Mrs. (Mis)Adventure: Fence Part Two: Determining fence location

Prior to clearing the property, we had our property surveyed and the boundary lines clearly marked. We also visited our local municipality to check if there were any rules, requirements, or permits required.

In our case, there were no requirements or permits regarding the installation of the fence, but someone had made the comment that they had heard, if we were to put the fence directly on the property line, it would become a shared item between us and the neighbors. The portion of fencing on his/her side of the property would belong to him/her and therefore the person could do what he/she wanted with it. Now, I don't know whether or not this is true, and I am sure "common practice" would vary from area to area, but it never hurts to be informed or to know what some people feel is common practice or commonly accepted in the area.

Her Majesty: The Supervisor

We also talked to our neighbors prior to clearing the property to let them know what our intentions were, inform them that there would be a bit of noise and mess during the construction, and to thank them in advance for their patience while we worked to get the fence installed and the area cleaned.

I know some people do not get along well with their neighbors, but we actually have wonderful neighbors and while the fence's primary purpose is to keep Her Majesty in and most other critters out, The Mister and I often walk to our surrounding neighbors' houses for a chat or to drop off some goodies. We also learned that when one of the neighbors purchased their property, they were told that they owned about three feet into the bushes of what we thought was our yard. When we had the survey performed, we learned that this was not the case, so it pays to verify your property information and confirm the exact location of the property line.

Rough sketch of the property map to determine placement of fence and gates

After the property survey, speaking to the local municipality, informing the neighbors of our intent, and clearing the property, we were ready to determine the location of the fence. To determine fence placement, The Mister and I made several measurements and sketches based on the surveyed information and on the ground measurements. Our sketches helped us determine where the future single and double gates would be located as well as approximately how much material we would need to purchase for the project.

Cutout section of fence to estimate amount of materials needed

Since The Mister and I do not own a truck, we hired a local gentleman to pick up and deliver our wood order of approximately:

52 pieces of 4X 4-10
2 pieces 6X 6-10
96 pieces 1X 4- 8
192 pieces 2X 4- 8

We also ordered 80 bags of 50 pound bags of concrete and 720 pickets from our nearest Home Depot and had them delivered to our home.

Our carport is starting to look like a lumber yard :)

After the property was cleared and the material was shipped, The Mister and I placed stakes along the property line. We ran a string line from one stake to the next to create a straight line. We marked the ground with white paint to indicate where the property line is located.

We then measured about a foot (thirteen inches, actually) to the inside of the property from the property line to avoid any issues as far as who will be taking care of the fence, ownership of the fence, etc. This meant that when the fence is complete, we would need to plan to generally maintain that foot of property between our property line and the neighbors'.