Sharing expenses with a neighbor
 

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Esp. since I don't think this part of the fence needs replacing
anyhow, for me that is a lot of money.

Does it matter that last summer, I repaired his back yard fence? I
only asked for the money to pay for the wood and gate latch. I didn't
want to see him tear down a cedar fence and replace it with a cheaper
less durable pine fence. I had to search the web to find a local
store that sold cedar, go to the other side of the city to order
(although I combined it with errands), go back to pick it up, front
the money, make the pickets and rails from wider pieces. Then when I
was 90% done he said he was going to put in a new fence. He said that
when his 5 year-old daughter fell against the fence, it moved instead
of being strong. I said that was good, she's less likely to get hurt.
(AFAIK, it is strong and stiff. Maybe there is one week section.


I live in a townhouse and my neighbors and I all of them have in front
an entrance door into a hall and a sliding glass door into the
kitchen. In front of the SGD is a small "patio?", with room for a
table and chairs, or garden equipment, firewood, grill etc. In front
of that is what they call the "privacy fence" My next door neighbor's
house is the mirror image of mine, and we share one piece of the
privacy fence about 8 feet long, as in the sketch below.

Street ==================


Yard Yard

___________________________
| | |
| | |
| | |
|____ | ____|
|
|
_____________________|_________________________
==== ======= ======= ====
Door Sliding Glass Doors Door
One per house


House 1 House 2


I rebuilt my fence about 4 years ago, but did not touch the middle
piece because it was fine, IMO. I think when his wife was single, and
lived there, one of her boyfriends fixed the fence for her, but didn't
use treated wood. AFAICT, this part is still fine, except for a 1 x
1/2 inch piece of T1-11 that is hidden by molding anyhow. Now he
wants to rebuild his fence, and he is hiring someone to do it.

He's bothered because there is a crack in the side of the 2x4 that
borders the wall. I don't think it matters, but if it did, I'd put in
some plastic wood or something and repaint it.

Fixing and fixing up my car and my house are my major hobbies, and I
rarely hire anyone to do anything.


We went together on a roof a couple years ago. We both wanted the same
color.

He also wants vinyl siding. Maybe I need it, maybe I don't, but I
would like us to get along.


Meirman
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"meirman" wrote in message
...

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Who owns the fence? Was the original a shared cost? If so, you may have
some obligation, if not you should have no obligation. If you don't want the
fence and do not share ownership, you should not have to pay anything.

In alt.home.repair on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:21:18 GMT "Edwin Pawlowski"
posted:


"meirman" wrote in message
.. .

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Who owns the fence? Was the original a shared cost?

It was built by the builder of the whole development, every pair of
houses has one, and the section we share was replaced once by the
woman who lives there now (maybe the fourth owner), but now she is
married to this guy. That time she didn't tell me she was going to do
it, didn't ask for anything from me, and the workers may or may not
have come around to my side to work on it (no evidence either way.)

If so, you may have
some obligation, if not you should have no obligation. If you don't want the
fence and do not share ownership, you should not have to pay anything.



Meirman
--
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meirman writes:
Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Surveys are taken as a standard practice in all real estate
transactions I have ben involved in. One of the things a survey tells
you is where a fence is on your property or the neighbor's side of the
lot line. In all cases I've dealt with (albeit only 2), the fence is
on one side or the other.

You may wish to review your survey and see if this thing is even your
problem to fix at all.

I'd ask the same question of any home owner's association if there are
any local covenant and agreements involved.

Finally, I'd consult a local real estate attorney for a short bit with
both pieces of the above info in hand and ask for a determination of
my liability in this case, and then act accordingly.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

"Todd H." wrote in message
Finally, I'd consult a local real estate attorney for a short bit with
both pieces of the above info in hand and ask for a determination of
my liability in this case, and then act accordingly.

Sure, spend $200 for the attorney to get out of paying the $125.

Todd H. wrote:
meirman writes:

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.


Surveys are taken as a standard practice in all real estate
transactions I have ben involved in. One of the things a survey tells
you is where a fence is on your property or the neighbor's side of the
lot line. In all cases I've dealt with (albeit only 2), the fence is
on one side or the other.

You may wish to review your survey and see if this thing is even your
problem to fix at all.

I'd ask the same question of any home owner's association if there are
any local covenant and agreements involved.

Finally, I'd consult a local real estate attorney for a short bit with
both pieces of the above info in hand and ask for a determination of
my liability in this case, and then act accordingly.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

This person can't afford 125 bucks to repair a fence and you send them
to a lawyer? Oh wait, that's after they hire a surveuyor at $100 bucks
an hour.

