A good neighbor fence, also called a shadow-box fence, alternates its boards on opposite sides of the rails so the fence looks the same and fully finished from both your yard and your neighbor's. Nobody ends up staring at the back of the fence, the rails, or the posts. It is one of seven real fence styles our crews build across the Portland metro, from Sellwood to Alameda to the newer developments in Beaverton and Hillsboro, and below are real photos from our own installs.
If you already know the style you want, we handle fence installation across Portland, Vancouver, and the surrounding area. If you are still deciding, keep reading.
What Is a Good Neighbor Fence, Exactly?
A standard privacy fence has a front and a back. The boards all mount to one side of the rails, so whoever is on the rail side looks at bare framing instead of a finished face. A good neighbor fence fixes that by alternating the boards, one on your side, the next on your neighbor's, all the way down the line. Both yards get the same clean, finished look.
It is a popular pick for shared property lines, for HOA communities that require a finished look on both sides, and for anyone who would rather not have an awkward conversation with a neighbor about whose yard gets the good side. The small offset gap between boards also lets a little air and light through, which helps in windy spots and keeps the fence from acting like a solid wall.
Good Neighbor vs Standard Privacy Fence
A standard vertical cedar fence is simpler to build and a little more budget-friendly, since every board mounts to the same side. A good neighbor fence uses more lumber and more labor to alternate the boards, but you get a finished look on both sides and slightly more airflow. If you share a fence line with a neighbor and want to keep the peace, good neighbor is usually the better call.
Why Is It Called a Good Neighbor Fence?
Because neither side gets stuck with the ugly side. On a standard privacy fence the boards mount to one face of the rails, so one household looks at finished cedar and the other looks at the rails and the posts. The board gets called the good side, and deciding who gets it has started more property line arguments than almost anything else in fencing. A good neighbor fence removes the argument by giving both yards the same view, which is where the name comes from.
Shadowbox, Shadow Box, and Good Neighbor Are the Same Fence
If you have been quoted a shadowbox fence, a shadow box fence, and a good neighbor fence by three different companies, you were quoted the same fence three times. The name changes by builder and by region. Shadowbox describes what the boards do, alternating front and back so each one casts a shadow into the gap behind it, and good neighbor describes the result, which is a fence that looks finished from both yards. We use the terms interchangeably, and so does most of the trade around Portland.
See Every Fence Style We Build in Portland, With Real Photos
Good neighbor is one of seven styles we install regularly. Here is a quick rundown of each, with real photos from our own jobs where we have them, so you can see what actually fits your yard before you call.
Standard Cedar (Vertical)
The classic. Vertical cedar boards set side by side for full privacy. It is the most common style we install, and it fits almost any Portland home.
Horizontal Cedar
Boards run side to side instead of up and down, for a clean, modern look that suits newer and remodeled homes. We wrote a full guide on horizontal fence ideas if that is the direction you are leaning.
Board on Board
Boards overlap so there are no sightline gaps, even after the wood naturally moves and dries out over the seasons. It is the pick when full, lasting privacy matters more than anything else, and it pairs well with a kick board if you have a dog that digs.
Hogwire
A cedar frame around a welded wire panel. It keeps your view and your light while still marking the property line. Popular for gardens, for pets, and for yards with a backdrop worth keeping.
Chain Link
The practical pick: affordable, low maintenance, and hard to beat when security matters more than looks. You can soften the industrial look with privacy slats that block 70 to 90 percent of the view, and choose black, green, or galvanized frames.
Colorbond Steel
The lowest-maintenance fence we install. Colorbond steel panels are 100 percent rot resistant, corrosion resistant, and fire retardant, in real color options like Woodland Grey, Jasper, and Monument. It is the pick for anyone who would rather never think about their fence again.
Board on Board vs Good Neighbor: What Is Actually Different
These two get mixed up constantly, and the difference is worth understanding before you pick, because it decides how private your yard actually is. A good neighbor fence alternates its boards to opposite sides of the rails. A board on board fence overlaps its boards on the same side, each one lapping over the edge of the last.
That one change has a real consequence. Because a good neighbor fence alternates sides, there is a narrow gap between each pair of boards. Stand square to the fence and you see a solid wall. Walk along it at an angle and you get slivers of sightline through those gaps. Board on board closes them, because the overlap covers the gap from every angle, and it stays closed as the cedar dries and shrinks through its first couple of Portland summers.
