Picture this scenario. You’ve just bought a beautiful new home. You love everything about it…except the old fence.
It’s sagging. It’s only predominant color is “mold.” Here and there, planks of the fence have ripped away, and are either tilting at a crazy angle or just missing altogether.
Your first big project is going to be to tear down that fence and put up a new one.
You tear the old fence down, or your trusted fence contractor does. So far, so good.
And then? You build the new one, or have your trusted fence contractor build the new one, right where the old one was.
And suddenly, you are blindsided by a world of trouble.
The fence is on your neighbor’s property.
The players in this scenario each made one very big, very common, very vital mistake. They assumed the old fence was built either on the property line, or on the correct side of the property line.
Often, this is not the case. We’ve seen countless cases of old fences built where they weren’t supposed to be.
If you’re lucky, your neighbor won’t know, notice, or care. The fence is going up right where the old fence was, and the neighbor doesn’t give it a second thought.
But you could be unlucky. The neighbor could care very much indeed, even though they obviously did not fight the old fence in a successful way.
The neighbor may not have been there when the first fence was built. He or she may have moved in recently, and may be well aware that the old eyesore was on the wrong side of the property line.
It’s possible the neighbor has been angry about that fence for a long time, and your decision to try to build a fence on his property is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Now he’s hopping mad, and ready to fight.
Never, ever assume.
Before you build a fence you should always, always, always talk to your neighbor first. Find out where the property line is. Research it. Get the permits. Get every i dotted and every t crossed.
A reputable fence contractor won’t even work with you unless you’re going to do these things. We’ll generally help our customers do them, but we do insist that they get done.
Otherwise, you could end up sued. You could end up having to tear down your beautiful fence while eating the costs of putting it up in the first place. You might have to pay the neighbor damages, too.
Nine times out of ten, a neighbor that is given the courtesy of a conversation never makes a peep. For the most part, a neighbor is happy to have the fence there, because it enhances his own life.
But if you don’t offer this courtesy to your neighbor you are risking turning that neighbor into a barking mad wolverine intent on taking you and your fence DOWN.
Just don’t go there.
If you’re ready to build your new fence (on the correct side of the property line) and you live in Shorewood, Wauwatosa or anywhere else in the Milwaukee metro area, call us. We’ll be happy to give you a free estimate.
