Their dogs were frenemies. But Andrea Becker and her neighbor got along, so when she fenced in her yard for her pup, Becker added a good neighbor gate in between their properties.
Becker, a Seattle landscape designer, made sure the fence was tall enough to contain her dog, but didn’t make her yard feel hemmed in. With her clients, their top fencing requests are privacy, containment and screening. Becker encourages them to also think about how the fence interacts with the yard. Cattle Pen Gates
“You have to consider, do I need a 6-foot-tall fence across the whole thing?” says Becker, principal and founder of Studio AB in Seattle. “You have to be mindful it’s not too fortresslike. That could feel really weird on the inside.”
A fully fenced yard keeps who you want in (pets and kids) and who you don’t want out (predator animals and porch pirates). The fence can reduce noise along a busy street and create a personal sanctuary. A fence can define a property line. It can be a design element, as a backdrop for a garden vignette or a place to train vines.
Building a fence, however, can also dredge up neighbor conflict.
“Fences can really be a problem,” says Robert Winters, founder of Chadwick & Winters Land Surveying in Seattle. “They always say, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’ But sometimes fences create an issue over minuscule amounts of property.”
Whether you’re thinking about installing a new fence or you need to replace a saggy old one, here’s what you need to consider:
• Do I need a permit? Generally, no. You do not need a permit if your fence is 6 feet tall or less. You’re allowed to add another 2 feet of architectural detail, for a total of 8 feet. You could put a pretty trellis on top with vines; Becker recommends clematis, jasmine and passionflower.
• Do I need a survey to determine my property line? A surveyor takes measurements to identify and mark your property line. You aren’t required to do a survey before building a fence. Typically, fences get replaced and put back in the exact same spot. But if there is any doubt whatsoever about the property line, get the survey.
“Anyone who’s contemplating building a fence should have their property identified by a licensed surveyor,” Winters says, “because to not do that, the placement of their fence is just a guess on their part.
“Even though it might be within 6 inches of the property line, even that amount could cause problems eventually. It could create a dispute with a neighbor that could have been avoided if the property had been surveyed before the fence was erected.”
In the Seattle area, budget $1,000 to survey a property line for a fence.
“It’s pretty cheap insurance,” Winters says. “To discover later that everything is in the wrong location can be a horrifying discovery and end up costing more than a survey in the first place.”
Winters, a professional surveyor for more than 40 years, has seen the whole range of neighbor clashes in his career. One project, he remembers, involved a joint survey between four property owners, where he discovered a fence built 7 feet into a neighbor’s property. None of the properties, of course, had ever been surveyed before they built that fence.
“What I always advise people to do is try to remove emotion from the equation and treat it like a math problem,” Winters says. “The reason I say that is, if you get involved in litigation with your neighbor, it’s going to cost you a lot of money. Way more than the fence.”
If you and your neighbor agree to split the cost, center the fence down the property line. If you’re paying for the fence yourself, keep all the fence material on your side.
But, what if one homeowner wants to replace a decaying old fence, but the neighbors can’t or won’t pay for half? Or one homeowner wants a three-sided fence for a consistent look, but the neighbors have an existing fence they don’t want to replace?
Maybe a homeowner is just tired of looking at the chain link fence next door.
“That’s usually where the disputes start,” says Brandon Andrews, owner and builder at Veterans Fencing Company in Edmonds. “I’ll build a fence that is 6 inches from an existing fence. There’s just two fences right next to each other. At the end of the day, the client gets what the client wants.”
Becker tries to avoid back-to-back fences at all costs. It isn’t a great look, and the gap in between collects debris.
She prefers to create a barrier with plantings, like a hedge, or evergreens that don’t take up too much space. Or a combination of flowering shrubs and evergreens. A good option for a narrow corridor is an espalier, a plant trained to grow flat along a fence.
“Oftentimes, we’re hiding really ugly fences,” Becker says. “Let’s plant in front of it. Really, my solution is to hide a lot with plants.”
The price of your fence will depend on the material, style and linear footage.
Chain link is often the least expensive option. Andrews estimates $20-$25 per linear foot for a galvanized chain link fence. Black chain link, which is thicker and has a coating, runs in the $30-$35 range.
Chain link is a highly functional barrier that keeps dogs in and other animals out. The best part? “It’s going to last pretty much forever,” Andrews says. “That’s the beauty of it. Zero maintenance.”
Becker worked with a client in Shoreline whose yard backed into a greenbelt on a steep slope. The chain link was powdercoated black, so it receded, and the homeowner didn’t have to worry about debris piling up against the fence. “It almost acts as a guardrail,” Becker says. “Sometimes that’s the best option, to do the chain link.”
The most popular material for a residential fence is cedar. “It’s a native tree in the Northwest,” says Rick Koch, owner of All City Fence in Federal Way. “So, it’s predominant and it will last a long time with our weather.”
Costs vary, depending on the style you choose. Some sample price points from All City Fence:
How long your fence lasts will depend on a lot of factors, including how it was built, how exposed it is to the weather and if you’ve let debris pile up along the base.
“Realistically, 15 to 20 years” is a fence’s life expectancy, Koch says. “If you take care of it and maintain it, you’ll add some more years to it.”
The structural integrity of the fence comes from the posts; Andrews estimates that 80% of fences fall over because of a post rotted at the base. Standing water, mud or debris will shorten your fence’s life span, while thicker posts can add years.
“In the Northwest, we love wood fences,” Andrews says. “The rain ultimately decays them. The industry is cyclic. In 20 or 30 years, they’re going to fall over.”
Cedar will rot faster if it’s touching the ground. If you need the fence to extend to the ground, Becker suggests closing the gap with galvanized cattle panels or a pressure-treated piece of wood, or use plantings as cover.
“The biggest problem is when they let the soil pile up on the bottom,” Becker says. “I tell people, make sure you don’t let the wood come in contact with the soil, so it’ll last longer.”
As for staining, the jury’s still out.
Koch recommends staining the fence with a water-based stain or decking stain. “Any kind of protectant on that raw wood will add another five-plus years onto the life of that fence,” he says.
Becker, however, steers her clients away from staining if they’re looking for low maintenance. She prefers to let a wood fence gray out, or do a one-time coat of Valhalla wood preservative.
“I have never stained any of my fences,” Becker says. “I would not recommend it for someone who doesn’t want to redo it every five years or so.”
When you’re choosing your fence style, Becker suggests playing off the architecture of your house.
If you live in a Craftsman, use a vertical picket for a classical look. Alternating the sizes of wood can make a fence look more custom.
Horizontal slatted fences lend themselves more to a modern look. They’re popular with remodeled homes and boxy new construction.
A newer trend is a cedar frame fence with hog wire grids. It’s transparent, so your home feels more welcoming, and you can train vines on it. Plus, it’s cheaper than a solid wood fence.
At the end of the day, unless your fence is a jaw-dropping work of art, you don’t want it to be the focus of your home’s facade. Some people choose a dark stain or paint, so their fence blends in more. Plantings in front of the fence, instead of placing the fence right against the sidewalk, also help the fence integrate.
13mm Galvanised Mesh “It’s kind of sad when you see this ugly fence in front of a house,” Becker says.