Fence orientation

billwebb · Post by **billwebb** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 4:30 pm

My neighbour has queried the way I have erected a feather edge fence along our boundary. He says that although it is my fence and I have paid for it, the pretty side should face his garden and I should have the arris rail side and the brackets on my side. Is this correct?

Mojisola · Post by **Mojisola** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:06 pm

As the purchaser of the fence, you can put it up anyway that suits you.

The only reason for doing it the way neighbour suggests is that someone in future will assume that, as the posts are in the next door's garden, they own the fence.

If you want to leave it as it is, keep all your receipts and make sure any new owners of next door know that the fence is yours.

ukmicky · Post by **ukmicky** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:12 pm

You also by placing it the wrong way round gift your neigbours a small portion of your land in between the posts

arborlad · Post by **arborlad** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:20 pm

The correct way to do it is with the good/secure side towards the neighbour.

When a featheredge fence is erected correctly, the whole of the fence - posts, gravel boards, featheredge, all abut the boundary line and make it secure.

When done incorrectly, only the posts abut the boundary line, leaving the bulk of your boundary unsecured.

It has nothing to do with 'gentlemans agreements' or 'pretty' or 'nice' or 'you paid for it have it any way you like', it is all about effectively securing your land.

For a boundary feature to be effective, two things about it should be self-evident - who owns it - where the boundary is, a correctly erected featheredge fence does this admirably, an incorrectly erected one fails miserably on both counts - and causes confusion.

WILL*REMAIN*STRONG · Post by **WILL*REMAIN*STRONG** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:24 pm

Good side to the neighbour is just an old convention, nothing more. It isn't the law, keep receipts and take photographs. What a shame people have to do this because of how petty some neighbours can be. If they want a pretty fence, let them install their own at their own expence.

despair · Post by **despair** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:15 pm

If the neighbour wants a pretty side too he could have put his hand in his pocket and paid for feather edging on his side too

Arborlad is pretty much the only one who insists such fences should be constructed in the conventional "pretty side towards the neighbour " way

arborlad · Post by **arborlad** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 7:19 pm

despair wrote:If the neighbour wants a pretty side too he could have put his hand in his pocket and paid for feather edging on his side too

Arborlad is pretty much the only one who insists such fences should be constructed in the conventional "pretty side towards the neighbour " way

One thing I can guarantee - you wont find any of my clients on this forum asking questions like - where's my boundary - who owns that fence?

Mojisola · Post by **Mojisola** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 7:33 pm

despair wrote:Arborlad is pretty much the only one who insists such fences should be constructed in the conventional "pretty side towards the neighbour " way

The way Arborlad suggests is best to make sure that there are no arguments over the boundary in future but more people seem to like the other side facing in these days.

Stoday · Post by **Stoday** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 2:33 am

Arborlad is right, not only for the reasons he cites but also because the fence is less easily climable from the "pretty" side.

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