We’re installing a new fence. My husband says the fence must face our neighbor’s side, but I want the pretty side facing us. He thinks there’s a correct way to install a fence and that I’m wrong

 

The short answer is: Your husband is correct. In the world of home improvement and neighborhood relations, there is an official, widely accepted “correct” way to install a fence, and it dictates that the smooth, finished side must face your neighbor, while the “bad” side (with the exposed structural posts and horizontal rails) faces your yard.

Smucker Fencing

 

While it might seem frustrating to pay for a beautiful new fence only to stare at its structural skeleton, your husband’s warnings about potential “problems” are grounded in very real legal, social, and practical realities.

Smucker Fencing

 

Here is exactly why your husband wins this round, and how you can still get the look you want.

1. The Legal Reality: Local Building Codes

Before deciding on an orientation based on looks, you need to check your city, township, or Homeowners Association (HOA) regulations. In an overwhelming majority of municipalities, it is actually illegal to face the structural side of a fence outward.

Smucker Fencing

 

Local building codes frequently mandate a “good side out” policy. If you install the fence with the pretty side facing you and a neighbor complains, your local zoning officer can fine you or legally force you to tear the fence down and reinstall it backward entirely at your own expense.

Liberi Fence+ 1

 

2. The Security Reality: Creating a Ladder

There is a highly practical security reason for the “good side out” rule. The horizontal rails (or stringers) that hold a fence panel together essentially act like a built-in ladder.

The Fence Authority

 

If you put the pretty, flat side facing your house, the step-like structural rails will face your neighbor’s yard or the street.This makes it incredibly easy for an intruder, a wandering neighborhood kid, or a large animal to scale the fence and climb straight over into your yard. Keeping the rails on your side ensures your yard stays secure.

Smucker Fencing+ 2

 

3. The Social Reality: Neighbor Etiquette

Fences are a notorious flashpoint for neighborly disputes. Forcing a neighbor to look at the unfinished back of a fence—especially if it is replacing a shared boundary line—is considered a major breach of property etiquette. It can breed immediate resentment and damage your relationship with the people living right next door.

Smucker Fencing

 

💡 How to Get the “Pretty Side” on Both Sides:

ow to Get the “Pretty Side” on Both Sides

If you absolutely cannot stand the idea of looking at exposed posts and 2x4s, you don’t have to suffer through it. You can bypass the debate entirely by choosing a “Good Neighbor Fence.”

 

These are modern fencing styles designed to look identical and beautiful from both sides, meaning no one gets stuck with the “bad” view:

 

• Shadowbox Fences: These wooden fences alternate the vertical pickets on the front and back of the horizontal rails. It provides privacy and airflow while looking completely uniform from both yards.

   

• Vinyl Privacy Fences: Many vinyl fence panels securely lock together with the posts seamlessly centered in the middle, ensuring a clean, polished, identical look on both sides.

   

• Horizontal Modern Fences: Modern horizontal slat designs often sandwich the boards between decorative posts, resulting in an aesthetically stunning finish for both you and your neighbor.

The final verdict: Unless you choose a double-sided fence style, let your husband have this one. Put the good side out, save yourselves a potential legal headache, and treat those exposed inside rails as a handy place to hang decorative planters, fairy lights, or garden tools!