Garden fence, should I? ?

I agree grandad to the extent that too many people do seem to enjoy a good old ‘slag off’ but the OP did try to inject a touch of understanding/humour that not all men are DIY experts with her little aside about spirit levels, so she cannot be held to blame for the unkindness of others.

We've deleted this post because we don't feel it is very kind towards another poster and not in keeping with the spirit of Gransnet.

Perhaps it’s his fence?

Blimey Grandad someone got out of bed the wrong side this morning!!

We had new concrete posts installed when our fence was damaged by high winds ..it has done the job well & cheaper than total replacement ..but really depends on extent of damage to the restof the fence. You could raise the issue by asking for neighbourly advice: e.g. ' We had a quote to replace fence but v expensive. Do you think replacing just posts would work as we might afford that, it must be annoying for you to have it leaning'

4.5 fence panels with concrete at base £2000 2 years ago. Kent.
Yes I do think we were robbed.

My thoughts are, the fence is your responsibility, up to you to repair/replace. Surely Mr Neighbour has his own fence/s to upkeep?
There is no harm in asking though “brass” and “neck” spring to mind.

If the fence is part of the OPs property then it is her and her husband's obligation to repair or rebuild the structure so as to make it secure and not obstruct any part of the neighbour's garden.

If the neighbours are aware of the highly disparaging way they have been spoken of in this thread then it is probably very unlikely they would wish to contribute anything towards the repair or rebuild anyway

Surely the best strategy in such situations is to approach the neighbour in a quiet manner and discuss it with them. That would be far better than slagging off them and his previous working efforts on the fence openly on an open forum such as this. ??

If the fence is yours, then it’s really up to you to sort it. When we moved in to our present home, the fence between us and elderly widow next door was very rickety, it was hers, but she didn’t own the property, it was step daughter’s, she was just allowed to live there for her lifetime.
She said she wasn’t doing anything about the fence, but we could replace it if we wanted, which we did.
Yes, it benefits both sides to have a decent fence, but if he doesn’t want to contribute, up to him.
You can always ask though, he might share the cost.

Same thing happens with our fences *luckygirl/, you’re right, it definitely works. Living in a managed development fences are fixed for us, the very capable man who does them uses mini concrete posts and bolts those to the existing fence posts. Might be worth a thought phoenix?

The fence for which my neighbour has responsibility got wobbly and out of kilter in one of the storms earlier this year. Neighbour dealt with it by putting in additional short posts at each upright and nailing the two together. It was a quick cheap job, but is now solid as a rock.

If the wood is in good condition but just not level and leaning over it can be salvaged and re-positioned.

Good fences make good neighbours!

I’m sure you will find a way to put it to them.

Why not go on eBay and price up feather edged board panels and some local labour if Mr P doesn't fancy doing it himself?

You might be able to considerably reduce the cost.

Who does the fence belong to? If it is your neighbour's then I don't think you would be allowed to do anything to it without consulting him first and getting his permission. If the fence is yours then could it be repaired? Making it more robust and level with perhaps a coat of preservative might do the trick at a much cheaper price.

It’s always worth asking....
The best approach I think would be along the lines of ‘ we’re thinking of getting all new fencing done, had a quote of blah blah, would you fancy chipping in as it’s too much money for us to get it done at the moment’ kind of thing, keep it informal.The likely outcome is that he won’t, but you never know.The price seems fair to me btw.

Thanks to all who posted, your input is appreciated .

Many years ago, when with ex dh, we started replacing the fence between us and next door. They were so chuffed that they paid for some of the panels!

I think (for once) I will leave it to Mr P to catch Mr Neighbour when he's outside "tinkering" (neighbour, not Mr P, he's not one prone to tinkering) and see if we can plant the seed, so to speak!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, don't ask, don't get etc!

"I really" wouldn't want to spend.....
Not sure who Judy is, but she's got no money either.

OK it's your fence but unfortunately it's now leaning his way! I think that if you asked if he'd like to contribute towards the cost of a new fence, he might be a bit put out (and I bet the person who instructs him which trousers to wear would not be very keen on that plan either).

Any offer would really need to come from him, I think. I wouldn't mention money. However, it might be a good time, since you've been doing lots of work in your garden (I seem to recall), for you to have a nice friendly chat over the leaning fencing and tell him that you have lovely shrubs etc., planned for planting close to the boundary and you'd really like to sort out your leaning fence before you press on with your landscaping. Is there any chance he could give you a hand to get it right? Blasted gales etc., He may be totally o.k. with that, or at least understand that it'll be difficult for you to sort it out on your own. And that's very different from asking him to put his hand on his cheque book!

He might just surprise you and come out with a suggestion of sharing the cost of a new one - but I'd think that's very unlikely as it's not his responsibility and it would need to be his own suggestion so he doesn't feel put out by your asking for ££s.

If you say nothing about it, though, it's only going to get worse and it is your fence, so legally - unless he cares about the boundary - he could just wait for you to decide one day to replace it.

If it were me, I honestly wouldn't spend the money, unless it's rotten. I'd prefer to spend a bit of time sorting it out and save any spare money for plants - far more entertaining. I don't think that the quote for a replacement fence is really excessive, but I Judy wouldn't want to spend a lump of money like that - if there was any way around it.
I'd hope he'd help you fix it. If he does, don't be shy with the spirit level.....

Don't forget to let us know what he says.

Sorry, included removing all old panels and debris.

Gosh I d want gold plated fence for that price I had 3 panels 4 posts and a 6 ft gate for £250 a couple of years ago

Just had ours done, 8’ panels x 10, concrete post and Harris rail, £1,500. Hampshire. They are joint owned, but neighbour to right already did theirs, at their cost, left had neighbour replaced about 6 years ago, at their cost, but cheap, bottom is neighbours drive. Just done properly for peace of mind.

From the description he will not give you a fiver and unfortunately by law does not have to give a penny.

phoenix if it’s your fence he won’t be required to contribute. That will only happen if it’s a shared boundary. Often neighbours can come to some agreement so it might be worth asking whether or not they’re prepared to make a contribution.

I've just ordered a new side fence costing £2,000 for approx 40ft but it is made of Steel and should last my lifetime.
I doubt your neighbour will be happy to pay towards the fence as he possibly is proud of the job he has done repairing it even if it looks awful.