not to have a fence.  

[Deleted]

We don't have a fence. We have no kids or pets. The neighbor dogs don't bother me that much.

Our neighbors put in a fence recently and it is annoyingly short, so I don't even know what sort we'd put on if we did one now.

[ddi741]

I would never live in a neighborhood that didn't allow fences. Our fence construction started the day we closed on the house. We do have rules that you can't have chain link but that's it.

[orangeblossom]

Jun 14, 2013 7:54:59 GMT -5 gardengal said:

I think it's because sometimes in the larger developments (in further out NoVA at least), the homeowner doesn't own all the land around their property. They only own the first Xft (you'll notice the landscaping kind of stops at a certain point). So they wouldn't own the land that the fence would go on.

Very interesting.  I have noticed landscape stopping.  I'm not in VA, but our developer only sodded grass 30ft out and we do own the land, but it never would have occurred to me in other places it's due to not owning the land.

[ECB]

Everywhere we looked were older neighborhoods, so it wasn't an issue. But yeah, if we weren't ALLOWED to put a fence up, it would have been a dealbreaker.

[countthestars]

We don't have a fence. We don't live very close to our neighbors though. I don't think many people in my town have them.

[themoneytree]

Our neighborhood is older - homes started being built in the late 70s and the very informal association enforces only 1 rule - no fences in the front yard. The only fencing belongs to the original farmhouse which is on 5+ acres and has wood post fencing out front. Other than that no one has it although pretty much everyone fences a portion of their backyards.

We're probably not a typical neighborhood though as I think the smallest lot is 2 acres and the larger ones are 6 + acres.

[changedname]

New neighbourhoods here don't have fences "included" in the sale price. My SIl moved to a new subdivision last year and the neighbours all had to get together to buy fences and gates after they had moved in. Very strange especially as all the houses are on top of each other.

[themoneytree]

I should add that some of our neighbors have those invisible electric fences out front. I almost had a heart attack the first time I went for a stroll around the 'hood as neighbors dogs started barking and running straight at us.

[Deleted]

I live in a fairly new subdivision and there are quite a few people with fences. Out of the 8 houses in my "block" 1/2 have fences.

[Deleted]

The historical neighborhood near us (most houses dating to WWI) doesn't allow fences in front yards for aesthetic reasons. I don't think this is a new thing.

Do most people have fences in their front yards? I've never lived in a place with a fenced front yard.

[aspentosh]

We are not allowed to fence our front yard. The fence has to stop at the back of our house. I am fine with that, though. I have no real desire or need to fence our front yard.

[morgie44]

Where I grew up, I can't think of a single house in the town that had a fence. It was a small rural town, and when we would go into the suburbs and city, I always thought that the fences looked weird and kind of tacky. I can see why subdivisions don't allow them, because it is probably more work for the association and I think a lot of times they can be an eyesore. I have a cousin who lives in a subdivision that allows only wrought iron fences, which don't really do anything for privacy, or if you have a small dog. I'm guessing that, combined with the cost of a wrought iron fence is the reason that only one or two houses actually have them.

[bostonmichelle]

We had a fence when we bought the house and it was part of the criteria for buying a house. We have a dog now and I love being able to let him out the backyard and not worry about him running off or any other animals coming into the yard. I know when I have kids I won't worry (As much) if they are in the back knowing they are safer with the fence. I wouldn't buy in an area that I couldn't fence off the back yard at least.

[Deleted]

I grew up in a neighborhood where nobody had fences unless they had a pool (in which case usually just the pool is fenced in). No HOA. The houses are all on 2+ acres, and there is a strip of woods separating each house (and woods in front and behind each house), so there's no real need for a fence and it would kind of be impractical in light of the size of the backyards.

Most people with dogs have electric fences (which are an issue when power goes out). I don't remember any random kids wandering into our yards, but it was a neighborhood where people mostly kept to themselves anyway.

Many of the people in my hometown had even more property (it is a fairly rural town), so fences definitely weren't the norm.  I think they're more of a privacy thing when you live close to another house?

[orangeblossom]

Jun 14, 2013 8:17:00 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

The historical neighborhood near us (most houses dating to WWI) doesn't allow fences in front yards for aesthetic reasons. I don't think this is a new thing.

Do most people have fences in their front yards? I've never lived in a place with a fenced front yard.

In talking more backyard fences.

I definitely understand saying no to front yards. Like you, I don't think I've ever seen fenced in front yards.

[alexithymia]

My friend lives in a newer development, and the HOA bans any fences except the one approved type, which is more decorative than useful.

Hearing her stories of the HOA has completely turned me off from ever buying a house within one. They were told they weren't allowed to have a vegetable garden on their property "for aesthetic reasons." No. If I own my property, I will do with it as I please, thank you.

[Deleted]

Jun 14, 2013 9:16:16 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jun 14, 2013 8:17:00 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

The historical neighborhood near us (most houses dating to WWI) doesn't allow fences in front yards for aesthetic reasons. I don't think this is a new thing.

Do most people have fences in their front yards? I've never lived in a place with a fenced front yard.

In talking more backyard fences.

I definitely understand saying no to front yards. Like you, I don't think I've ever seen fenced in front yards.

Why does an HOA care what you do in your back yard?

[Deleted]

Jun 14, 2013 8:17:00 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Do most people have fences in their front yards? I've never lived in a place with a fenced front yard.

A lot of row houses in D.C. have front gates. Ours is a low, wrought-iron gate. It keeps dogs out of our front garden, but it doesn't actually provide any privacy.

Our backyard is fenced, as are most of our neighbors'. I am unlikely to buy a house in an HOA, so I can't imagine living somewhere that doesn't allow fences.

[hocus2]

Jun 14, 2013 8:17:00 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

The historical neighborhood near us (most houses dating to WWI) doesn't allow fences in front yards for aesthetic reasons. I don't think this is a new thing.

Do most people have fences in their front yards? I've never lived in a place with a fenced front yard.

  Around here some folks build large fences, wall or gates around their whole property. I think it looks really odd but it is allowed. A fenced back yard seems practical to me if you small children.

[Deleted]

Jun 14, 2013 9:19:21 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Jun 14, 2013 9:16:16 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

In talking more backyard fences.

I definitely understand saying no to front yards. Like you, I don't think I've ever seen fenced in front yards.

Why does an HOA care what you do in your back yard?

Because HOAs are full of busybodies who care about every fucking thing.

(Can you tell how I feel about them? )

[smiley]

I couldn't live in a neighborhood that does not allow fences. I like them for safety reasons (dog, little kids etc). I also like the privacy some fences allow.

My brother's HOA has a specific fence and height that is allowed in their neighborhood. I would be okay with that but then again the houses in the gated communities are all the same so I would never move into one

Smiley is using Proboards on her Samsung Galaxy S4!

[flygirl22]

Pretty much my entire neighborhood had privacy fences up before anyone moved in. There a few straglers but they are fenced on both sides so no one can see into each others back yards. I have NEVER heard of this and really the only way I can see this being practical is in areas where the lots are HUGE and lots of landscaping makes things much more private, I assume people have invisible fences for dogs and such.

But yea, that only exists wayyy far out of the city here.