No More Bad View
I’ve had a little bit of clutter in the back yard pretty much nonstop since I bought the house. Occasionally while I was working there was a lot of clutter. Now I’m down to a small stack of Belgian blocks back behind where I keep the grill and trash cans. Also, the dirt on the neighbor’s yard: previous tenants piled it over their concrete to give their dogs a space to do their business. It had weeds in it bigger than me. I took it upon myself to pull out all the weeds and throw out most of the dirt, which was covered with unmentionables.
All this tidiness made my view harder to put up with than it used to be. Every yard gets a little worse. And the last one? At one point there was a window unit air conditioner sitting on the shelving unit out back, running. There was a duct of some sort made of very thin clear plastic sheeting. It ran up into his back bedroom window and flopped around like a wind sock. Most of his clutter is gone now, but the house is still the shabbiest on the block.
The old plan was to build something that would outlast me. The low concrete block walls on the side, installed sloping with the ground, would be built up to the 6 foot height limit. I’d stucco my side, mount trellises onto them, use the Belgian blocks as coping, and set sturdy trough planters on top to get an extra foot of privacy that’s exempt from zoning restrictions.
Now the plan is different. Leave the not-so-nice block walls and put up the easiest screening I can get. First, did you notice the pipes installed about 5 feet off the ground between all the yards? Those are for clothes lines. I had one, but it was in my way when I was jumping the property line to put ladders up and re-side my house, so I yanked it out. Now back in it went. This involved mixing cement after dark because I was impatient.
And then up went 3 rolls of bamboo fencing. It was super easy; it’s just on with zip ties. I made the gas pipe frame to line up with the wires running through the bamboo at the top and bottom of the fencing and did it in like 20 minutes. So, so, so much better! In other news, my tomato just keeps growing but hasn’t produced any fruit yet.
On the opposite side, the Irishman had already built a fence but it wasn’t much to look at from my side. (You can see it to the left in this picture.)
I covered it over thinking it would make the yard look symmetrical. The block walls aren’t the same height, but it’s close enough.
Now I’m curious: what’s your take on fence etiquette? I just strung this up without asking anybody anything and I thought this was how everyone did it, but apparently there are laws and cultural customs about fences. You’d better believe I’m putting this on the neighbors’ side though.
10 Responses
wow! What a transformation Chad-Really impressive,so depressing and dingy before,so inviting and cheerful after,still I would hope for a park nearby to see trees and nature-hope you have biking or walking distance to the great outdoors.
Very impressive! The bamboo makes for an amazing transformation — I like this a lot. Regarding fence etiquette, my understanding has always been that the “ugly” side of the fence (exhibiting visible structure) should face the owner’s property and the “pretty” side of the fence should face the neighbor’s property. Local laws (and enforcement) will no doubt vary from place to place; best to check if in doubt. Your house just gained another room (even if it’s only seasonal). Great job!
I’ve always thought if my neighbors want the good side they can pay for the fence
What an improvement, Chad! The bamboo fence is great. I have no ideas about laws, but I try to maintain a friendly relationship with my neighbors, and that makes it easier coordinate work that impacts us all.
Well, none of the people who can see the wrong side of the fence seem to care what it looks like. I’d be willing to spend another $50 on more bamboo to wrap the other side of the one where the gas pipes show if they did, and if they’d stop leaving a week’s worth of dog shit bags on the sidewalk and only picking them up on trash night.
Ironically, in my parents’ neighborhood, there’s one problem house when just about all the others are meticulously maintained, and that couple, the one that lined their screen porch with plastic sheeting to use it for storage, put up a chicken wire dog run, and filled the back yard with pickup trucks, got offended when their neighbors started planting hedges. They gave each other tips. “Don’t ask for their approval. Just tell them I’m doing this and they’ll get over it.”
In my area, the person who puts up the fence and pays for it has the best side facing her yard. But the other side shouldn’t look so bad it’s an eyesore. The back of the Irishman’s fence is a good example.
I do like the look of the bamboo. If anyone complains to the zoning board, you could always say it’s not a fence, it’s a bamboo screen. I’d say that considering your inconsiderate neighbors you should not ask for permission but ask for forgiveness. “Oh, I had no idea it would look bad on your side. How about we cover your side with the bamboo also? You can help pay for it and put it up.”
What’s the wire that is draped over the pipes?
It’s string lights hung so we don’t see the wires from our side
If my neighbors put those wires and that power cord on my side of the fence, you can bet I would plug every possible outdoor appliance of mine into it.
My neighbors leave piles of bags of dog poop on the sidewalk
It looks so good!