# The HOA has *finally* approved fence plan - question though



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

It has taken me two months to get the HOA to approve a fence but, unfortunately I could not get them to conceed to a simple framed open wire fence for the back of my lot facing the woods and ONLY visible from my lot. Aaaargh! According to them NO wire fencing allowed at all, not even as a lining of a rail fence [even though the subdivision fences around the retention ponds are split rail with wire]

I could just fail to comply and probably win if they sued me because they have allowed noncompliant fences in the past but I am not sure I want to deal with it, particularly since that will probably make them look for ways to harass me. {Current HOA president is a real prick}

Instead the best I can do [aluminum is cost prohibitive] is a wooden picket at the back and privacy on front and sides.

Front and sides are 6 feet tall but I may like to go lower in the back so I don't impair my view of the woods as much. 

Do you think 5 feet with an electric wire running at 6 feet [shhhh, I had already planned to run a hot wire inside the top of my fence but did not tell them and there is NOTHING in the covenants forbidding it] would be suitable or should I just stick with 6 feet on the fence? Current dogs not really a problem but you never know. I would not leave my house with dogs running around in back yard but would like them there while I work.


Any insight would be helpful.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> It has taken me two months to get the HOA to approve a fence but, unfortunately I could not get them to conceed to a simple framed open wire fence for the back of my lot facing the woods and ONLY visible from my lot. Aaaargh! According to them NO wire fencing allowed at all, not even as a lining of a rail fence [even though the subdivision fences around the retention ponds are split rail with wire]
> 
> I could just fail to comply and probably win if they sued me because they have allowed noncompliant fences in the past but I am not sure I want to deal with it, particularly since that will probably make them look for ways to harass me. {Current HOA president is a real prick}
> 
> ...



Hi Nancy

My suggestion is MOVE :-O

Only half kidding, dealing with an anal retentive HOA is more hassle than I'd be willing to deal with. 
Good Luck with finding a real solution


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> It has taken me two months to get the HOA to approve a fence but, unfortunately I could not get them to conceed to a simple framed open wire fence for the back of my lot facing the woods and ONLY visible from my lot. Aaaargh! According to them NO wire fencing allowed at all, not even as a lining of a rail fence [even though the subdivision fences around the retention ponds are split rail with wire]
> 
> I could just fail to comply and probably win if they sued me because they have allowed noncompliant fences in the past but I am not sure I want to deal with it, particularly since that will probably make them look for ways to harass me. {Current HOA president is a real prick}
> 
> ...


How much would it cost for the 5 foot fence?

How much would it cost for the 6 foot fence?

How much would it cost to add another foot to an existing 5 foot fence (in the event there is an issue in the future)?


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

I'd go for the 6 ft fencing but put the hotwire at the bottom - that way they tend to keep back from the fence better. You could still install a hotwire at the top if you got jumpers - plus hotwire at the top is really amusing if people try to climb your fence.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

I hate HOAs. Just this morning I was halfway through a stolen vehicle report when I discovered the HOA had a towing company coverty (At 3:00 AM) tow the mans' boat and a neighbors truck out from their own driveway. Hate em.

If you could somehow convince them that they are liable if something happens because of their stupid rule then maybe they'll change their minds. The HOAs down here are such a pain in the ass that the state attorney won't even deal with their complaints.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Yes, they are a pain - it does keep things nice when you are crammed together - it was very frustrating though when my plans were nicer than several existing fences. New regime is enforcing regulations but not going retroactive on old violators. Techncially, I think I could win a lawsuit on this because precedent has been established but.......

Main thing - is conventional wisdom still - do you really need 6 feet for a GSD?


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## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

HOAs--they're like mom & dad telling you what you can & can't do.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

An electric wire works well to keep the dogs off the fence. As far as jumping goes, it really depends on the dog, the fence material, etc. Remember for the electricity to work the dog has to be touching both the wire and the "ground". Not neccessarily the dirt/ground, but the electrical ground. This works fine if the fence is metal but on a wood fence there isn't much to conduct the electricity and the dog may be able to get up and over without actually being shocked. If they are jumping the fence, there is an even better chance of it.

Instead of running the wire right along the top, I would use the 4-5 inch plastic pieces and run the wire along the inside of the fence, where the dog can hit the wire while their back feet are still on the ground. Or get some of the plastic electric fence posts and just run a few strands about 12 inches inside of the wooden fence. Unless your dog is an excellent jumper, you can even go with a lower then 5 foot fence with this type of setup, I've used it to contain dogs behind a 4 foot fence. They hit the wire a few times and decide to just stay away from the fence, it didn't occur to any of them they could just jump it (these were Malinois, they could have cleared the fence). 

Another thing I have used successfully is an invisible fence. I just zip tied it to the chain line, or stapled it to the wood. The dogs learned very quickly to just stay back off the fence, since you can control the range of the signal I set it so they had to stay about 3 feet off the fence. This kept them from jumping against it at all. Run the wire along the bottom and there won't be any digging issues, run it along the top and the dog can get up to the fence but won't try to jump up on it or over it. Or run it in the middle of the fence to cover both the bottom and top, just depends on what setup you personally need.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

I run my electric about 8 inches stood off from the fence - one strand about 6 " off the ground and one about nose level. Like Kadi said it has worked for even 4 ft fencing for most dogs and I have "fence tester/jumper/escaper" kind of dogs. Taller fencing is nice in a snow area but if you don't get much snow shorter is probably fine.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

These are some good ideas .... yes, snow is not a worry. I am thinking I may be able to actually have a 4 foot section in the back. That will actually save money too - and I can taper it down from the sides. I only care if the center section is lower because of the view.

Oh - what I have done in the past on the top of a wooden fence [that was a 5 foot fence] is use a ground wire about 6 inches from the hot wire. It works. You just need to use a grounding post


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Oh - what I have done in the past on the top of a wooden fence [that was a 5 foot fence] is use a ground wire about 6 inches from the hot wire. It works. You just need to use a grounding post


Good point, I have done that also when it was for a wooden fence. I'd forgotten about that. However, I did have a problem if one dog went over they were getting the ground and the hot wire tangled (probably had something to do with the freak out when they hit the hot wire) and that grounded it out so the other dogs could also bail. This was in a kennel in the yard, so they weren't bailing anywhere dangerous (silly dogs would bail over a 6 foot kennel wall but stay in a 4 foot fenced yard) and I think I just took the wire down at that point. 

Did you have that issue, and what did you do to prevent it? I tightened the wires as much as possible, but it was still stretching or something.


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## Lynn Cheffins (Jul 11, 2006)

I use the plastic polywire - it does not need alot of stretching and you can tighten it with very little effort (wire is hard to get tight unless you really haave it anchored and stretch it).


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I did not have the tangling problem. I did get the wire pretty tight though.


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