Why no fences between American houses?

Strangers walking into our backyard is sometimes how those parties start. Small town though, so a 'stranger' is generally just a friend of a friend.

So if a neighbour just took a walk from backyard to backyard down the street, thats pretty normal?

originally posted by: Hushabye
We don't have a fence, and I loathe it.

If I can ever afford my own home, I'll be erecting the tallest, fattest, heaviest...most glorious wall a neighborhood has ever seen (the outside of). Mmmmm locking iron gates that reach the sky.

ahgawdgetmeoutofhereplease.

So do you never go outside to your backyard at all?

originally posted by: croatianguy
a reply to: Nyiah

Sorry, dont know how it works. But Im just saying if a neighbour was planning to get a fence but his neighbour ended up getting one installed anyway before him, would he be grateful then he wouldnt have to worry about paying to get a fence anymore?

I highly doubt it. Like I said, if you want a fence, you pay for it. No one who wants a fence is going to say "Oh, Joe-Jack next door put one up, now I don't have to!" People put them up here for 2 reasons -- keeping animals in or out, and privacy. Just because both neighbors to the right & left of me and the one behind me have fencing doesn't mean I'm not going to invest in my own. I've been trying to get a small garden growing, but rabbits have decimated it. If we owned our rental, I'd expand the garden size and would be putting in a deeply buried fence around the entire back yard to deter the damned burrowing critters as best possible. Not because I'm anti-social & hate or distrust my neighbors.

a reply to: Nyiah

ah okay, so you would still consider getting a fence of your own regardless.
I see you mentioned privacy. This is what I dont understand, even if you do get along with your neighbours why wouldnt everybody still get a fence for their own privacy? I mean there must be times when fenceless neighbours must really want a little quite private time in their own backyard without not having to worry about anybody watching?

Wow, I guess it depends upon what part of America you are from!
I am from California and have never seen a house there without fences around it's yard.
Never.
Unimaginable.

Though I once had a french person ask me exactly this question, and saying he saw this on American TV shows and movies.
With a bit more questioning for clarification, I realized he was referring to front yards, not realizing that there is most often a fence which encloses the back yard and separates it from the front yard.
Here, house are more often set in the middle of the land parcel, with a fence or wall which encloses all around the boundry (no front-back separation).


Though I am sure it is different in the country, like where I am now. Houses are far away from each other, we all have a lot of land, and fences are only used to enclose livestock.

I have quite a bit of fencing. But then, I keep animals too.

Between the road and our main pasture, is an 8' high fence.
Between us and the neighbor to the right is a 6' privacy fence. (it's about 400' from the house to this neighbor)
Between us and the neighbor to the left, is a 5' high fence, but also a line of bushes and trees for privacy. (it's about 100' from the house to this neighbor)
Between us and the neighbor in front, is a 4' high fence (no privacy fence here yet, but in the plan, and we know our neighbor here pretty well).
To the rear of the property, is a 5' high fence, but also a line of bushes and trees (but it's also to a huge field, so nobody back there).

We then have 4' high fencing all over the property to split up the pastures and frame in the stables, and for a large area (about the size of a normal house lot) for the dogs to roam free.

The perimeter pasture fencing is also electrified (keeps the horses away from the fence).

Anyone getting to the house from most angles typically has at least 2 fences to get over. Makes for a pretty slow getaway over nice open areas, ensuring I'll get a nice shot.

Just because both neighbors to the right & left of me and the one behind me have fencing doesn't mean I'm not going to invest in my own

Fences work both ways. If one of my neighbors put up fencing, I'd be grateful I didn't have to pay for it. As it is though, all the fencing is on my end. So mine to maintain or change.

Australia used all the fencing material to build those rabbit proof fences. There's none left.

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

Thats over a 100 year old fence you are talking about, the longest in the world, and it still exists an they are planning to upgrade it.
www.australiangeographic.com.au...

Australia - the continent where squids the size of small goldfish, spiders beyond count, snakes, and even snails all can kill you in seconds- undone by some idiot and a pair of bunnies.

Life is awesome in it's irony sometimes.

a reply to: zazzafrazz

I know. We're still behind on production.

originally posted by: croatianguy

Strangers walking into our backyard is sometimes how those parties start. Small town though, so a 'stranger' is generally just a friend of a friend.

So if a neighbour just took a walk from backyard to backyard down the street, thats pretty normal?

I'd say that's what sidewalks are for, but only like half this town has those. Most people just walk down the streets or alleys since there's very little traffic and the sidewalks are all privately built, not public property. Walking through backyards wouldn't be normal, but stopping to talk to a 'stranger' would.

In the case of our next-door neighbors (we're on the corner, so only one) some of their friends might end up walking through our yard because our property is in an L-shape half surrounding theirs. The back lot (bottom of the L, behind the garages) we treat as public property basically. They help mow the grass, use our burn barrel (for yard waste), keep a shed and cargo trailer back there and even hang out at the pond sometimes. Their 2 little dogs end up in our yard sometimes too, but our cat's the only one that minds that...

