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Go to Phoenix AZ. Brick walls around nearly every backyard. Took us awhile to get used to not having one - and now we have to walk the dog instead of the doggie door. Frankly, I'm good with no fence at all.
In the southwest it is common to have 4-6 high feet cinderblock walls, often covered with stucco, enclosing the backyard. Some with adobe style homes will even enclose part of their front yard and front porch to make a private patio. I remember a friend's mother visiting from Michigan commented that all those walls seemed "very unfriendly" and not "neighborly."
My philosophy is "good fences make good neighbors." Also how do you keep your pets from going on other people's property to do their business if there are no fences? Electric fences?
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 too grew up in MN, and that is the norm. But it comes with problems also, as you noted.
I rented a rural home in Maryland, and was threatened with a lawsuit by the mother of a teenage boy that was using my backyard as a shortcut, and was bitten by my dog when the kid kicked her for barking at him when he came in my backyard. The dog stayed in the yard because I installed an "invisible fence", but that didnt keep the kid out.
I was able to avoid the lawsuit only because I had a good CCTV system that covered my backyard.
Here, where the population peeked in the 50s/60s, most of the housing stock is from that time and they typically have chain link fences. Sometimes you will find where someone installed a newer privacy fence, but not often.
Newer neighborhoods will either have a privacy fence or no fence at all.
Due to my careers, I have lived in Europe, Africa and the middle east in varied places, often with 7'-10' walls, not fences.
I loved it.
Many of us value privacy quite highly, and even more so if you do not win the "neighbor lottery" in areas that homes are very near each other.
I'm not insecure, I'm private.
Yes!! It's not just about security. It's about privacy. What if you want to throw some steaks on the BBQ or just relax on a lounge chair out back. Must you share this with all your neighbors?
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.
In the southwest it is common to have 4-6 high feet cinderblock walls, often covered with stucco, enclosing the backyard. Some with adobe style homes will even enclose part of their front yard and front porch to make a private patio. I remember a friend's mother visiting from Michigan commented that all those walls seemed "very unfriendly" and not "neighborly."
My philosophy is "good fences make good neighbors." Also how do you keep your pets from going on other people's property to do their business if there are no fences? Electric fences?
I must admit that in some ways I agree with your friend's mother. \ the walls made it difficult to meet neighbors. Since we've moved to an area with no fences (or the HOA required metal fences 3.5 feet tall), we've had a much better relationship and friendship with our neighbors. Of course, now that we walk the dog instead of using a doggie door, that helps.
We keep our pets fron going on other property with a leash. Electric fences may keep SOME dogs in, but the won't keep any other dog or critter out. I called them useless fences.
Yes!! It's not just about security. It's about privacy. What if you want to throw some steaks on the BBQ or just relax on a lounge chair out back. Must you share this with all your neighbors?
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.
I will admit, I liked it better when we had walls for our hot tub. Now it's in our screened in patio and during the day, we have to wear bathing suits.
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