The trade is symmetry. Board on board gives you the tighter screen but keeps a front and a back, so you are back to deciding who gets the good side. Good neighbor gives up a little sightline privacy to make both yards match. Neither is better as a rule, they answer different questions.
This matters more in Portland than it does in a lot of places. Lots here are narrow and houses sit close to the line, so a shared fence is usually a few steps from a kitchen window on both sides rather than a distant edge of a big yard. Whichever side ends up looking at rails and posts is going to be looking at them every day, which is why the both-sides question comes up in almost every quote we write along a shared line.
- Pick good neighbor when the fence runs along a shared property line, when an HOA wants a finished look from both sides, or when you want to keep the conversation with the neighbor easy.
- Pick board on board when maximum privacy is the whole point, when the fence backs a busy street or a sidewalk, or when the far side is yours anyway and nobody is looking at the back.
Either style can be built on our lifetime steel posts, and either can take a kick board along the bottom, so you are choosing the look and not the structure. If the post is the part you are worried about, here is how a wood fence on metal posts actually goes together.
Still not sure which way to go? We walk the line with you and show you both before anything gets built. See how we build fences in Portland.
If board on board is the direction you are leaning, we have a full page on it: how we build a board on board fence in Portland, including where it is the wrong call.
How to Pick the Right Style for Your Yard
| If this matters most to you... | Best style |
|---|---|
| Sharing a fence line with a neighbor | Good neighbor (shadow-box) |
| Full privacy, lowest cost | Standard cedar (vertical) |
| A modern look | Horizontal cedar |
| Full privacy that lasts through wood movement | Board on board |
| Keeping your view and the light | Hogwire |
| Security on a budget | Chain link with privacy slats |
| Lowest maintenance, longest life | Colorbond steel |
Want the full technical breakdown, warranty details, and what actually makes a fence last? Our complete guide to every fence type covers the build quality behind each style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a good neighbor fence need more maintenance than a standard fence?
No. Maintenance is about the material, not the style. A good neighbor cedar fence needs the same occasional stain as a standard cedar fence. The alternating boards do not change how often you need to maintain it.
Can I build a good neighbor fence with steel posts?
Yes. We often pair a good neighbor style with our lifetime steel posts, then hide the post behind matching wood so both sides still look like a true cedar fence, no exposed metal on either side.
Can I mix a good neighbor fence with a different style in the same yard?
Yes, this is common. A lot of Portland homeowners run good neighbor along the shared property line where a neighbor sees it, then switch to standard cedar or board on board along the sides and back of their own yard where privacy matters more than the shared look.
Which style is best for a dog that digs?
Board on board paired with a kick board along the bottom. The kick board stops digging and keeps the pickets up out of wet soil.
Do you offer financing for these fence styles?
Yes, on all of them. We offer 12 months no interest so a quality fence fits your budget, whatever style you pick.
Is a good neighbor fence required by my HOA?
Some Portland-area HOAs do require a finished look on both sides of a shared fence line, which is exactly what a good neighbor fence gives you. Check your HOA's covenant, or ask us and we will help you confirm before we build.
What is the difference between a privacy fence and a good neighbor fence?
A good neighbor fence is a type of privacy fence. Privacy fence describes the job, which is a solid screen tall enough to block the view into your yard. Good neighbor describes how the boards are arranged to do that job, alternating them front and back so the finished look lands on both sides. Every good neighbor fence is a privacy fence, but plenty of privacy fences are not good neighbor fences.
Is a shadowbox fence the same as a good neighbor fence?
Yes. Shadowbox, shadow box, and good neighbor all describe boards alternating on opposite sides of the rails. Different builders favor different names for the identical fence, so ask any company to describe how the boards sit rather than trusting the label on the quote.
Does a good neighbor fence give you complete privacy?
Almost, and the exception is worth knowing before you build. Straight on it reads as a solid fence. At a sharp angle you can catch narrow sightlines through the gaps where the boards alternate. If total screening matters more to you than matching both sides, board on board is the better answer, and we build both.
Every crew we send has at least five years of hands-on fence experience, not day-labor, and every fence we build is backed by a real workmanship warranty. If you are ready to see what one of these styles looks like in your own yard, we quote it free.
Ready to pick your style?
We do free, no-pressure fence quotes for Portland-area homeowners, and we help you pick the style and build that fit your yard.
Licensed, bonded & insured · Grade 1 cedar & steel posts · 20+ years in the Portland area · Financing available
Gorilla Works proudly serves Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Troutdale, Vancouver WA, and Camas WA. Call (971) 343-4964 or request fence installation.
