S/O Poll: which way do fences face in your neighborhood?

[aurora]

Just because I'm procrastinating some work I don't want to do: a S/O from isabel's post. It's clear that in some areas it's standard for fences to face (nice side) in and others out. Which is the norm in your neighborhood?

Nice side in (torward owner)
Nice side out (toward neighbors)
I see it both ways here
Special snowflake

[orangeblossom]

Nice side out. If if is facing the other way, you will be asked to fix it.

[isabel]

In our neighborhood (can't speak for the county at large), the nice side faces the owner for our back fences (which back to an alley) and for interior fences. Front fences have the nice side facing the street. BTW, love the poll.

[ijack]

I'm pretty sure we have both (I'm having a hard time picturing one side of our fence. Which is weird because all our houses were built at the same time and the fences were put in buy the builders so I'm not sure what the method to the madness is. Definitely the nice side faces out in the front and the alley but I don't know what they do between yards. Alternate them?
ETA - thanks to google maps I just checked. All the alley fences have the nice side toward the alley. It's random in between yards and in ours we even have a front yard panel that the "bad" side faces out. But again, the builders put them all in.

[Michelle]

SS: fences on the outer perimeter are nice-side out and the responsibility of the HOA. Shared fences between neighbors are those "good neighbor" fences where each section faces a different direction. It's kind of annoying.

ETA pic:

[mdgirl]

Ours is the same on both sides.

[StrawberryBlondie]

The side that looks good faces out.

[josieposy]

Nice side out. The other way is just weird.

[aurora]

May 23, 2016 13:10:41 GMT -5 Michelle said:

SS: fences on the outer perimeter are nice-side out and the responsibility of the HOA. Shared fences between neighbors are those "good neighbor" fences where each section faces a different direction. It's kind of annoying.

ETA pic:

I don't remember seeing this kind before. Interesting!

[FloFTW]

Posts have to be on your property, but fences aren't ever built ON the line. They have to be 2' in.

[FloFTW]

May 23, 2016 13:15:28 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Posts have to be on your property, but fences aren't ever built ON the line. They have to be 2' in.

And the fence company has to pull a permit which includes a survey.

[cmeon]

We have a PVC right now that's "nice" on both sides. Wooden fences require a lot of upkeep in FL, so PVC is pretty popular.

When we do see wooden fences, they do tend to be nice side out. The rails on the "ugly" side are incredibly easy to climb, so if you are concerned with security at all, you'd want them inside. If you have dogs who can climb, you'll want them outside.

HOAs definitely make up their own rules, too, of course- but, in general, nice side out goes.

[meshaliuknits]

May 23, 2016 13:10:41 GMT -5 Michelle said:

SS: fences on the outer perimeter are nice-side out and the responsibility of the HOA. Shared fences between neighbors are those "good neighbor" fences where each section faces a different direction. It's kind of annoying.

ETA pic:

This looks weird.

IDK. I know how my FIL installs his fences. IDK who owns our fences. The norm around here seems to be that the ppl on either side split the cost.

[aurora]

I grew up learning the "nice side out" rule, but all three of our neighbors have fences facing in toward them (i.e., we have three different "ugly" sides around our yard, one for each neighbor). They're actually not particularly ugly and we didn't have to pay for any of them and they keep our dog in our yard so I don't actually care, but I do think it's interesting from a social norms perspective.

[Michelle]

May 23, 2016 13:12:49 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

May 23, 2016 13:10:41 GMT -5 Michelle said:

SS: fences on the outer perimeter are nice-side out and the responsibility of the HOA. Shared fences between neighbors are those "good neighbor" fences where each section faces a different direction. It's kind of annoying.

ETA pic:

that looks like pure shit

I agree. We need to replace ours in about a year. The neighbor that shares our longest stretch of fence is a renter. If we have to pay for the whole fence, I'm putting the nice side facing us. I have heard of neighbors "finishing" the look of these good neighbor fences by putting a double side on their "ugly" side of the fence.

[chedifuen]

We have a good neighbor fence and I like it best because my neighbor gets a pretty side but so do we. We paid for it so I want to see a nice side too.