I never really gave much thought to our situation here until this thread. After reading some of the other posts, I have to say, I feel pretty lucky to live in such an awesome community. Thanks for the retrospective.

a reply to: Hefficide

I shall point you to my 6 year old thread for comfort.


Australia's Deadliest. Thanks for the Fosters beer and the Body Bag.

I sometimes think Australia was like the testing grounds for Mother Nature. "Lets see what else I can make that will kill everybody dead..."

Even killed the frickin' Crocodile Hunter....I mean seriously?

the fish reacted to Irwin as if a shark was attacking, striking him several hundred times in the body with its tail spine in a few seconds

Yep, that's Australia for you....

originally posted by: CretumOrbis

originally posted by: croatianguy

Strangers walking into our backyard is sometimes how those parties start. Small town though, so a 'stranger' is generally just a friend of a friend.

So if a neighbour just took a walk from backyard to backyard down the street, thats pretty normal?

I'd say that's what sidewalks are for, but only like half this town has those. Most people just walk down the streets or alleys since there's very little traffic and the sidewalks are all privately built, not public property. Walking through backyards wouldn't be normal, but stopping to talk to a 'stranger' would.

In the case of our next-door neighbors (we're on the corner, so only one) some of their friends might end up walking through our yard because our property is in an L-shape half surrounding theirs. The back lot (bottom of the L, behind the garages) we treat as public property basically. They help mow the grass, use our burn barrel (for yard waste), keep a shed and cargo trailer back there and even hang out at the pond sometimes. Their 2 little dogs end up in our yard sometimes too, but our cat's the only one that minds that...

I never really gave much thought to our situation here until this thread. After reading some of the other posts, I have to say, I feel pretty lucky to live in such an awesome community. Thanks for the retrospective.

So it dont bother you dont get any privacy in your backyard at all?

Funny thing about conceptions on respecting privacy between cultures!

In Australia, do they have shutters on their windows?

In California we never do. Even in the front of houses, we have big bay windows, which even at night, we tend to have curtains open, with the lit interior easy to see. But we are used to not looking into others homes - without thinking about it, we turn our eyes away.

My husband, being from France, where there are always shutters, and they are closed tight at night, could not stop looking in at peoples livingrooms, wondering what they are doing, what they have... I was so embarrassed he'd do that!
He couldn't understand how I didn't do it. From his point of view, it was an open invitation to indiscrete eyes.

Within a community, some things become agreed upon without words... you might cross the yard of someone if you absolutely need to, but careful to turn your eyes away as you do it. Which makes the difference.

originally posted by: Bluesma

In Australia, do they have shutters on their windows?

Yes, most people do. Even when you build new house, you will always be offered to have shutters.

Even in the front of houses, we have big bay windows, which even at night, we tend to have curtains open, with the lit interior easy to see. But we are used to not looking into others homes - without thinking about it, we turn our eyes away.

You would never get that here! If not the shutters, then the blinds would always be closed at night in every house. Leaving a window uncovered at night would attract every passerby. Not only for privacy reasons but letting people see the contents in your house. Besides culture difference, I guess the differences in law make a difference. Guess you guys dont get as many break-ins as us. Someone that robs house here doesnt have to worry about facing a gun and if he does get caught wont spend more than 6 months behind bars. But thats a seperate issue.

a reply to: croatianguy

Not in the slightest, not even the highway behind it. The noise can be a bit annoying though...

If I want or need privacy I can go in the house. Unlike the post under the one I'm replying to, we actually use curtains.

If I'm outside, it's to socialize. Usually with cats and koi, but humans are welcome to join, I guess.

Can't say I recall a house ever being broken into here, but our population is probably around 300, if that. If we get crime here, it's typically someone passing through from/to one of the bigger towns in the area.

Things really that bad in Australia? I've always wanted to visit, Perth and Tasmania in particular. I definitely don't know the area as well as the states, though I've always imagined it a bit like Alaska, but warmer. Meaning that it's a really big area with a relatively low population - which usually tends to make things a bit lawless.

a reply to: CretumOrbis

I wouldnt say things are bad, just people are extra cautious. Its common here for people to have neighbourly disputes which often makes the local current affairs program. Guess we just love stories of neighbours fighting. And its also common here for people to never even know their direct neighbour. There is a lack of community neighbourly spirit thats all I can say.

Regarding privacy, well I guess you cant do yoga, have sex, meditate, or do your gardening naked in your backyard without a fence

A lot of houses have fences just for the back yard. Some neighborhoods you have to get a permit for front yard fencing.
We live out a ways in the country and didn't have one for years, but got broken into a few years ago and put one up. It's harder to,mow around though and lots more weed eating. We do use roundup in the front so that cuts down on some of the work.