Masonry walls (this is not a fence but a masonry wall) need to be designed and engineered. Texas soil in some areas is an unforgiving clay that can heave and crack over a single summer. If that wall does not have proper footings, it can collapse due to erosion. I work in property management and see it all the time.
Aside from ruining the esthetic, which can have a negative impact on property values, there are other things to consider:
Does it impact the line of site? NTSA studies confirm that most auto-related child fatalities occur when kids are going to and from school. The reason front yard fences are limited to 3 feet is to increase the field of conspicuity, making it easier to see a child coming down their driveway or chasing a ball into the street.
Backyard fences are typically limited to 6 feet to make it easier for a family to escape the back yard in the event of a fire where a front exit is impossible. You don’t want to be trapped between a raging house fire and an unclimbable smooth-surface masonry wall.
If they did not get it permitted and shrugged their shoulders at the law, what other corners did they cut in the construction?
People who value property rights and eschew permits and inspectors should not be surprised when things go wrong. I had hoped that the Surfside Condominium collapse in Florida would have been enough for people to recognize that some oversight is occasionally necessary and that building standards exist for a reason.
Finally, this owner is just a jerk who thinks the law doesn’t apply to him. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve had enough of people like that in all areas of my life.
AI can help you write responses in internet threads.
line of site?
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve had enough of people like that in all areas of my life.
“
You need to move out of your 15 min. city and go to some place with a two orders of magnitude less density.
Excellent point.
This is not a fence, but a wall. The comparison to a prison wall is very apt.
Thanks for calling it a masonry structural wall. A simple fence should be a zoning issue. This is not a fence.