Have you noticed there are no fences in new neighborhoods?

[nomad100]

When we were looking at houses a couple of years ago, several of the new devlopments didn't allow fences (this is in MI). Those houses went right off the list. One agent said it was because the HOA was going for a more neighborhood feel and fences would inhibit interaction or some BS like that. My thought was yeah, having my neighbors trapising throgh my yard and my yelling at them to get off my grass is a perfect way to foster a neighborhood feel .

[MadamePresident]

Our new neighborhood is pick about fences. You are only allowed a certain type (white vinyl) and it has to start at the back corner of your house. Many of the houses are 2 story so a privacy fence still doesn't give you a ton of privacy. Our lot backs up to woods, so we will only have neighbors on the sides.

[dragonfly08]

We live in an older development, built in the early 70's, and we're allowed a four foot, 50% open fence. I'd say roughly half of my neighbors, at most, have one. We've lived here four years and haven't put one up yet although we definitely want to at some point. It's just that there are other, more important priorities for us...we're in month 11 of a major addition/renovation that we've been planning since we first saw the house and decided to put in an offer. No time or money for an unnecessary fence right now.

We don't have pets (the hermit crabs don't count, neither do the kids). We're surrounded on two sides by woods, and the neighbors on the one side are amazing people that we adore. Who have no young kids or pets, so they're not in our business anyway. A fence would be nice but is definitely not a priority.

[msmerymac]

My dad's neighborhood doesn't, but it's such a unique neighborhood that it really shouldn't even be considered in this discussion. I don't know if the HOA doesn't allow fences, per se (my dad is the president since he's one of the only full time residents, so I'll ask - he's usually very anti-micromanaging though), but there really aren't "private" yards. I mean, the houses are all right on a lake shore and the road runs behind the houses, probably 100-150 feet. So your "back yard" is the space between the road and the house. Most of the lots are 50 feet wide. Hell, most people don't have driveways, let alone fences. And kids running through yards is par for the course. So if you blocked off your property, people would think you were a huge douche. There actually is a community feel of sharing the whole shore - plus no fences makes it look more spacious, I guess.

[badtzmaru22]

We purposely didn't buy in a neighborhood that didn't allow fences. For many reasons, I strongly dislike invisible electric fences, but the biggest reason at the time was we had an elderly, mostly blind dog. There was no way I'd try to train her on one of those!

[gt7301b]

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/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.

The problem is you were in PG County.

[niq]

Jun 14, 2013 9:19:33 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

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.

We're in new construction in Seattle and our front yard has a partial fence with a gate. I'd say about a third of the houses in our neighborhood have front fencing. The fence usually divides the property from the city right of way/planting strip.

The back yard is fenced to hide the alley from view.

Even on a tablet, I blame all wrong words in Swype

[orangeblossom]

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?

My thoughts exactly. Precisely why I won't live in a neighborhood that doesn't allow one.

[orangeblossom]

I don't have a problem with specific rules like no white fences or the "ugly" part has to fade the inside of the yard, but no fences at all. I can't get with that.

[orangeblossom]

Jun 14, 2013 10:23:51 GMT -5 gt7301b 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/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.

The problem is you were in PG County.

What's that supposed to mean?

[Deleted]

Growing up in the bay area I had never seen a house that didn't have a fence. I remember the first time coming across that (somewhere in the midwest) and being so confused. Like, where do they keep their lawn mower? Where do they put their barbecue? All the stuff that people keep here in their back yard I just thought someone would walk up and steal it if it were just sitting out.

[calico]

Some of the townhomes in my neighborhood only have a 3-4 foot long privacy fence for the patios with none of the patios/small lawns completely enclosed. They are more like fence screens, so that you can't see your neighbor's patio. The specific community I'm thinking of was built in the late 80s. There are some new construction townhomes across the road from these and they have a similar set-up.

[vegas]

Jun 14, 2013 10:38:55 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jun 14, 2013 10:23:51 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

The problem is you were in PG County.

What's that supposed to mean?

I'm curious as well.

[vegas]

Jun 14, 2013 10:43:51 GMT -5 @heyitsme said:

Growing up in the bay area I had never seen a house that didn't have a fence. I remember the first time coming across that (somewhere in the midwest) and being so confused. Like, where do they keep their lawn mower? Where do they put their barbecue? All the stuff that people keep here in their back yard I just thought someone would walk up and steal it if it were just sitting out.

I have a funny story along those same lines.  I was in a meeting last year and a co-worker from Wisconsin said she buying a house without a fence.  I asked her about her dog and how she can let him out and she explained that was going to install an electric fence which was totally puzzling to me since I'd never heard of an electric fence.  Everyone started describing electric fences and how they are in the ground and unnoticeable.  I was like "won't people get shocked if they don't know it's there."  Everyone started laughing before explaining that the dog wears a special collar, it has no effect on people.  I felt like an ass.

[hski2349]

In our neighborhood we are not allowed to have 6 foot fences. We have about 4 foot split rail fence. At first we ruled that neighborhood out because of the fence, but we kept going back to that neighborhood because we liked the houses.

[isabel]

We just moved to Indiana from Colorado and it is so strange how few people have fences here! You see neighborhoods all over the place that have very few fences or none at all. I guess most people use invisible, electric fences for their dogs. We would never consider a neighborhood that didn't allow fences. Our dog is way too head strong for an electric fence.