Great advice.

meirman wrote:
Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Esp. since I don't think this part of the fence needs replacing
anyhow, for me that is a lot of money.

Does it matter that last summer, I repaired his back yard fence? I
only asked for the money to pay for the wood and gate latch.


Meirman
--


*IF* it's a common fence, you can tell them to pack sand or help pay for
it. What you did in the past is water under the bridge.

IMHO, vinyl siding is for low end dog houses. YMMV

Thanks for the advice....

In alt.home.repair on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:18:48 -0400 meirman
posted:

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,

I was concerned as much or more with how to get along with him as what
my legal resposibility is. I figured managing social relationships
related to property is as relevant to this group as legal problems
are, which often get discussed. :)

stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Esp. since I don't think this part of the fence needs replacing
anyhow, for me that is a lot of money.

I ended up calling him a while ago and leaving a message that I
thought 250 was an awful lot of money for a simple 7 foot section of
fence and one 4x4 pole, especially when done by guys who aren't
carpenters or even repair guys full-time and who don't have a
home-improvement license. [Not positive they don't, but probably not.]
And I asked him if he had seen the quality of their work. [Probably
not**] And that the current section was fine and just needed a couple
spiral nails and some wood putty and a coat of paint. (there's a crack
in one 2x4 that isn't affecting the fence, but he thinks it matters.]

Ant that it seemed like too much and too much to commit to in advance
since I don't know the quality of the work.

**He knows them from church. Some people who are very religious can
still be bad carpenters... and not even know it.

Meirman
--
If emailing, please let me know whether
or not you are posting the same letter.
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On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 13:28:08 -0400, meirman
wrote:

I was concerned as much or more with how to get along with him as what
my legal resposibility is. I figured managing social relationships
related to property is as relevant to this group as legal problems
are, which often get discussed. :)


For a few hundred bucks pay for the whole fence. You can do anything
with it or change it anytime you want including painting it to suit
your house's color, not his. But he has to come to you to make any
changes as you "own" it. You can't buy that kind of peace and power
anywhere for that price.

Since you know the measurement of the section in question, I would try
getting a quick telephone estimate from a fence company or two. This is not
a complex job and can be well enough priced as a sanity check. It is all in
how you phrase the question. Then ask the neighbor for a copy of his
estimate. If he has a price he wants you to share, he ought to have
something on paper to back himself up. Or maybe he is trying to get you to
pay for the whole thing.

Remember what Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify"

Charlie


"meirman" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the advice....

In alt.home.repair on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:18:48 -0400 meirman
posted:

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,

I was concerned as much or more with how to get along with him as what
my legal resposibility is. I figured managing social relationships
related to property is as relevant to this group as legal problems
are, which often get discussed. :)

stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Esp. since I don't think this part of the fence needs replacing
anyhow, for me that is a lot of money.

I ended up calling him a while ago and leaving a message that I
thought 250 was an awful lot of money for a simple 7 foot section of
fence and one 4x4 pole, especially when done by guys who aren't
carpenters or even repair guys full-time and who don't have a
home-improvement license. [Not positive they don't, but probably not.]
And I asked him if he had seen the quality of their work. [Probably
not**] And that the current section was fine and just needed a couple
spiral nails and some wood putty and a coat of paint. (there's a crack
in one 2x4 that isn't affecting the fence, but he thinks it matters.]

Ant that it seemed like too much and too much to commit to in advance
since I don't know the quality of the work.

**He knows them from church. Some people who are very religious can
still be bad carpenters... and not even know it.

Meirman
--
If emailing, please let me know whether
or not you are posting the same letter.
Change domain to erols.com, if necessary.

"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
...
Since you know the measurement of the section in question, I would try
getting a quick telephone estimate from a fence company or two. This is
not
a complex job and can be well enough priced as a sanity check. It is all
in
how you phrase the question. Then ask the neighbor for a copy of his
estimate. If he has a price he wants you to share, he ought to have
something on paper to back himself up. Or maybe he is trying to get you to
pay for the whole thing.

Remember what Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify"

Charlie

You make good points, but the neighbor want $125, the OP is thinking $30.
You can't buy much wood for $30 today and no fence company is going to do
anything at all for that price.

Kaning again I see, huh? You're a real wart on the ass of
progress, you know that?



