Gates and Fences Make Good Neighbors

The adage that fences make good neighbors was born of no small amount of heartache, I am sure. We have a fence around our house, albeit see through, and a gate, and they are very helpful for reasons you might not guess.

Let’s start with the gate which has an automatic opener. The opener is as appreciated as the gate itself because it’s a drag getting out of the car to open and close the gate when tired, in a hurry, or in bad weather (some folks can control their gates with an app from the house).  Yes, the gate stops people we don’t know from randomly driving up to our house (which would happen maybe 6 times a year if it weren’t there).  Before we erected the gate it was no big deal to redirect those lost visitors, however, a tactic that many criminals use out in rural areas is to pretend they are selling a legitimate service door to door and then break in when they discover you are not home. Or, even if you are home, they may see things they want to come back for when you aren’t.  Lastly, your wife or domestic partner may be home alone.  Without the gate she’d have to deal with some of those 6 visitations on her own. We don't want that.  But that is not the main reason I have a gate. It is not primarily to keep people out. Anybody can come through my gate just by kicking in the latch or removing a couple of pins that hold it to the post. If they really want to, they can probably find a way to drive around it.  No, the purpose of the gate is to relieve my feeling awkward about meeting anyone who has come past it with a gun in my hand.  If someone comes through or around that gate with a car, they are obviously up to no good and we both know it.  Without the gate, they can drive up pretending they are trying to help me find God or save money on insurance or provide me with a beautiful aerial photograph of my property, and the onus is on me to explain why I don’t need those services. I prefer clarity from the get-go and that clarity will be essential during an extended loss of services.

Our fence is a simple 8 foot tall black plastic mesh deer fence that bounds about half an acre of our homestead further inside the property from the gate. Inside that half acre is all but one of our outbuildings, our garden, natural pool and residence.  The deer fence is a beautiful thing for several reasons. Aesthetically it pleases because you can barely see it. It does not block the view of the woods, convey unfriendliness or a paranoid mentality.  Despite its airiness, it is tough. I have seen a deer run full tilt into one of these deer fences and bounce off without hurting the fence or the deer.  If properly constructed, with a tight wire at the top and bottom, supported interstitially by metal fence posts and more substantial corner posts, it will last indefinitely.  If covered at the bottom with galvanized wire mesh, it will be impenetrable to small creatures. Few cats will  try to scale it and dogs cannot come in or out. It will contain chickens, and, if enough space is enclosed, you won’t have to feed them.  If you take care of someone with dementia like we have, it will keep them in.  If you have dogs, it provides a large space to roam and a dependable early warning system.  It is less expensive to install than any other kind of physical barrier.  I installed 1000 feet with a worker and built 3 gates for about $3500 in 2019.  By keeping an eye on dead trees around it I have never had to repair it.   

Here's the last reason I like the fence and I hope you won’t think I am anti-social or paranoid when I share it.  If somebody comes around or through the gate and then has the audacity to come through the fence (which would have signs at every gate if the power goes out for an extended period) it would be a clear violation of private space allowing me to act quickly and decisively.  If someone is home alone that means calling 911 immediately. That extra time could be very important. Both the fence and the gate have provided security both at home  and away for our pets, our garden and fruit trees, an elder with dementia  and ourselves.  I don’t think any of our friends or neighbors are put off by the fence or the gate so there’s no downside.