Monday, October 27, 2008

Fencing - Are you an “Innie” or an “Outie”? Vinyl or Wood?


I seem to recall that some time back the Coppell City Council was facing the difficult task of determining whether it should mandate the placement (inside the yard, facing the home, or outside the yard, facing the public) of fenceposts on the property of Coppell citizens. As I understand it, the City Council ultimately determined that the vexing issue was one they would leave to the discretion of each of us, as Coppell citizens.

Observing a new fence while driving east along Sandy Lake Road between Denton Tap Road and MacArthur Boulevard this past weekend (as well as numerous other parts of town, including my own neighborhood), I must say that I wish they had stuck their necks out on this issue and mandated that we all be innies. The fenceposts that face the roadway (outies) are in definite negative contrast to the orderliness that the Council has long worked to impress upon our fair burg. This "blight" is one we should, over time, do away with.

Continuing on the topic of fences, I also understand that the use of vinyl white fencing is no longer allowed in the City. I would like to encourage the Council to re-think this as they observe fences around town.

The few vinyl fences that were grandfathered in under the regulation are certainly wearing far better than all but the most expensive wooden fences I’ve seen. There’s a vinyl fence in a yard along the north side of Bethel School Road near MacArthur Boulevard that still looks almost new, and I think it is every bit of five or more years old. Wooden fences of similar age are usually already off-colored (it seems that sprinkler water itself often bleaches or stains the wood), and beginning to show wear in the form of warped or split boards, as well as the effects that weed-eating and general lawn care invoke.

While I am certain no one is going to be fooled into thinking that a white vinyl fence is actually wood, I will argue that the newer material looks great and is likely much longer-lasting than the usual wooden version. I wonder if the vinyl fences are not also "greener" in that they are, perhaps, made of some portion of recycled materials...

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