"G Henslee" wrote in message
...
: Todd H. wrote:
: meirman writes:
:
: Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along
with him,
: stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with
my
: neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought
might be
: 30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share
is $125.
:
:
: Surveys are taken as a standard practice in all real estate
: transactions I have ben involved in. One of the things a
survey tells
: you is where a fence is on your property or the neighbor's
side of the
: lot line. In all cases I've dealt with (albeit only 2), the
fence is
: on one side or the other.
:
: You may wish to review your survey and see if this thing is
even your
: problem to fix at all.
:
: I'd ask the same question of any home owner's association if
there are
: any local covenant and agreements involved.
:
: Finally, I'd consult a local real estate attorney for a short
bit with
: both pieces of the above info in hand and ask for a
determination of
: my liability in this case, and then act accordingly.
:
: Best Regards,
: --
: Todd H.
: http://www.toddh.net/
:
: This person can't afford 125 bucks to repair a fence and you
send them
: to a lawyer? Oh wait, that's after they hire a surveuyor at
$100 bucks
: an hour.
:
: Great advice.

You drink way too much. Get help.


"G Henslee" wrote in message
...
: meirman wrote:
: Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along
with him,
: stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with
my
: neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought
might be
: 30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share
is $125.
:
: Esp. since I don't think this part of the fence needs
replacing
: anyhow, for me that is a lot of money.
:
: Does it matter that last summer, I repaired his back yard
fence? I
: only asked for the money to pay for the wood and gate latch.
:
:
: Meirman
: --
:
:
: *IF* it's a common fence, you can tell them to pack sand or
help pay for
: it. What you did in the past is water under the bridge.
:
: IMHO, vinyl siding is for low end dog houses. YMMV

"meirman" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the advice....

**He knows them from church. Some people who are very religious can
still be bad carpenters... and not even know it.

Meirman

You need to be especially careful of the contractor praising Jesus as he
reaches for your pocketbook.


Colbyt

Poop wrote:
Kaning again I see, huh? I'm a real wart on the ass of
progress, you know that?



right poop...

You make good points, but the neighbor want $125, the OP is thinking $30.
You can't buy much wood for $30 today and no fence company is going to do
anything at all for that price.



I had a 50 foot long cedar fence blow down a few years ago. Insurance paid
me $1600 to replace it. $1600/50 feet= $32 a foot. The OP is describing a 7
foot long section of fence, 7 feet x $32 =$224. Seems to me the price is
about right IF you are paying someone to replace it. Good luck getting a
professional company to do it.
Greg

In alt.home.repair on Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:33:15 GMT "Edwin Pawlowski"
posted:


"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
...
Since you know the measurement of the section in question, I would try
getting a quick telephone estimate from a fence company or two. This is
not
a complex job and can be well enough priced as a sanity check. It is all
in
how you phrase the question. Then ask the neighbor for a copy of his
estimate. If he has a price he wants you to share, he ought to have
something on paper to back himself up. Or maybe he is trying to get you to
pay for the whole thing.

Remember what Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify"

Charlie

You make good points, but the neighbor want $125, the OP is thinking $30.
You can't buy much wood for $30 today and no fence company is going to do
anything at all for that price.

My 30 (or 50) was only supposed to be a sixth of the price, half of
the third we share. I thought before that it was less, but I'm pretty
sure now the last ones I heard about were about 300 dollars. I did
mine myself, so I don't have any firm number anymore.

I had called him and left the message I wrote about, but called back
later to tell him I'd pay the whole thing**. He said the guy did do
this sort of thing for a living (maybe that's what makes him more
expensive), and had built (temporary?) stages for the church.

(BTW, the fence is about 5 feet high, T1-11, with a 2 x 4 along the
bottom, another along the top, quarter round moldings at the 2x4s and
at the 4x4 posts. Treated lumber, but still a lot cheaper than cedar,
I think.)


**Then he complimented me on my knowledge of home repair and car
repair, and asked if I could fix his Saturn, for which the light
behind the radio's LCDs doesn't work. It's not even his car anymore;
it belongs to his brother now, but I said if he brought it by, I would
look at it. I'll look at it, but I don't plan to fix it. :)

tHANKS FOR all the help.

Meirman
--
If emailing, please let me know whether
or not you are posting the same letter.
Change domain to erols.com, if necessary.

Tell him to leave a message on the Saturn Forum detailing his
problem. Lots of good help there.




On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 22:50:08 -0400, meirman
wrote:

In alt.home.repair on Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:33:15 GMT "Edwin Pawlowski"
posted:


"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
...
Since you know the measurement of the section in question, I would try
getting a quick telephone estimate from a fence company or two. This is
not
a complex job and can be well enough priced as a sanity check. It is all
in
how you phrase the question. Then ask the neighbor for a copy of his
estimate. If he has a price he wants you to share, he ought to have
something on paper to back himself up. Or maybe he is trying to get you to
pay for the whole thing.

