Many a legal wrangle has arisen over boundary disputes. In all the excitement of buying a piece of property to build a home on, some people unfortunately forget the importance of that old maxim: Good fences make good neighbors.
Fences serve a crucial purpose. In addition to posing a barrier to trespassers and protecting your children while they play in the yard, fences make clear that the property owner is making a public claim to his or her property rights.
For those who live in rural areas, fences also control the movement of livestock. We’ve all heard of the fights in the Old West that occurred between cattle farmers, sheep herders and growers. In modern times things have gotten a bit more sophisticated. With modern technology, surveyors can accurately pinpoint a boundary.
That doesn’t automatically spell polite interactions. In fact, many a grudge has arisen when a person feels as if they have not been treated fairly. So, from a proactive basis, when two neighbors respect social and physical boundaries more often than not peaceable relationships will prevail.
And just because fences are often built to keep others out, does not mean that a fence has to be unsightly. After all, a barbed-wire fence could give your neighbors the wrong impression of you all together. A boundary could be as simple and beautiful as a white picket fence or even a line of trees, shrubs or bamboo – just a little something to put some breathing room between you and your neighbors.
So when those nice folks next door move out and a nightmare-inducing family moves in? You know, the kind of folks that collect mongrel savage dogs that give you a fright every time you go out into your front yard? Trust us, you’ll be happy you built a fence.