To not acquiesce to neighbour's request?

[FelicityMorange]

We spent this morning installing a new fence in our front garden. After 4 hours of back-breaking labour, I was sweeping up when our neighbour comes out and says she's not happy because we've got the 'nicer' side of the fence facing our way and not hers. She actually wanted us to turn each panel round so the flat side was facing her garden.

I thought she was joking at first so sort of laughed it off but no, she was being serious. I just muttered something about 'speaking to my husband' and went indoors.

Have I made a misstep in neighbourly etiquette or something?!

I can’t believe some of the stuff spouted about a garden fence.
Why should the op now buy her neighbor flowers and cake? The op has done nothing wrong so no need to make up with her neighbor.
And why should she discuss it before hand. She has put up a fence on her land which she has paid for. Nothing to do with her neighbor.
There is nothing in law that even says you have to have a fence let alone which side fence is yours. If your deeds show a fence within your boundary then it is your. It could be on the right, left or bottom of your property.

I own the RHS of the garden boundary and when I replaced the fencing (after a gale blew it down a few years ago), the fencing company told me that it was convention/etiquette that you gave your neighbours the more attractive side but ultimately, it was up to me since I was paying for it. Adding disapprovingly, that it was a sign of modern times and less neighbourly relations that young people nowadays chose to ignore this particular social etiquette. I decided to give my pensioner neighbours the 'nice' side - they do hold my spare key after all.

The fencing company told me there was no law, no rule, no etiquette and that whoever pays gets the nice side. Therefore, we have one "nice" side and one "not so nice" side. However, they are nice, properly erected fences and I don't even notice the "not so nice" side.

It's not so your neighbours get the "nice" side. Tradition is that when you fence your property, you fence "out" so to speak.

I am not particularly young not quite pensionable age but over 50 but still want the nice side of something I am paying for.
I am a keen gardener and spend quite a bit on my garden both in time and money so I want it to look the best it can.

Just to add, everyone around here (long road) has followed that way and we have all had different fencing companies. All these posters saying there is some unwritten rule are wrong. i don't think there is a right or a wrong way. It is very clear that people are pretty split down the middle on what they do.

happylittlevegemites - there is no such tradition, law, rule, etiquette, unwritten law or anything else.

We have joint boundary fencing here, we have one side facing in and one side facing out. Only one of the end houses has entirely facing out panels.

Sorry, op, but your neighbour is correct.

Our fence has the pretty side facing our way. The entire fence is on our ground, so why should we have the nice side facing our neighbours? If your fence is exactly on the boundary it would've been considerate if you had discussed it with the neighbours first. If it's all on your own ground then your neighbours just have to put up with it. If they don't like the look they could always put fence on their own side with the ugly side facing away from them...

We had our fence placed by a fencing company and they didn't ask us about where it should face; they just made it with the nice side facing us. Funnily, the people on the other sides of our neighbours as well as the people behind them have also put up similar fences to ours, and all face with the 'ugly' side to our neighbours. It doesn't look so bad at all and our neighbours are quite pleased to have free fencing on all sides of their garden!

Can't wait for tomorrow mornings update saying the neighbour moved them all around over night.

Neighbour is a CF, I get the stable boundary thing but if they want the nice side, they pay.

ETIQUETTE says opposite of curtains. LAW says nothing. You can do what you like so long as you don't break planning regulations in your area

Most people just have slide in panels so it doesn't come up. But yes you should have put the 'nice side' facing out to keep
Neighbors happy. But you don't have to change them if you don't want

...There's a nice side to a fence?? I have never noticed this in my life.

Or maybe I just know generally rubbish fences, who knows.

SchrodingersFrilledLizard says who exactly??

www.gov.uk/your-property-boundaries

SchrodingersFrilledLizard

You are incorrect. There is no law. This is my job dealing with neighbour disputes.

It's convention, not law.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/problems-where-you-live/neighbour-disputes/#Commonneighbourdisputes

If it's on your land and you have paid for it it's up to you. I think they used to do it fence posts on your side to make maintenance easier and in a row would be uniform.

She is right i'm afraid its a really old land law regarding boundaries.
Very annoying I know.
Were I live we have 3 sides hedges so no worry of fences being wrong way round and birds love it! Also we regularly trim it so as not to block neighbours light which is another old land law!

Ohh

You are wrong I'm afraid. There is no law. Just convention that you do the opposite of curtains. You can't force someone to.

Unless it's your neighbours fence and you take it down by accident. But that is a whole different can of worms

ohh - there is NO law, etiquette, unwritten law, tradition.

You need the ugly side to face you as that needs treatment to stop it going rotten.

Your neighbor is right I’m afraid. You’re supposed to lay them according to the plans. You’ve unwittingly changed them to indicate she owns the border. Please check she can’t make claims in the years to come or better still just fix it xx

Yes, by law your neighbour is correct, the 'bad' side will need to be yours.

Faith7777 - no the neighbour is not right at all. There is no law and the neighbour cannot make any claims