Are Fences a Necessity?

[etwahl]

We will be in our current house for probably three more years. We live in a neighborhood that doesn't really "do" fences. It's a golf course neighborhood that encourages no fences, however they do allow them.

We just got a quote to have a fence done. Now we have to decide - should we do it? Lauren LOVES crawling on the grass and I know once she starts walking on her own, she is going to be all over the place. Our thoughts are that a fence would be pretty critical, no? That way we can all go into the yard and she can play without me having to watch her every single second.

I just pretty much wanted opinions that a fence was a necessity. Only because in a neighborhood like this where fences aren't the norm, it can be a deterrent for someone buying the house down the road, plus it adds absolutely no value for selling. But we're just looking at it as safety and more fun, especially if we have people over for bbq's and the kids can play in the yard without fear of one of them running out of the yard. The neighborhood isn't really busy with cars or anything (actually REALLY quiet) but it just takes one car, right?

i guess i just wanted help thinking this through before we spend the money.

ETA: the fence can only be four feet high. but I'm assuming that's high enough for toddler/child safety?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Tammy,
Usually if you are in a golf course community they will allow a fence on a non golf course lot...so you should be fine. They just have the stipulations on many of the golf course lots.

I don't know what to say regarding the fence since I really don't know but wanted to put your mind at ease that I am 100% certain that they would approve it.
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[AngelaS]

We put in a white vinyl fence ourselves several years ago and we love it! So do the girls!

I remember waaaay back in college about a study that was done. They let a bunch of daycare kids out the door from daycare into a big open field. The majority of the kids hung close to the buildings and the teachers. Then they fenced in the field and now that the kids had a boundary, they played in the entire field, all the way to the fence.

This is TOTALLY how my girls reacted to the backyard being fenced! Before we fenced it, only the neighbor kids would play in it. LOL Now they both explore the whole lot and spend hours in their territory. :D I also feel much safer knowing that the little one is not free to make a dash for the street in the one moment my back is turned....

[C99]

We have a fence in our backyard, but I don't think I will let Nate play out there unsupervised until he is 4 or 5 anyway. We don't have a fence in our front yard and Nate is pretty good about keeping within the confines of the sidewalks.

It sounds like you want a fence, so it shouldn't really matter what anyone else here thinks. I'd ask your neighbors first because it sounds like they'd be the ones who would really mind. When I was growing up, I know that my parents had to get permission from our next-door neighbors before they could put in a fence on that side.

[Tondi G]

I would put a fence but that is me... maybe cause I live in LA and all the yards are fenced?!?! You will have peace of mind when you are BBQing and there are a couple of families over.... say you need to run back in the house to get the napkins and DH is behind the grill.... with a fence Lauren or any other child can play without you feeling like you need to be right on top of them ALL the time!!!!!

I say go for it... a 4 foot fence should be fine!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01

[Chelsey333]

I LOVE my fence! It really is terrific. But I have 2 little dogs also, so it makes it nice that everyone can be in the backyard playing. We just put our fence up last summer, but it wasn't ready until Sept. bec dh did it himself. But last summer, my ds was about 15 mos. old and all he wanted to do was run into the front yard, and try to go near the street. Once the fence was up, it was paradise! I don't think it is a necessity, but it really is a lot more relaxing. If you do have a barbeque, it is nice to not have to have your eyes on your little one for every second. Good luck with your decision. Btw, my fence is only about 4 feet also.

[momma_boo]

I don't think a fence is a necessity. It's something that if you have it, you like having it as a convenience. We decided to put up a fence for our dog, but I have to say it's been a nice thing to have with the baby. Our driveway is quite long and goes the length of the house, so the fence goes around the backyard and then the gate is across the driveway (so about half of the driveway is behind the fence).

I pull out my car, so then she has a big area to play with in addition to the grassy area. I can sit there and watch her play and not worry that she'll go down the driveway to the street or chase a ball into the street.

A 4 feet fence would be fine. We ended up with a 6 feet fence b/c of the dog and honestly, it's a little too high.

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

For looks even on non course lots our neighborhood requries a "courty yard" look to your fence, yours might and might not, but even it does not I wanted to explain it for you might prefer it and atleast know of some options out there (I never would have thought of such a thing).

It requires that you do not put a fence up on the line of your property, you have to be 5 feet or 10 feet off of the line, and our rules on non golf course lots also require that you add some planting around your fence, THE OUTSIDE of the fence.

My favorite fence in the neighborhood is done like that and from about 15 feet of the corners up and down the side of the corner they have a nice shapped bed with shrubs. So if your neighbors are an issue that is a nice "gift" to their eyes...
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[etwahl]

ours allows fences from the side of the house back to the property line (so it can't be wider than the house).

i do hate paying the money for just 3 years, especially when selling, someone might not want the fence and may be a deterrent for them buying.

i don't ever plan to leave her unsupervised (e.g. if she's outside i'm outside) but just like one poster said, if i need to run in the house for a minute, i don't have to take her with me. if i tried to take her with me, she'd probably cry!!!

so i can see the benefits, but i'm being cheap!! i think we'll probably end up doing it.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[Momof3Labs]

We don't have a fence but are putting one in this summer - I can't WAIT!! As it is right now, I can't turn my back on Colin for a moment (like to pull a weed, throw a ball for the dog, etc.) without worrying about where he went (like the STREET) - a fence will do away with that worry, at least!

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I think with the layout of your property you will be happy with a fence, and that it will benefit in resale!!!!

I forgot if it was in picture or when Steve and I drove out that day, but I'm imagining one and htink it will look great. T is so active now that I really wish I could have one (in a way)...I think if I do my brick courtyard off the right side of the house it will serve as a barrier atleast.
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[etwahl]

i just found out that not only can it not extend past the side of our house, it can only go back 50% into our back lot. so if the lot is 100 ft from the back of the house to the lot line, the fence could only go back 50 ft :(

that REALLY cuts into our fenced area :(

is it still worth it?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

UGHHHH that's a hard one Tammy. My friends have a nice sized yard (considering most of our lots are .4 -.6 acres and they have a fence that leaves much of their yard not fenced (no children just dogs), actually this is the couple you met at the coffee mill in your town with me....theirs looks good, and she is a HUGE gardener so she enjoys walking the peremiter of her home to see what she has "safe" from the dogs.

I am wondering if you built a brick courtyard like I am planning to do if that might help you. We are taking the right side of our house right when you pull up in the driveway that space infront of you and doing a nice masonary wall there, it will have gothic shaped "cut outs" where I am going to hire a guy to make me wrought iron gothic shapes "gates/hardware" to put in those spots. It will have a door to go from the front of the house to the back. Now it's not a gate but it is a barrier for T not to run in the front of the yard...we will extend it down the side of our property (5-10 feet from the property line) and back so that it is 50 feet from the course (our rules say we can't obstruct the 50 feet)...
Since you've been to my home you can probably imagine this more than others but the left side of our home (where I wanted that play area) is not really a hang out so he wouldn't be drawn to that area (I don't think)....

Again not a fence...but a slight barrier...and an attractive one at that. Now I have to remember that I have some huge garden beds skirting the back of my property that butts up against the course and that barrier of two feet actually serves as a barrier too...if I didn't have that he could (and does walk around them) to toddle on the course, but that is pretty safe....

Maybe Leland Cypress your back to block the back of the yard...
I love landscape design I'd love to take a look at it and offer some ideas...I forgot if your home is brick, I think it had some so you'd want to make certain the brick matches your home and that you can locate what the "color" is...
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties