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Man notices a single mom's fence falling down so he stopped to build her a new one for free

"Plus I'm sure if they could afford to get it done, it would've been did by now."

Man sees neighbor's fence falling down so he builds a new one

It's not unheard of for people to do nice things for their neighbors. Borrowing a bag of rice to finish dinner or collecting the neighbor's mail while they're on vacation. All of these scenarios are within the realm of normalcy of kind neighborly interactions and while some neighbors may even come over to assist with a weekend project, most don't take on huge projects without prompting.

A man that goes by the name Uncle Jhon has made it his mission to go above and beyond for his neighbors. That's why when he was driving through his neighborhood and noticed a neighbor's fence laying on the ground, he decided to get out of his truck and help. But not just help, no. Jhon took the entire fence down, cut it up and built a new one that wouldn't require replacing for many years to come.

"So today I was riding down the street and that's when I noticed my neighbor's fence laying on the ground, so I decided to replace it completely for free. Just because I' retired y'all and I ain't got nothing better to do. Plus I'm sure if they could afford to get it done, it would've been did by now," the friendly neighbor says in the video he uploaded to social media.

Farm Life Building GIF by WIESEMANN 1893Giphy

Jhon quickly clarifies, "Now I didn't just jump out of my truck with a saw and start cutting these people's fence up. I actually knocked on their door to see if this was something they actually wanted me to do and they was more than excited to tell me yeah when I told them I was going to do it for free."

The woman that owns the home is a single mom who lives with her own mother who was recently involved in a car accident that left the car totaled. While the family are having a small rough patch, they have been attempting to get the fence replaced for several years but the cost is too much. The removal and installation of a new six foot privacy fence can run anywhere from $4,000 to well over $10,000 depending on the size of the yard, type of gates, and style of privacy fence being installed.

Guy Tearing Down Fence Takes A Tumble GIF by ViralHogGiphy

Jhon explains that the family had been quoted over $6,000 by multiple contractors in order to the fence replaced, "and we all know with the state the world in right now, $6,000? You might as well say that's a million dollars."

It took the man just under three hours to complete the new fence and cost him a total of $2,173.89. He explains that he has big plans for his neighborhood by doing his part to make it look more desirable. Jhon uses the money he makes off of TikTok to purchase materials for the free projects he does. The handy neighbor also has a website that has free blueprints of DIY projects like raised garden beds, sheds, mailboxes and more.


@unclejhonn Level 2025: Rebuilding the Community… #unclejhonn #diy #diyfence ♬ original sound - Uncle Jhonn

People can't stop praising the man's action and dedication to his neighborhood with one person writing, "This is what we need more of neighbors helping neighbors!

"That fence looks amazing!!! You can tell that you didn’t take shortcuts either. Built it like it was for yourself!!! Good on ya," another writes.

"As a single mom thank you I know that family are so grateful and appreciate you," someone else shares.

"You are such a good human. My mom was a single parent for many years and an older gentleman rebuilt our front and back porch because he was worried my Nana would get hurt. My mom was so grateful," one person reminisces.

@katiebrookenewton/TikTok

Best doorbell camera footage ever.

Doorbell cameras offer us candid glimpses into the best and worst parts of humanity. Everything from package theft to funny off-the-cuff-rants to sagely life advice has been captured and shared to remind us that life is indeed neither fully good nor bad.

Luckily, this doorbell cam story definitely falls into the heartwarming, feel-good category.

A compilation video posted to TikTok by a woman named Katie Brooke Newton shows her neighbors offering cute pregnancy updates every time they pass by her apartment. And, as one viewer aptly noted, it gives perfect “This is Us” vibes.


Most of the clip shows the mom-to-be staring straight into the camera saying “still pregnant” with a shrug. But then at the end, we see the couple walking up the stairs to their apartment, and the woman, hospital bracelets around her wrist, delivers her final line: “We had the baby.”

The dad then holds the baby up to the camera and quips “not pregnant” instead of “still pregnant.” All the while, the song “Bundle of Joy” from Disney’s “Inside Out” plays in the background.

Thrilled, Newton captioned “Thank you @Ring for helping capture this. Welcome home next door baby!!!”

Watch:

@katiebrookenewton Thank you @Ring for helping capture this 🥹😭 welcome home next door baby!!! #ring #newborn #pregnant #duedate ♬ Bundle of Joy (From "Inside Out") - Benny Martin

The video has racked up nearly 30 million views, and thousands wrote in to say that this should be an actual Ring door cam commercial.

Another viewer noted “I feel like I just watched a Pixar film.”

Newton told Today.com that the sweet viral moment spawned from an earlier interaction she had with the mom, named Sydney Melton.

“I ran into her the day after her due date and said, ‘I’m so tempted to check my Ring camera every time I get a notification that there’s movement at my door because I am curious if it’s you guys running out with your hospital bags ready to go be in labor,’” she told Today.com.

Trevor Melton, Sydney’s husband, also shared that the surprisingly wholesome viral response has given him a new outlook on social media.

