# (Sort of) Urban fence idea, please comment



## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

My current fence is a five foot high wood privacy fence, posts set directly in dirt, and I am pretty certain I could push it over by myself without much effort. Neighbors on two sides, a pasture on the third. I want something that is not easy for neighbors or anyone else to be able to see into the yard, would take some effort to get through or over, would keep out other animals (skunks, mainly), not look too much like a prison, and will last pretty much forever. I am thinking 12 ga corrugated steel (like on the roof) in a color that matches the house vinyl siding, seven feet high (if I can get the town to approve a variance permit) on the two sides with neighbors, chain link on the third side which faces the pasture and has a nice view of the mesa up the road. That side gives an "open" feeling since this is a very small yard. (My house is on the city limit line.) I would like to bury the bottom edge about six inches to make it very difficult for small animals to dig under. This is a rural town (pop 1700) in snow country.

I know this won't be cheap but isn't this what money is for?

What do you think? Comments are welcome as I live alone and have nobody else to ask about this. Is this a good idea? Pros and cons? And if the town will not approve seven feet, I will go with six.

Thanks for your thoughts!


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Go find pictures of any third world slum and you'll see fences made of corrugated metal. You'll also see them all bent to hell by people who wanted to get through the fence.

If you dont want or cant afford a sturdy block fence simply add a few posts to your current fence but instead of putting the straight into the dirt cement them in. For extra strength go every 3-4ft. Rather than the standard 6-8ft.

Nothing you put up is going to be impregnable but it can help slow them down.

Btw, whatever you do dig down 2 ft. or so along your fence and bury some chicken wire. Skunks and other critters can dig right under a fence.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

ItsJustMe said:


> My current fence is a five foot high wood privacy fence, posts set directly in dirt, and I am pretty certain I could push it over by myself without much effort. Neighbors on two sides, a pasture on the third. I want something that is not easy for neighbors or anyone else to be able to see into the yard, would take some effort to get through or over, would keep out other animals (skunks, mainly), not look too much like a prison, and will last pretty much forever. I am thinking 12 ga corrugated steel (like on the roof) in a color that matches the house vinyl siding, seven feet high (if I can get the town to approve a variance permit) on the two sides with neighbors, chain link on the third side which faces the pasture and has a nice view of the mesa up the road. That side gives an "open" feeling since this is a very small yard. (My house is on the city limit line.) I would like to bury the bottom edge about six inches to make it very difficult for small animals to dig under. This is a rural town (pop 1700) in snow country.
> 
> I know this won't be cheap but isn't this what money is for?
> 
> ...


Sounds good to me. The neighbor of a pal liked to run around nekked in the backyard made a nice one out of tin..sheet metal stuff. Not sure why but he poured a concrete footing around his whole peremiiter sticking up about a foot high and wide from the ground and mounted the posts at required intervals incased in the concrete. Solved a lot of edging headaches. seems like it had a square tubing top rail...and made for a tidy installation. Guessing it was 7 feet high or so. Six woulda been too short for some folks not to be able to see over the the top of it and the footer added a foot..why they call it a footer most likely. There ya go. Send pics. Thanks. .


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

@Sasquatch You are right, I just want to slow them down or make the neighbors' places look more promising? A block fence? Okay, hadn't thought of that. Hmmmm....will definitely look into it.

@bigwheel There is a holding pond for irrigation water nearby with exactly that setup, the posts set in a concrete edging all around. It also has razor wire across the top. That may be a bit too prison-like for my neighborhood, though, lol. I don't want to attract that much attention.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Couple rows of heavy barb wire on top.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Sasquatch's idea was the best so far but part of it will depend on your local building code. When we had our fence replaced, they used metal poles instead of the typical 4x4 so part of our fence is a lot sturdier yet won't keep out those wanting to bust through.


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

There is an ornamental bush that grows very well here in PA. BARBERRY. This bush is extremely nasty with very sharp, long barbs. It would take several years to establish a continuous hedge but trust me. This hedge would be very effective at keeping all but the most determined trespassers out. Any contact with these bushes will leave you cut up and bleeding. Around here folks trim them to a 3 to 4 foot height so they are probably not suitable for privacy but they work extremely well for security. I used to have them planted under each of my ground floor windows.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

inceptor said:


> Sasquatch's idea was the best so far but part of it will depend on your local building code. When we had our fence replaced, they used metal poles instead of the typical 4x4 so part of our fence is a lot sturdier yet won't keep out those wanting to bust through.