Remember what Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify"

Charlie

You make good points, but the neighbor want $125, the OP is thinking $30.
You can't buy much wood for $30 today and no fence company is going to do
anything at all for that price.

My 30 (or 50) was only supposed to be a sixth of the price, half of
the third we share. I thought before that it was less, but I'm pretty
sure now the last ones I heard about were about 300 dollars. I did
mine myself, so I don't have any firm number anymore.

I had called him and left the message I wrote about, but called back
later to tell him I'd pay the whole thing**. He said the guy did do
this sort of thing for a living (maybe that's what makes him more
expensive), and had built (temporary?) stages for the church.

(BTW, the fence is about 5 feet high, T1-11, with a 2 x 4 along the
bottom, another along the top, quarter round moldings at the 2x4s and
at the 4x4 posts. Treated lumber, but still a lot cheaper than cedar,
I think.)


**Then he complimented me on my knowledge of home repair and car
repair, and asked if I could fix his Saturn, for which the light
behind the radio's LCDs doesn't work. It's not even his car anymore;
it belongs to his brother now, but I said if he brought it by, I would
look at it. I'll look at it, but I don't plan to fix it. :)

tHANKS FOR all the help.

Meirman

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 22:50:08 -0400, meirman
wrote:

if he brought it by, I would
look at it. I'll look at it, but I don't plan to fix it. :)

For some reason car radio metal cases do not have any metal tabs or
screws to disassemble. They cannot be opened up to fix anything.

rec.autos.makers.saturn

"Me" wrote in message
...

Tell him to leave a message on the Saturn Forum detailing his
problem. Lots of good help there.




On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 22:50:08 -0400, meirman
wrote:

In alt.home.repair on Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:33:15 GMT "Edwin Pawlowski"
posted:


"Charlie Bress" wrote in message
...
Since you know the measurement of the section in question, I would try
getting a quick telephone estimate from a fence company or two. This is
not
a complex job and can be well enough priced as a sanity check. It is
all
in
how you phrase the question. Then ask the neighbor for a copy of his
estimate. If he has a price he wants you to share, he ought to have
something on paper to back himself up. Or maybe he is trying to get you
to
pay for the whole thing.

Remember what Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify"

Charlie

You make good points, but the neighbor want $125, the OP is thinking $30.
You can't buy much wood for $30 today and no fence company is going to do
anything at all for that price.

My 30 (or 50) was only supposed to be a sixth of the price, half of
the third we share. I thought before that it was less, but I'm pretty
sure now the last ones I heard about were about 300 dollars. I did
mine myself, so I don't have any firm number anymore.

I had called him and left the message I wrote about, but called back
later to tell him I'd pay the whole thing**. He said the guy did do
this sort of thing for a living (maybe that's what makes him more
expensive), and had built (temporary?) stages for the church.

(BTW, the fence is about 5 feet high, T1-11, with a 2 x 4 along the
bottom, another along the top, quarter round moldings at the 2x4s and
at the 4x4 posts. Treated lumber, but still a lot cheaper than cedar,
I think.)


**Then he complimented me on my knowledge of home repair and car
repair, and asked if I could fix his Saturn, for which the light
behind the radio's LCDs doesn't work. It's not even his car anymore;
it belongs to his brother now, but I said if he brought it by, I would
look at it. I'll look at it, but I don't plan to fix it. :)

tHANKS FOR all the help.

Meirman

meirman wrote:
In alt.home.repair on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:21:18 GMT "Edwin Pawlowski"
posted:


"meirman" wrote in message
. ..

Am I obliged or at least in practice, if I want to get along with him,
stuck paying so much for part of the fence replacement with my
neighbor. I was prepared to pay 1/2 of 1/3 which I thought might be
30 or 40 dollars, but he says half of the one part we share is $125.

Picking nits. If the neighbor paid last time, looks like it is your
turn. I would pay, though, to keep my neighbor's DIY hack jobs out of
sight. You have a homeowner's association? Do they maintain common
elements?

One other way of doing it might be to hire a fence contractor, have them
bid it such that it states the portions each is responsible for, and
stating materials, finish, colors, etc. Shouldn't be a big deal, and
lots of people don't like cracked, patched fences. If you have
different tastes, each chooses two colors and styles, put them in a hat,
and have the contractor draw one.