Our neighborhood has a set of covenants that cover everything from basketball hoops to house color. One of the defining things about our subdivision is that there aren’t any chain link or stockade fences. If you want a fence it can be a split rail fence with green coated wire fencing on the inside. There are strict specifications on what kind of wire and how tall and how big the openings can be. Basically it forces you to be neighborly. You see your neighbors grilling on the patio, the kids playing in the yards, and it makes having a dog a challenge. There is a fence in our neighborhood. It is on the property line between the subdivision and a diesel repair shop/shady operation. This fence is rather decrepit. At one time it was painted red but it is mostly just weathered wood now. There are several sections that have been replaced with a different style of fencing so the thing looks rather haphazard. Mostly it is covered by untamed vines, weeds, and poison ivy that grows on the strip of land between us and them. This repair shop has recently changed hands/owners. Whatever questionable activities had been taking place have ceased. There have been positive changes:
1. The ferocious shepherd mix dog is no longer patrolling the grounds. This is a relief for many people as this dog would regularly slip off and terrorize neighborhood children and pets. I’m hopeful that the new owner will forego the “junkyard dog” method to guard the property.
2. The driveway has had a new deposit of gravel spread to fill in the ruts the size of most compact cars. That should reduce the mosquito population too!
3. There is a new chain link fence around the front of the building. They even put tarps on the inside to act as a wind break, to prevent drifting snow, and to provide a touch of privacy.
(these are not photos of the fence but represent the type of fencing used)
As you can imagine, the changes have brought out the curious. This routinely deserted section of the walking path is now teeming with my neighbors. The fence wood is warped and sections are leaning. Poison ivy has filled in many of the spaces between the boards. Everyone still wants to press an eye to the cracks in the fence to get a glimpse at the changes being made. Or they could walk to the end of the path and walk a half block down the street and actually stroll up to the shop. The guys are fairly friendly and would probably be more than happy to show you the upgrades that have been made!
A Different Perspective 
Interesting. No one in my neighborhood has fenced in yards. The only fence we have is around my garden.
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There aren’t many fences in our neighborhood either… I wish we could put one around the garden – maybe we could harvest some snap peas or green beans. The “varmints” eat them before they ever reach a harvest size!
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There are no rules in our town. Blessing of living in a small town. Our dogs are yard trained so we don’t need leashes or chains at home
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If everyone were as good about training their pets and being conscientious about being a good neighbor there would be no need for all the rules. Unfortunately many folks aren’t.
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Yeah we have awful barking dogs in our neighborhood. Ours bark when someone drives by slow or pulls into our yard. The other dogs in the neighborhood bark at a leaf blowing. And one set of dogs barks all night long and has the most annoying bark. You hear those over a t.v. or fan.
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We have one barker behind us. Thankfully it is a little Pomeranian and is kept inside most of the time. But boy howdy! when he is outside he barks at everything (even leaves and I swear air molecules)!
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That’s to bad
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It sounds like a huge improvement! We have fences around our patios — they were originally wooden, but were replaced with plastic.
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It is a welcome upgrade. Now at least it looks like a legitimate business instead of some fly by night place!
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I’m not a fan of subdivisions with restrictive rules. Nearby communities prohibit things like using a clothesline, having your garage door open (other than to move your car in or out), and men mowing the lawn without a shirt on. We moved here to avoid such nonsense. We have two dogs and a 6-foot back yard fence. When we replaced it, we made it 5 feet with a lattice-top through which we can see and talk to our neighbors. It seems people like to see what’s going on without BEING seen, peeking through holes in fences, from behind closed curtains, etc. It’s human nature, I guess. 🙂
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Yep. We have plenty of that – the neighbors next door and across the cul-de-sac are notorious for peeking through the blinds. On the bright side I was informed when a babysitter had her boyfriend over and when the garage door was accidentally left open!
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I hope this will be a great improvement to your neighborhood. It sounds like it could be. Time will tell.
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It has made things better already – at least appearance-wise. I’m hoping the new owners won’t entertain any of the former “clients”…
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That sounds like a very positive move is being made!
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Yes it is a major improvement for the property and that is a big positive for our neighborhood – especially for the property values of the homes bordering the fence!
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Well..at least it’s positive changes. We have close neighbors and none of us have fences…We are friendly as in we wave and speak, but not too friendly. LOL.
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They sometimes say that “fences make good neighbors” but I’m not convinced. We have good neighbors and a friendly neighborhood. It is a highly sought after area to live so houses sell pretty fast (and at a good price).
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One of the best things about a wood fence is that over time, the boards shrink, leaving a small space between each one. Then it’s satisfying to walk quickly down the fence, a little distance away from it, and see the scene beyond the fence through the passing cracks. I know…simple pleasures for simple minds.
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Not so much simple as imaginative. We are of a generation where we learned to rely on an inner creativity for entertainment instead of looking to the smart phone/computer/video game or the TV if we are really slumming it.
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