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We have one around our yard which is good because we have a dog. Growing up we didn't have a fence, no one did (unless there was a pool in the yard) but those were the days where we were sent out in the morning and didn't come home till lunch and then again for dinner.
Yeah. We wave, say hello, and ask them over for a glass of wine. That NEVER happened when we lived behind those cement block walls.
When we lived behind those big walls we would have had what we called "progressive cocktails", where we had a drink and finger foods at each others homes, each house had a time block for hosting. Other places we had seasonal block parties.Worked great, and we still saw each other while out dog walking. My years in Sicily, we stayed behind our walls, made local friends elsewhere. Our neighbors there were far too nosy and demanding, the walls made it tolerable.
I always figured you buy your house and lot, you dont buy your neighbors. Tall walls allow one to be as private as you want, but nothing about those walls stops you from doing things with your neighborhood. It just takes a tad more effort sometimes.
There are different kinds of fencing- in our neighborhood, the fences (about 3/4 are fenced or have a back yard fence) range from 6 ft privacy fences - but typically only a portion of the yard, and others, where the fronts have a fence - are chain link or a combo of nice looking wood and metal grating, that acts as a framework for plants to grow on, and also allows for visibility-
I personally find it more inviting this way...
If we didn't need a fence I'd never put one in. Pricey and upkeep. But we've had dogs and have always needed them. I totally get why some people don't bother though.
For those of you that have children, how do you keep tabs on your kids when they are playing out in the "yard?" They could wander off anywhere.
LOL
If your kids are little they shouldn't be outside without someone, fenced yard or not. If they are older they can understand "stay in our yard", but even if they do wander off to play with the other kids there are no fences so you can see all the kids no matter which yard they happen to be in. It's actually kind of nice to send your kid off to play with little dinkems down the street and stick your head out the back door and see where they both are.
That seems to be true in SoCal. Everyone had a privacy fence since my childhood. When we'd go visit our relatives in MN, I was amazed to see the unfenced huge, rolling lawns extending from one house to another, and so on down the block. I'd never seen that before. It looked terrific, but what about the kids playing, the pets, the nude sun-bathing?
I grew up in no fence land...and as kids we respected the property line. It took our parents a few times to let us know the boundary and it stuck. Our dog also stayed in our yard, too. Neighbors whose dogs didn't stay in the yards were let out in a dog run or on a tether.
Moved here, and we have fences.
I never really thought about it. No real preference. I don't sunbathe, nude or otherwise.
I don't really care about privacy, but since I have dogs and moved a few years ago to a suburban-to-urban area, I've come to appreciate tall backyard fences. My dogs have always been safe, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.
However, with all the expenses associated with owning a rental as a landlord, you can't really expect a landlord to want to have a fence - the maintenance is a PITA. I have very specific things I want in a house, so after a couple of years of renting, I bought a house with everything I wanted.
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal
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For those of you that have children, how do you keep tabs on your kids when they are playing out in the "yard?" They could wander off anywhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DubbleT
LOL
If your kids are little they shouldn't be outside without someone, fenced yard or not. If they are older they can understand "stay in our yard", but even if they do wander off to play with the other kids there are no fences so you can see all the kids no matter which yard they happen to be in. It's actually kind of nice to send your kid off to play with little dinkems down the street and stick your head out the back door and see where they both are.
What she said.
When the kids were small, I would be outside with them teaching them boundaries. When they got older and were able to be outside on their own, they had already learned that they were not allowed to go in other peoples yard.
Most kids that have parents that are hands on teach their kids what the rules are. I think fences really don't lend to teaching kids boundaries. They don't even have to think about it.
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