Ours is a bit different from the picture posted, the boards are more staggered.

[pescalita]

SS - I don't know what "out" is. Our fences are on property lines and shared between neighbors.

[ttt]

The only fences around here look like this: 

[isabel]

May 23, 2016 13:16:04 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

May 23, 2016 13:15:28 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Posts have to be on your property, but fences aren't ever built ON the line. They have to be 2' in.

And the fence company has to pull a permit which includes a survey.

Oh, reallllly? This is interesting. I wasn't sure how that worked. I am definitely going to call the guy who did the repair quote and see what he says about this.

[FloFTW]

May 23, 2016 13:36:12 GMT -5 isabel said:

May 23, 2016 13:16:04 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

And the fence company has to pull a permit which includes a survey.

Oh, reallllly? This is interesting. I wasn't sure how that worked. I am definitely going to call the guy who did the repair quote and see what he says about this.

I'm sure it varies by municipality but it should be fairly easy to look up what is required wherever you are.

[isabel]

May 23, 2016 13:37:02 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

May 23, 2016 13:36:12 GMT -5 isabel said:

Oh, reallllly? This is interesting. I wasn't sure how that worked. I am definitely going to call the guy who did the repair quote and see what he says about this.

I'm sure it varies by municipality but it should be fairly easy to look up what is required wherever you are.

I've had a surprisingly difficult time finding anything on the government websites. I can see where to get permits and surveys, but can't find past surveys and I can't seem to get anyone on the phone.

[SallyJ]

We have shared fences so some sides might face in and some might face out. If nice side faces out/posts on your side, you replace. We got (un)lucky and have all 3 sides facing out, so we are on the hook to replace it all. Something we did not consider when we purchased a corner lot. Boo.

[CloudBee]

Usually the nice side faces out, unless it's up against a wooded area.

Our neighbors put the nice sit facing us (out) years ago when they fenced in their backyard. Then a year or two ago we got home one day and they had taken the time to flip it! Who does that?! The "bad" side had splotchy staining and doesn't look good.

[FloFTW]

May 23, 2016 13:39:09 GMT -5 isabel said:

May 23, 2016 13:37:02 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

I'm sure it varies by municipality but it should be fairly easy to look up what is required wherever you are.

I've had a surprisingly difficult time finding anything on the government websites. I can see where to get permits and surveys, but can't find past surveys and I can't seem to get anyone on the phone.

If an owner did a survey, it wouldn't be recorded online. The only reason it might be online is if the city needed to do an easement through your property at some point. If you want to PM me your municipality and county I can try to help find what is out there. (I'm not being creepy. It's literally my job.   )

[Vespasia]

Ours is both. We have a rowhouse so our yard is long and narrow. I'm pretty sure the posts are on our side of the property line and it is our fence because we're the only home to have this style fence.

The nice side at the end of the yard faces out to the alley. The nice side along the neighbors' yards faces in, I assume so that you didn't have to go into their yard to attach the sides.

Neighbors have chain link fences around their properties. 

[froggy76]

Mine is nice side in. I think that's wrong, but that's how it was when we moved in. We have completely replaced the fence, but we did it in pieces so we kept it facing nice side in. On the other side is mostly trees and a long driveway, so it's not like my neighbors are sitting in their yard staring at the ugly side. I see it both ways in my area.

[starlily]

SS -- we have block wall fences. #alllooksame

ETA: That's for backyards. No one in our neighborhood has a fence for the front yard.

[lolalolalola]

Ours is the same on both sides.

If there is a good and bad side, the good side faces the street. If you share a fence with a neighbour then you alternate. But we always share fences with neighbors (and generally) split the cost here. I only learned on this site that it's a regional thing.

eta- this is what our fence looks like. same on both sides... 

Attachments:

[fernweh]

I have seen both ways in my area but it is much more common to have nice side out.

[scorpio72]

Around here it's whatever you decide to do. We don't have HOAs and as long as it's on your property you can do what you want.

I never knew fences had good/bad sides. Looking at my neighbors it's hard to tell which is which. Both sides look the same (we don't have a fence).