Replacement fence (Southlake: HOA, new home, buy)

[nitlsu]

We have a 48' shared fence (the run of the mill 6' wooden kind) with our neighbor. Recently one section of the fence was damaged by the last thunderstorm here and now my neighbor wants to replace the entire fence. They are wanting a 8 ft, cedar, board-on-board fence with metal posts and the estimate they got was ~$1900 for the 48' shared piece.

I had a couple of questions,

1. Does the cost (~$40/linear foot) seem accurate? I think it's way overpriced because I saw some other threads where the cost was indicated to be in the $20-25 range.

2. I really don't need (or want) such a premium fence. In these tough economic times, I'd rather be more careful about how I spend my money. I am good with a replacement to the original 6' fence and am more than happy to share the costs for the same. In such a scenario, am I obligated to split the cost for whatever fence my neighbor wants? Being a new homeowner, I want to make sure I understand what's the right protocol.

Any thoughts/opinions are appreciated. Thank you.

[Twincam666]

Just tell him you cannot afford it. Either he has to cover the cost himself or get a cheaper fence you can afford to help with................It's not your poblem to meet his requests

[kreeyax]

Is the cost estimate for your share based on 6 ft or 8 ft? In my opinion, you shouldn't have to pay for 8 ft of fencing, only 6 ft as that is the height of the original fence.

Something you could try is to get your own estimate on another run of the mill 6 ft. fence. Then take 1/2 of that estimate and offer to pay that much for the new fence to your neighbor. That way you are paying 1/2 of a comparable replacement to what you had, your neighbor should be responsible for the "premium" costs if that's what they want.

[nitlsu]

Thanks! Yes the $1900 for the 48' shared portion was for the 8' fence. Thanks again for both of your advice...I will offer to split the cost of a 6' replacement fence.

[TX>NM]

We replaced our fence a few years ago with cedar board-on-board, stained, treated, etc. I was (and still am) shocked at the cost: $14,000.00!! Wood is expensive these days, so 48' for $1,900 sounds very reasonable to me.

[loves2read]

first of all--is that 8 ft fence allowed under your HOA covenants or city regulations--
some subdivisions do not allow for fences taller than 6 ft--which is why some people build rock or cement bases to put their fences on

you can't be compelled to contribute to the cost of the fence the neighbor is building/replacing--
if you feel the cost of whatever fence is too much but you want to pay something toward the cost that is great
but if you don't have input into the design choice or the builder--your neighbor should understand why you are not doing this 50/50

[skids929]

I am installing chain link on my property right now so fencing is near and dear to my heart..Like L2R said you might need a variance for taller than 6 ft..Fence guys tend to price things ridiculously high as I have seen from my brothers house in Southlake.. There are ways to reduce costs and still get a nice fence. Usually what drives price for fence installs is labor, and some of that is hidden in the actual cost of the materials. They say labor is charged by the post, but it's buried in the panel cost as well. In your soils there is NO reason for fencing to be so expensive, they use metal posts alot of the time (which have their disadvantages) and the wood I have seen used in panels down there is not usually premium, like a western red cedar.

See if you can find a fence material wholesaler, and buy the materials separate from the labor is one possibility. But before you do that find a guy that will install your materials. You might be able to save some money by putting in a little legwork. Honestly, if I lived in the area I would install it myself, putting a fence in clay is childs play compared to the soils here in New England and the grades are usually flat so installation is easy! Another way you could save, you and your neighbor put it in together, could save you enough to get the 8 foot assuming it's allowed. You could use Ozpost to eliminate some digging as well.

Not that I like it personally, but any reason they don't use Vinyl fencing materials? Would it melt in the sun?