I'm not clear what it is you seek. Is it ...

1. A way to complete the repairs in the one day you have access.

2. A method of completing the work from your side of the fence.

3. Something you might say to your neighbor that would convince her to extend the access to more days.

4. Some legal way to override your neighbor's right to exclude an unwanted entry to her property.

Your neighbor is not under any obligation to allow you to use her property for your fence repairs. You can either hire someone or find some friends to help you complete the repairs within one day, or remove and reinstall the section that abuts her property to a location inside your property line so you can access it for repairs and maintenance in the future.

Maybe she's worried that the repair will stretch out for weeks, or that you could be injured while on her property, making her potentially liable. Can you try explaining that you need a little more time, and politely ask if she would reconsider the one day limit?

Your responses are appreciated. Let me spell this out a bit more completely. The fence is within my property line. I could remove all the pickets and reinstall them on my side. Then any repairs down the road I could do from my side. Could easily remove them all in a day. Replacing will take a while because there are absolutely zillions of varied fasteners which all have to be knocked through then removed before screwing the boards into place.

I don't believe there is a concern about me injuring myself. And further, the fence is something she wants as she has a small dog. She just had new fencing installed around the rest of her property. I want the fence because it's a nice backdrop and can provide support for climbers.

I really don't know what to do. Sure, I could ask for more time. Don't know what the outcome would be.

This isn't truly germaine but I have a great relationship with many neighbors here.

Thank you one and all.
Rosie in Sugar Hill, GA

I'm not clear on why you need access to your neighbor's property--if the fence is YOURS.

Rosie, you said "... come on to her property ...."

I'm going to guess that your neighbor is a single elderly lady. I say that because I have much experience in asking for entry onto others land. When a reasonable entry is denied, four out of five times the denial comes from an elderly lady. I have concluded that they feel threatened, thoudh I don't understand why. Moreover, the denial does not seem based on the reason for entry, nor on the person requesting it.

Not that this is going to help you in any way, but it might soothe your feelings to know that she is only doing what comes natural for a woman of her age.

At any rate, you asked for entry and got an answer. And you have already identified a course of action based on that answer.

"I'm not clear on why you need access to your neighbor's property--if the fence is YOURS."

MJSEE. I have to be on her side of the fence to reattach all the loose pickets. They attach from front to back.

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"Rosie, you said "... come on to her property ...."
I'm going to guess that your neighbor is a single elderly lady."

PLS8XX - you've got me cracked up. I AM THE LITTLE OLD LADY! My neighbor is a 30-something school teacher. LOL Perhaps this will help you and others to understand why I can't do the great job I want to do repairing nearly 100' of fence in a day. One job I didn't mention but which I must do is trench out the entire length because there is soil a couple of inches up on the pickets. This is PT pine but not treated for below grade. Leave it as it is and it will rot.

Rosie, a little old (single)lady in Sugar Hill, GA

Rosie, well now, not the first time I have been wrong. Could it be that little old ladies that do their own fence repair have an outlook on life much younger than their years? And teaching in today's school environment surely would test one's sanity, might even lead to an advanced age psychological profile.

Could you remove a few of the pickets to create a gap. Then lean through the gap to reattach a few as you remove a few more down the line.

ps Not so young myself. Little old ladies can be rather attractive. Now if my wife didn't keep me on such a short leash ...

Two thoughts: could you put up some wire mesh to keep the dog fenced in while you work.........or could you do her section first, then the other two sides?

BTW, instead of trenching, can't the pickets just be mounted a little higher on the cross supports?

If you want to be obstinate, just do it however you see fit. If she wants the free fence, she'll have to put up with it. If she complains or notices that it took you (gasp!) two days instead of one- what can she really do about it? Have you leave it half done? I'd just tell her you really tried to do it in one day but just couldn't get it all done. You're sorry. You'll need another day or two to finish it- or it will have to be left as is. What can she say about it once you've taken down the fence?

In these parts neighbors are each expected to pay half for a fence they both benefit from. I guess if she wants it done in one day, she can pay her half and you can hire someone? Odd. You might call your local City and ask what rules they have with regards to fences etc. It may or may not be helpful but is worth a try.

It sounds like if the pickets are being attached on the neighbor's side, that the more attractive side of the fence is facing the neighbor. Is that so? If it is, then your neighbor should bite her tongue and let you finish the work.

Otherwise, I'd just attach the pickets on my own side and have the better looking view! If the neighbor wants to know why she now has the "ugly" side, you can tell her the reason.

What Cady said!

You state that the fence is within your property line, but apparently it's not within it enough to give you a couple of feet of your own property to work from, which is the best way to install a property line fence. If you do have a couple of feet to the line, you can work on it as long as you want to, whether the neighbor likes it or not, as you are not technically on her property.

Local customs vary from region to region. Where I live, neighbors don't usually chip in for the cost of fences, but rather the one who wants it the most pays for it and installs it on their own property. Yes, the neighbor on the other side gets a free fence, but they have no say in the style, color, size, material, etc. and this arrangement avoids maintenance disagreements down the road.

I would take down a sizable section of the fence boards (from your own side once you've got a few removed so you can lean through the opening) and leave them off for a while. When her dog is no longer contained, she may be more inclined to reconsider the one day limit to let you get it put back together.

I love saypoint's suggestion! And it's nice to see sexist/ageist people put in their place. ("I'm assuming the neighbor is an elderly lady") You go, Rosie!

If the fence is really within your property line, your schoolteacher has nothing to say about your working on it.

Now, if her dog happens to run into your yard and damage your gardens, how foolish will she feel?

Take off a few planks, sit back and enjoy the rest of the show!

when my parents had to replace their fence, the rear neighbor offered to pay for half the cost. the day the work started, he disappeared! when we were in the yard, he would go back inside immediately. he finally came by one day to complain that when we redid the pool plumbing the drain now flooded his yard. my stepdad told him that if he wanted it fixed, he could pay to have the drain routed out to the storm sewer, and by the way you owe me 1000.00 for your part of the fence! that shut him up real quick.

i meant to add to that we were told by one neighbor, not this one, that we could not have access to his yard to repair/replace the fence sections. that part simply had the ugly side installed to the neighbor. the good side was originally on their side, but we just used a hammer to knock the boards off and installed the new ones on our side. when she complained that we left a mess on her property, we informed her we wanted to pick it up, but could only get what we could reach from our side since she told us in no uncertain terms not to even step foot on her property.

i bet your neighbor just wants the fence back up in day so she does not have to fool with the dog for several days in a row. offer to put up a temporary wire mesh to contain the dog if work is not complete in a day and see what she says. all you need to do is remove one section of fence at a time, put on the new boards, then move to the next section. when you call it a day, nail up some chicken wire over any open section and she cna turn her dog loose int eh yard at night with no worries.