Absolutely! I have checked with the local officials and they do have a six foot height limit, and a "no-barbed-wire" rule. One can apply for a variance, along with a $125 fee for same, and I intend to do that. The irrigation pond fence violates both of those rules, but around here, water is a fighting topic, the people who own the water rights have a lot of power in local government, and they can pretty much do whatever they want. Anyway, I will check closely.

Some of the reasons I like the steel idea is: 1) This is snow country. It doesn't rot. 2) It is fairly easy to work with. 3) It is stronger than wood (maybe won't stop a bullet but will slow it down/deflect it). 4) It is available in different powder-coat colors and corrugation designs. 5) It is mostly maintenance-free. 6) There is a company near here that will make the panels to your specs. 7) It doesn't burn.

I realize there is nothing that will prevent entrance if a person is determined enough. This is a small rural town (1700) and I doubt, at least at first, that we will see much of what is going on in major cities (Seattle, Portland, et al). But all the same, I am doing everything I can, as discreetly as I can, to make my place more difficult to invade.

I like the thorny bush idea, but yeah, no privacy and that is also a goal as neighbors on two sides are close.

My concerns about the block wall idea is shifting and cracking with extreme temperature changes. Also, in this small community, finding skilled, reliable contractors can be a real challenge and masonry is much more skill-oriented than putting up steel panels.

I appreciate everybody's input on this. Thank You!


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

ItsJustMe said:


> Absolutely! I have checked with the local officials and they do have a six foot height limit, and a "no-barbed-wire" rule. One can apply for a variance, along with a $125 fee for same, and I intend to do that. The irrigation pond fence violates both of those rules, but around here, water is a fighting topic, the people who own the water rights have a lot of power in local government, and they can pretty much do whatever they want. Anyway, I will check closely.
> 
> Some of the reasons I like the steel idea is: 1) This is snow country. It doesn't rot. 2) It is fairly easy to work with. 3) It is stronger than wood (maybe won't stop a bullet but will slow it down/deflect it). 4) It is available in different powder-coat colors and corrugation designs. 5) It is mostly maintenance-free. 6) There is a company near here that will make the panels to your specs. 7) It doesn't burn.
> 
> ...


Why not try the fence with thorn bushes planted inside the fence? There are fruit bushes that accomplish this and you'll be providing extra food for the family.


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## 2020 Convert (Dec 24, 2020)

inceptor said:


> Sasquatch's idea was the best so far but part of it will depend on your local building code. When we had our fence replaced, they used metal poles instead of the typical 4x4 so part of our fence is a lot sturdier yet won't keep out those wanting to bust through.


When I lived in SoCal, I had a block fence on either side of my driveway to my gate. MVA wiped out one side wall. Block fences have to have reinforcing posts in them.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

inceptor said:


> Sasquatch's idea was the best so far but part of it will depend on your local building code. When we had our fence replaced, they used metal poles instead of the typical 4x4 so part of our fence is a lot sturdier yet won't keep out those wanting to bust through.


City ordinance for Cowtown says new fences cant use wood posts.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

In the Tucsona rea where I live, the standard fence is made of concrete block (5 inch thick) on 3 sides. I provides some protection from most animals. Coyotes and puma could jump over the fence on one neigbors side. You'd need a ladder to get over the other 2 sides. While I like that outsiders can't see me moving around in the back yard, I have misgivings about not being able to see strangers creeping around on the other side. The one thing good about it is I can disassmble it to create and expedient fallout shelter, very quickly and it offers some protection from some of the smaller caliber bullets. Yes I know a .50 cal. could punch thru it easily. But... I have a few spots where I have patio blocks stacked up to stand on for aiming over the wall, if necessay.


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## Megamom134 (Jan 30, 2021)

Chiefster23 said:


> There is an ornamental bush that grows very well here in PA. BARBERRY. This bush is extremely nasty with very sharp, long barbs. It would take several years to establish a continuous hedge but trust me. This hedge would be very effective at keeping all but the most determined trespassers out. Any contact with these bushes will leave you cut up and bleeding. Around here folks trim them to a 3 to 4 foot height so they are probably not suitable for privacy but they work extremely well for security. I used to have them planted under each of my ground floor windows.


 I have them planted under my windows. They are one nasty bush to come in contact with as the barbs tend to break off under the skin, a great deterrent, sucked when we had to replace a window though.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

No barb wire? Ok, the just get some concertina wire. You can buy it in bundles or even pallets on-line. Even if you did not have up on your fence, you can keep it on hand and deploy if and when necessary. You would need to get some concertina wire gloves as well, as it will chew up any regular, even heavy duty gloves.
Or you could do like I saw shops/homes do in Guatemala. That being cement or otherwise fix broken glass shards on the top of the fence. Then camo with something to make invisible to others.


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