Fence Company? (Knoxville, Loudon: hoa, travel, job)

[SmokyMtnGal]

Originally Posted by goodbyehollywood

I would love a PVC fence. Unfortunately, my HOA mandates all wood-- wood fences, wood arbor, wood deck, wood windows, wood everything. And it's all painted. So you can see my maintenance problem.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I bet the termite protection companies love your HOA! I think I might move. Just Kidding. Kinda.

[goodbyehollywood]

Termites!

I'm still worrying about wood rot!

Moving would sound pretty good, if I hadn't just toted 13,000 pounds of stuff that I really don't need cross-country.

I don't suppose anybody would like to buy a furnished house with a new wood fence and a termite contract?

[mjb62676]

Much like I'd never heard of HOA's outlawing outbuildings that match the house (like mine does), I've never heard of them outlawing vinyl fences (or iron for that matter), just chain link.

I swear if I hear "you from around here" one more time from Jim at Southland, I'm gonna scream.

[SmokyMtnGal]

Here's the non-wood fences.....

[Whataride]

Originally Posted by mjb62676

Much like I'd never heard of HOA's outlawing outbuildings that match the house (like mine does), I've never heard of them outlawing vinyl fences (or iron for that matter), just chain link.

I swear if I hear "you from around here" one more time from Jim at Southland, I'm gonna scream.

It could always be worse - our HOA only allows iron or aluminum and we only have a choice of 3 styles. HOAs bite....sometimes

[mjb62676]

Originally Posted by Whataride

It could always be worse - our HOA only allows iron or aluminum and we only have a choice of 3 styles. HOAs bite....sometimes

Sometimes I feel like I live on the set of "The Stepford Wives".

[goodbyehollywood]

I know what you mean. I hate to admit it, but I own a piece of property in a neighborhood that makes you pay an Architectural Review Board (i.e., your neighbors) $250 to approve (or disapprove) anything structural-- a fence, an arbor, etc. I will never build in there, because now I see what a huge, colossal pain it is having to play "Mother May I?" every time you want to improve your property. Restrictions can be a good thing, within reason, but I've never seen such power tripping. OK, I have, but it's more palatable coming from a movie star who wants more lines than from a chubby dentist wielding a yardstick and color wheel.

[gemkeeper]

I agree with your assessment of the HOA's providing a big-time power trip for some of them. It truly does depend on the make-up of the people on the board as to what is acceptable or unacceptable. I can see the over-weight dentist now. He is out back mowing his yard!

The vinyl fences like the pic that SMG included are indistinguishable from the street from the wood ones. With the exception that they will not appear rotting within 5 years! The wrought iron look vinyl fences that I have seen are wonderful looking.

I hope that your new fence turns out as great as you are hoping, GBH. Weren't you talking about putting in an arbor, also?

[goodbyehollywood]

Yep, I wanted an arbor, but that will be next year's project. My eyes are bigger than my pocketbook as my grandmother used to say. Everything costs so much these days.

Here's the real kicker: almost everything to do with home repair costs more in TN than in CA. A lot more, for the exact same work! Here's the double kicker: TN service providers borrow just as heavily from the Mexican labor force, pay them just as poorly and charge the homeowner more. So guess who's pocketing the difference. Today, my gardener dumped off a young Mexican boy who didn't speak a word of English. OK, he spoke two words: "No English." I asked him how much he was getting paid an hour and he said $50/day. And he'd been working ten hours! Yet my lawn care costs twice as much as in CA, adjusting apples to apples. I gave the kid a $10 tip-- he worked hard and I felt so bad for him. The gap between what you make and what you can buy with it is getting so out of whack.

And, yes, I like the vinyl, too. But yikes-- it's expensive! Worth it, I'm sure, in the long run.

[gemkeeper]

Funny, GBH, we had the same expression, "My eyes are bigger than my purse"! And, they more often than not, are.

Well, next year maybe this year's fence company will give you a great bid on an arbor. I'll cross my climbing vines for you!

It is true that the labor costs are so out of whack. My son in Texas pays his housekeeper half of what she would get in GA, and she travels across the border - on foot - to take a bus to his house! When we are visiting my son and his family, DH and I always make sure that Lily gets a nice fat tip!!

How do we balance out the inequity across the board? Doesn't happen.