Trying to figure out what to do about a fence/tree issue in the backyard.. help

[Anonymous]

We recently purchased a home that has needed an incredible amount of renovations, and we have quite a few more on the list. Trying to separate "wants" vs. "needs" right now as we are wrapping up the initial work for which we had budgeted.

We have a huge backyard that is sort of rectangular shaped. One of the long rectangle sides runs up against a busy-ish road, with a row of trees that were planted right around when the house was built in 1969.

Here is our problem: because of the busy road, I feel like our backyard is basically unusable until we get a fence up. Our only child will be 4 in the spring, which I feel is not old enough to be in a yard adjacent to a busy road without a fence.. even with supervision. We are on .5 acre, so there is a lot of space, and I feel that even if she is supervised closely, she could be far enough away that running into the street is not out of the realm of possibility if a ball or something goes in the street. (My husband disagrees, btw). But even if you make the argument about close supervision, I am definitely not ok with her little friends running around back there, parents there or not. I think it would be a recipe for a lawsuit if anything happens.

However, if we put a fence up, the branches on the trees are so tall and so heavy, that the fence will be damaged by falling branches over time. I am not exactly sure how long this will take, but the trees are huge and branches seem to fall regularly, so I think this is a real concern. The "right" thing to do would be to get rid of all the trees before putting up a fence, but at the cost of $1k/tree, that is not realistic. We can't throw $25k on the backyard right now for tree removal and a fence because we have bigger priorities inside the home that we need to deal with first.

Here is what I am trying to figure out. Do we:

-Leave the trees where they are, put up a low end fence - which is still probably going to cost 8k ish I think - and then just fix the damage as it occurs and deal with the trees in a few years, at which point we may need to replace the fence?

-Not use the backyard for a few years (this seems so sad!) and take care of the whole thing when we can afford it, digging up the trees and putting in the fence at that point.

-Allow our child and other children to play in the backyard while supervised for now, and then take care of the whole thing when we can afford it

Has anyone else dealt with a similar problem? Is there another option that we are not considering?

I really want there to be some solution that would allow us to use the backyard while not spending 25k to do so..

[Anonymous]

Also account for the fact that if you get rid of the trees you will have more noise and pollution from the road that the trees are not protecting you from. I'd just put up a fence under the trees.

[Anonymous]

Can you put up a metal fence? Like the black metal ones that people have around pools. I don't think a tree branch would do much damage to one of those.

[Anonymous]

Put the fence under the trees. We have huge trees too. No problems so far. We do have a tree company come out every other year to cut back any dead branches that we've noticed, which probably helps. I don't think live, healthy branches fall from a tree very often, unless we get hit with a huge ice storm.

[Anonymous]

Pp again. You can just put up a non fancy fence Like farm style pretty much as a border to prevent kids from running out.
You can almost do it yourself over a summer. Need a post digger and the fence posts with the slots and the wood. There are places which will deliver all that to you. I have friends who did that over 2 months of weekends in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Get a fence. A sturdy well built tall fence that will block noise. Do not worry about the trees now. Most limbs fall off in a storm. Fences are designed to last twenty years. It won't look brand new but it will last. Do not buy a vinyl fence. It will not withstand the wind or the trees. Wood is the way to go. You are overthinking this. Really. If you have to worry about something, then focus on not letting the fence be a replacement for supervision of your children.

[Anonymous]

Just put up the fence. If the trees are a problem, have someone out to trim out the dead and damaged branches.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I don't follow your logic that falling branches will substantively damage a fence below it, definitely not to the point that you regret putting up the fence to make use of your backyard.

[Anonymous]

It is weird that big branches are constantly falling off.
Also, to not use the backyard at all is crazy.
You are overthinking this. Have an arborist look at
The trees and determine if they are healthy. If any are diseased
or dying, then only cut those down. Put up a basic but sturdy fence -
Metal or post and beam.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you need someone to trim the trees more than you need to cut them down. Agree with pps that they're a good buffer against the traffic.

[Anonymous]

Put up a split rail fence with wire- it will keep in kids (and dogs if you have them). And it is very cheap to fix if it gets damaged.

[Anonymous]

Supervise the kid as given the age she needs to be supervised regardless.

You can get cheap off the shelf low fencing that hammers in with a stick. That is what we did. Or, get poles and chicken wire for the back as a temporary measure.

[Anonymous]

We had a medium-sized tree fall onto our pressure-treated fence (nothing fancy, your standard pickets). I think one slat came loose requiring my 10yo to go out with a hammer. Fence itself was fine.

[Anonymous]

Put up a fence and get the tree pruned.