luckylager
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas
I am in the process of building a permanent fencing solution for my residence and would appreciate opinions and advice.
My goals are:
1. Be a good neighbor by making the fence equally attractive on both sides while not asking for any money from my neighbors.
2. Build the boundary fence (a.k.a. a 12" thick double-sided stone wall) as close to the property line as possible without touching or crossing it.
3. By keeping the wall entirely on my property, maintain complete ownership and control of it.
4. Avoid the loss of any property through adverse possession, no matter how unlikely that scenario may be. Since my current lot is the precise minimum width to allow it to be subdivided into two parcels (100' wide), the loss of any fraction of an inch would significantly devalue the property to a significant pool of potential buyers.
Thus far I have had a respected surveyor out twice. During his first visit he verified the corner pins and marked the boundary lines to be fenced with nails and flags every 20'. The second time he verified that the inside edge of footing forms were all between .25" to .5" inside of the property line.
His next visit will be to check the [now] poured footing and mark it prior to the mason laying any stones.
Due to the use of irregular-shaped stones, I probably should have given the footing more than .25" of space from the property line but I felt greedy knowing I would have a surveyor overseeing the project and wanting the maximum use of my property.
I am confident that the mason can keep the stones inside the line with the assistance of the footing being marked by the surveyor. What I can't be sure of is the wall potentially moving one direction or another over the years...
If one or two stones (out of thousands) were to be exactly on the property line, does that somehow give a neighbor the claim that the wall is shared property? Does the same logic apply to any sub-grade concrete that may have spilled under the forms and crossed the property line?
MY CHIEF QUESTION:
Once the wall has been completed and surveyed to show that it is entirely on my property, what steps should be taken to protect my ownership rights of the .5" that is between the wall and the property line?
Moreover, is there a way to politely point out that although the wall was built to look nice on the outsides, it was paid for entirely by myself, is entirely on my property, and should not be modified or molested in any capacity?
Don't get me wrong; I like my neighbors and they are all happy to allow my masons to be on their property while beautifying the side of this expensive wall that will face their properties. The same can be said about them consenting to allow the form stakes of my footing to be temporarily set on their property. I simply do not want any future misunderstanding regarding the fact that this wall is not shared in any capacity and any land between it and the property line has not been surrendered.
Ideally this notice and retention of rights would be something that had bearing on any current and future neighbors.
I am in the process of building a permanent fencing solution for my residence and would appreciate opinions and advice.
My goals are:
1. Be a good neighbor by making the fence equally attractive on both sides while not asking for any money from my neighbors.
2. Build the boundary fence (a.k.a. a 12" thick double-sided stone wall) as close to the property line as possible without touching or crossing it.
3. By keeping the wall entirely on my property, maintain complete ownership and control of it.
4. Avoid the loss of any property through adverse possession, no matter how unlikely that scenario may be. Since my current lot is the precise minimum width to allow it to be subdivided into two parcels (100' wide), the loss of any fraction of an inch would significantly devalue the property to a significant pool of potential buyers.
Thus far I have had a respected surveyor out twice. During his first visit he verified the corner pins and marked the boundary lines to be fenced with nails and flags every 20'. The second time he verified that the inside edge of footing forms were all between .25" to .5" inside of the property line.
His next visit will be to check the [now] poured footing and mark it prior to the mason laying any stones.
Due to the use of irregular-shaped stones, I probably should have given the footing more than .25" of space from the property line but I felt greedy knowing I would have a surveyor overseeing the project and wanting the maximum use of my property.
I am confident that the mason can keep the stones inside the line with the assistance of the footing being marked by the surveyor. What I can't be sure of is the wall potentially moving one direction or another over the years...
If one or two stones (out of thousands) were to be exactly on the property line, does that somehow give a neighbor the claim that the wall is shared property? Does the same logic apply to any sub-grade concrete that may have spilled under the forms and crossed the property line?
MY CHIEF QUESTION:
Once the wall has been completed and surveyed to show that it is entirely on my property, what steps should be taken to protect my ownership rights of the .5" that is between the wall and the property line?
Moreover, is there a way to politely point out that although the wall was built to look nice on the outsides, it was paid for entirely by myself, is entirely on my property, and should not be modified or molested in any capacity?
Don't get me wrong; I like my neighbors and they are all happy to allow my masons to be on their property while beautifying the side of this expensive wall that will face their properties. The same can be said about them consenting to allow the form stakes of my footing to be temporarily set on their property. I simply do not want any future misunderstanding regarding the fact that this wall is not shared in any capacity and any land between it and the property line has not been surrendered.
Ideally this notice and retention of rights would be something that had bearing on any current and future neighbors.
Last edited: