Originally Uploaded to flickr by takomabibelot
Welcome back to another Ask Nichole! This week is all about setting, upgrading and/or improving boundaries. (For background on what this feature is all about, check out last month’s installment.)
What are the politics of fencing? In other words, I want to put up a fence and I’m curious about how this responsibility, and ensuing costs, are divided between neighbors (if at all).
Good fences make good neighbors. That’s what they say, right? As with most things, that’s a wild over simplification of an issue that causes a lot of homeowners headaches.
Let’s assume you’re already apprised of the DCRA requirements (yes, fences do require permits and no, you can’t build one higher than 7 feet) and the Capitol Hill Restoration Society guidelines (if applicable) The first step here is to discuss it with your neighbor. Hopefully you guys are on the same page and can split the costs and both find fencing that is aesthetically pleasing to both of you and you’ll live happily ever after in bordered bliss. Unfortunately, that’s often easier said than done.
If you can’t get an answer from your neighbor – either because he’s an uncooperative SOB or because she’s a landlady who lives away from DC for most of the time – then you’ve probably got to assume all costs yourself, even if you’re replacing an existing fence.
My advice in a situation where you and your neighbor can’t come to an agreement and split costs is that you never, ever, EVER build on someone else’s property. I’m anecdotally certain that DCRA requires your neighbor to sign off if you intend to build something that touches their property. (The same goes for if you’re planning on removing a shared fence that touches both of your property lines.) If you can’t get this and the existing fence splits the property line, leave it and build your fence just on your side of the property line. If there is no existing fence, build the new fence inside of your property line. It may seem unfair that you have to sacrifice a few inches but building on someone else’s property is a mistake – even if it seems that previous residents did so. If you want the fence and your neighbor is uncooperative (which in and of itself seems like reason enough to want 6′ of wood between you) then you’re going to have to forfeit a few inches around your perimeter.
Please keep the questions coming! It’s embarrassing when I have to harass my friends and beg them to ask me questions! Please send your questions to Nichole at NicholeTheHillisHome@gmail.com. We’re going to keep these posts to one or two questions, but if the volume of inquiries warrants it, I may post Ask Nichole more frequently than once a month.