[Deleted]

I have a fence and I live in a new subdivision. I will say my neighbors seem bitter/pissed that we put up a fence, but I don't care. I need to contain my children.

[mrshandy]

No HOA in our NOVA neighborhood = fences galore, front, back, who cares?

Of course this also means our neighbors have a hoarders worthy backyard. I will never understand having a bunch of crap in your backyard.

[gt7301b]

Jun 14, 2013 10:38:55 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jun 14, 2013 10:23:51 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

The problem is you were in PG County.

What's that supposed to mean?

Just I have no desire to live that far out.  I'm not suprised the HOAs have all those restrictions either.

[Marmee]

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.

My neighborhood is very old & urban & front yard fences are very common.  They are usualy wrought iron but some are wood.  I LOVE them & want one so bad, especially since I have a corner lot and am sick of dogs crapping in my yard.

This house for example.

www.recolorado.com/homes-for-sale/CO/Denver/80218/725-Williams-Street-83400466

Or this

www.recolorado.com/homes-for-sale/CO/Denver/80218/1165-Humboldt-Street-73386798


 Everyone has a backyard fence, usually privacy.  But out in the suburbs the fences are often just split rail & give no privacy.  They are big on green belts with paths running through them. I have zero interest in people walking by the back of my house & looking in my yard/house.  Another reason new construction in the burbs doesn't appeal to me at all.  I rather walk in the city on sidewalk under the shade of trees.

[gogreengowhite]

In our neighborhood fences are not banned but are "highly discouraged". You also have to get written approval from every neighbor, then approval from the HOA before the city will give you a building permit to put in a fence.

It almost stopped us from buying our house but it was the only liveable one we saw in our price range.

We back up to a road with a berm behind our house. I still get annoyed I can't put up a fence because I have two small children.

[Deleted]

I found this to be the case in (some of) the new developments with HOAs in my area when I bought a house 4 years ago. That's primarily why we didn't go with a place with an HOA - a fence was top on the list of things that were not optional for our house.

That said, most people in my recent neighborhood had chain link fences, us included, which looks crappy and doesn't keep out the neighbors. It does contain dogs, though, which was my main thing. I would have loved a privacy fence but most people in my neighborhood were young couples/families and a privacy fence started at at least 3.5x the cost of a chain link, so most people opted for the cheaper route. Aesthetically, though, the neighborhood would have looked better without any fences than with a ton of chain link. At least they were an nice black material that doesn't rust, I guess.

[starlily]

Jun 14, 2013 8:19:32 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

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.

Same here. Our back and side fences are concrete block, and were included by the builder. Wooden fences aren't allowed due to being in a high risk area four wildfires.

[Deleted]

Jun 14, 2013 11:21:45 GMT -5 @mx said:

Jun 14, 2013 11:10:40 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Just I have no desire to live that far out.  I'm not suprised the HOAs have all those restrictions either.

I must be confusing you with someone else because I could have sworn you lived in NOVA. Which borders DC in the same way that PG County does.

LOL, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I don't really think of PG County as "that far out." It's certainly not any farther out than Alexandria or Arlington County or Montgomery County.

BTW, now that I've lived here for nearly 9 whole months, I am the board expert on the capital region.

[Chirp]

I live in a late 80's/early 90's townhouse development. The HOA allows fences. You can't have chain link or masonry, they have to be between 3' and 6', wood stain or a coordinating color (if your house is blue you can paint the fence matching blue)

The result was 495 houses with different fence types, materials, colors and heights. Not to mention the drainage problem because when it rains (which is often) the water can't flow away. It all gets trapped in the yards since most people put up fully enclosed privacy fences.

Little by little, the fences are coming down. They're about 1/3 of the way gone. The HOA is toying with the idea of getting rid of them completely. I'm all for it. We own the house and the deck/patio, not the ground. The yards are community property. Even if you have a fence, there's nothing you can do to keep your neighbor from entering.

[gt7301b]

Jun 14, 2013 13:56:54 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Jun 14, 2013 11:21:45 GMT -5 @mx said:

I must be confusing you with someone else because I could have sworn you lived in NOVA. Which borders DC in the same way that PG County does.

LOL, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I don't really think of PG County as "that far out." It's certainly not any farther out than Alexandria or Arlington County or Montgomery County.

BTW, now that I've lived here for nearly 9 whole months, I am the board expert on the capital region.

Oh I do live (and work) in NOVA. I'm sure that some of y'all feel the same way about where I live that I feel about PG County.

[Deleted]

Wait, you live in NOVA but are calling PG County "out there"?

LOLOLOLOL.

From the District, it's all a pain in the ass to get to!

[mrsjuleshs]

They slap up fences as soon as the house is built in all new developments around here. Big 8' wooden fences except along golf courses or waterways where they install 4' metal rod fences.

[lurkergirl123]

A fence was one of my requirements when we bought in March of last year. Our last house did not have a fence and...ugh. Never again.

Most of the new construction neighborhoods we looked at did not have fences. We bought in a more established neighborhood and I think all the houses on our street have fences. Most of the neighborhood does. 

[moolarkey]

I hate stockade style fences and hope I never live in a neighborhood that allows them. There are very few fenced yards in our neighborhood, maybe 4 or 5. Fences can't be over about waist high, most are split rail. You can only fence from the back of your house to the back property line. What most of us have done is landscape to provide privacy.