Miss Manners: Will it anger our neighbors if we put a new fence in and don’t tell them?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband and I bought our current home about four years ago, although the house itself is about 20 years old. The backyard is surrounded by a standard wooden fence.

The condition of the wood suggests the fence has been there nearly as long as the house, and we think it desperately needs to be replaced. Two of our neighbors have fences that adjoin ours and which, based on condition, were built around the same time.

Even though it’s our right to replace our fence, do we owe any consideration to the neighbors? After all, our shiny new fence will now be mixed with their well-worn ones surrounding their yards.

I don’t want to imply that I’m asking their permission, because we intend to replace it regardless. But is it worth giving them a heads-up that we’re having the w