Boundary fence in absence of existing fence or neighbours

My new cheapie has no fencing at all. It is bounded on 3 sides by vacant land, and one of those sides is at the peak of a ridge of hill and is ridiculously steep and covered in trees. This is the side I'm talking about here.

But I'd still like to know where the edge is, beyond a survey peg in each corner. Can I just put up a star picket and strung wire (its too steep to bother with weld mesh or panels) fence at my own expense without asking the neighbours? Or do I absolutely have to ask for permission from them to put up a fence even if I don't want any contribution from them?

30-40m (its about 30m on the level satellite view, no idea what it is on the steep part, need to use Pythagoras' theorum) of wire and picket fence sure isn't going to break the bank and isn't worth chasing the neighbours for half of material cost.

The other side of the block is not anywhere near as steep and the houses on that side have green panel colour bond fences, so that's a whole other level of cost and effort.

 

I would suggest that your read this and then get a surveyor to make up the actual boundaries before making your mark.

 

Oh, I have no idea where the boundaries are at all right now. Surveyor is the first thing on my to-do list, but tiny little pegs in the corners are a lot less useful than actual fences.

 

That link is entirely about splitting the cost of a fence so it doesn't answer the question - can I build what is essentially a cheap temporary (it'll probably get left as a picket and wire one though given the slope) fence at my own cost, without consulting the owners next door? Its nice to know where the edge of your block is when you need to get out and slash the weeds.

 

Once you know where the boundaries are then generally there is a fence act in your state which states what the minimum fence in. In WA it's something that will stop livestock coming through so your suggestion would be fine. If you don't want your neighbours to pay and the fence is purely so you know where your boundary line it then go for it.
Note: I talk out of my beehind a lot, you probably should check your state fence act

 

The slope on that boundary is so steep any livestock would fall over

This block and the one on that side are basically the left and right side of a hill. The boundary is at the top of the hill. I have no idea what kind of permanent fence you'd even build on a slope like that tbh. The neighbours bought their block 2 years ago and the only level patch on it to build is the furthest side from the offending boundary. On my side I'll be building several metres vertically below the boundary line. Steep boundary is steep.

 

Goats

We are having our fenceline surveyed next week. Unfortunately there are no datums or reliable points close by and so they will be doing it from a known datum point 500m away. There definitely is about 2m of crap from our neighbour on our side of the acreage we think.

 

Oh, I had a chat to the surveyor and got the same thing. The land is (obviously) the least flat block that has sort of been built around on a very old established street and there's only pen and ink drawings from the 1860s. Surveyor said they've mapped out a cottage half a dozen doors to the left so they have to work from there. But I'm only under contract not settled - surveyor said they could peg the boundaries to within a couple metres after settlement so I can slash the undergrowth, then they can come do it properly once the place is cleared.

I'm going to have to track the neighbours down eventually though.

Edit: realised that means I'm going to be slashing up to a couple metres worth of weeds on the neighbouring blocks. Oh well!

 

Call another surveyor, why can they only get within a couple of metres?? Sounds strange cause their staff that does the lasers is above the grass! Maybe they're allergic to grass? Or work?

 

Within a couple metres so I know loosely where the edge of the block is to be able to clear it. Its currently too overgrown to survey.

We're talking evil thorny bushes well over head height here, I don't think its unreasonable for them to decline to survey a block that is steep AND will rip all the skin off your arms if you don't wear solid protective gear

 

They chose to be surveyors

Can you get them to do the front properly then you just measure back from there

 

The front is the easy bit, the back is the troublesome part, it gets very steep in the top left corner. There's a near vertical bit there and I'm curious as to whose land that is on. Probably mine.

In completely unrelated news, where do you buy heavy duty protective clothing from >.>

 

Vinnies! Leather riggers gloves are good too

 

@RumpledElf what council is this?
Have you looked on their website at the mapping system they use? Depending on the what they have its often fairly accurate... For what you would want anyway.
You may be able to use some trees or "land marks" to work out the boundaries workout a need for the surveyor eg measure off the retaining wall 2m back for the front boundary line
Buy or hire a good brush cutter (metal spinning head type) and bust through it all!

 

I have no idea where the edges of the block are, so its very hard to go around slashing without at least having some idea where the corners are, even to within a couple metres is fine. But I do need a very accurate contour plan to build, and that's what I need to clear it for.

Not quite sure you're grasping the whole pen and ink drawing of the general vicinity dated 1862 thing here. I have almost nothing to go on, other than waving arms around and going "its kind of the bottom half of that hill there". Which was certainly enough information to buy it Its extremely hard to work out where the edges are because it is so steeply sloped and overgrown. And it is bounded on 3 sides by vacant land in the same uncleared condition.

Unsurveyed and unfenced land is cheap for a reason!

 

Where is this mystical place?
Is it on google maps??
Have you looked at the council planning website? Their overlays and mapping can be accurate.

There are ways to look for clues. Any sewer on the block?
I've put sewer through bush blocks using maps and trees and stepping it out... surveyors did come out to confirm but I was usually close to the money.I'm a survey whisperer

 

Its on Google maps but the actual block isn't specifically set on google maps because its not surveyed, which is incredibly annoying when dealing with people over the phone, I've been telling them to go to a house a few doors up the road and navigate 100m to the left to find it on street view. Email is easier, I can send a lat/long based link to the location. RPData has it accurately listed though, odd that Google is out of date.

There's no sewer or connections, its vacant land. I've been up there, you can tell the size and so forth from satellite images overlay (the boundaries do show up with all the others in the suburb) that matches the pen and ink drawings I've got with the contract, but when you actually GET there its so steep and overgrown that there's really no way to tell if you're still on the block or have wandered way past it. The slope means you can't just pace out metres like you could on the flat. The side I want a temporary fence on would range from 30-70 degree slope in parts, so you see why its so hard to eyeball where the edge might be in the complete absence of landmarks. And also why it is so utterly critical to get a contour survey before I even think about planning a house.

Its not a bush block, both blocks (this is a sale for two side by side blocks) are standard house blocks of about 600sqm (from above anyway, much bigger because of the slope) and given both adjacent blocks on either side of them sold recently you really can't go around guessing at the borders for anything significant.

They are an infill block on an established street. Its a sort of ridge extending from the hill behind, and needless to say it is the steepest one on the street by a huge margin and will be among the last on the street to be developed.

Edit: been trying to attach a photo and its just refusing to let me

 

Right, linking to imgur instead.

This gives you an idea of what I need to clear, and you can see some hill that is somewhere in the vague vicinity of the boundary of where I want to fence.

In my defence, this is costing me $40 a week in repayments to hold and I'm very aware it is a frighteningly difficult block of land to deal with.

 

Have you asked council what can be done? Once you slash your weeds the neighbours will grow over yours again in no time. Council may be able to poison or have other ideas to get on there.
If you have co-ords you could use your phone or a gps while you're out there.

You should talk to a local slashing guy or call around because you really need to do if properly - slash, poison, dig up roots and burn.
I assume it's a regional area