“I don’t have social media at all. And my wife has Instagram but she doesn’t use it very often. Oftentimes, I feel that social media can be something that’s really divisive and destructive. I feel like this kind of has made me almost second guess that or see the beauty of it.”

Yes, we might live in a fairly disconnected world. But the opportunities to form connections are there, often in plain sight.

Photo by Kolby Milton on Unsplash

Challenge your neighbors to a Nerf duel and see what happens.

Moving into a new neighborhood or a new building can be daunting. Getting used to a new space, meeting new people, growing accustomed to the vibe or culture of the neighborhood—it can feel like a lot, especially if people don't reach out in a welcoming way.

But as a viral video on Reddit/MadeMeSmile shows, sometimes a warm welcome could actually be a war welcome…with Nerf guns, that is.

In footage from a Ring camera on the front door of an apartment, we see a man in the hallway holding a Nerf gun. He says, "I notice you just moved in. The guy that used to live here, him and I were big into Nerf."

He then holds up the Nerf gun, saying, "I'm gonna leave it. Don't feel any pressure, but if you want to, hey." Then he laughs as he sets the gun down in front of the door.


After that, we see the across-the-hall neighbors engaging in ambush, trickery, deceit, semi-breaking-and-entering—with the help of "Jack," whoever that is—and all manner of silly antics in their battles to shoot one another first.

It's adorable, delightful and a great example of how someone might reach out to a new neighbor in a creative way and see what happens. Watch:

🥹
byu/ihavestandardsman inMadeMeSmile

As some folks in the comments clarified, these videos were acted out by two guys who are already friends and who pretend to meet in all sorts of unique ways. But the idea of introducing yourself to a new neighbor this way is a solid one, regardless.

People loved seeing the battles raging in the hallway.

"'Jack let me in' was my favorite part. Props to Jack, whoever he is," wrote one commenter.

"For a second he thought that things went too far. How the hell you get in my apartment you stalker!!!

Oh Jack let you in. Not fair," wrote another.

"Turncoat! I’d be sleeping with that nerf gun close to my chest," shared another. "Honestly though my favorite was 'did you really think that was gonna work?'…. 'Maybe.'"

Let's use this entertaining video as inspiration to go out and meet our own neighbors if we haven't already…and maybe take a Nerf gun with us, just in case.

Joy

Couple's elderly neighbors couldn't attend their wedding, so they 'married' them at home

The two women held the sweetest, most hilarious "wedding" for Dave and Elena in their apartment.

Terri and Jean threw a private "wedding" for Elena and Dave.

When Elena and Dave moved into their apartment in northern Manhattan in January of 2023, they had no idea their new neighbor would be the one to officiate their wedding—sort of.

Terri, the neighbor, introduced herself to the Dave and Elena right away, and they immediately thought she was a character.

"We started visiting her and the older woman, Jean, she takes care of and lives with—they love our dog," Elena tells Upworthy. "Dave would sometimes cook them dinner, and we would eat together. Jean, who is 86, calls us her grandma. Both have lived in the neighborhood for decades—Jean since the '80s and Terri her whole life."

When the time came for the young couple to get married, Terri and Jean were all about it.


"They loved talking about our upcoming wedding and paid attention to every single part of the planning process, from the dress to the first dance," says Elena.

However, Jean has mobility issues that made it impossible for the women to attend the wedding. So instead, they threw a private marriage ceremony for the couple in their apartment. Terri and Jean decorated from "the 99 cent store" as Terri calls it. They played all the different roles in the wedding, and it's an absolute riot.

Watch the video Elena shared on Instagram:

From Terri playing the father, officiant and bouquet-catcher to Jean's a capella serenade for them to dance to, it was a perfect "wedding."

"It was lots of fun and definitely got us ready for our 'real' wedding two weeks later," says Elena. "We dressed up, read vows, laughed throughout the ceremony and had pizza all together."

Clearly, their getting married meant a lot to Terri and Jean, and the fact that they figured out a way to be a part of it is so heartwarming.


"The experience definitely showed me that weddings are NOT about the money you spend but the feeling behind it and the people who are present," says Elena. "These two women were so supportive of our relationship and we felt surrounded by pure love. There were no expectations and hurt feelings and complications like in our real wedding—just simple awesomeness."

"Whoever said New Yorkers were unfriendly have never lived here!" she adds.

Commenters agreed.

"Everybody shits on the big city but I’ve seen more heart and neighborliness in NYC in the last 9 years than anywhere else I’ve ever lived 😍 this is adorable and SO New York," wrote one person.

"Our Brooklyn neighbors became our bonus grandparents," shared another. "We would cook for each other and shared many COVID holidays together when traveling to be with family wasn’t safe. They’re the best 🥹"

Others just adored everything about it.

"This is the most loving, wholesome thing I’ve seen in ages," wrote one person. "Brings me back to my 'aunt' Rose, the elderly lady who lived next door. She would have me to over parties and tea and it was a magnificent existence."

"This might be the most precious thing I’ve seen in my entire life," wrote another.

"THIS was the wedding. Anything after was a bonus celebration of love," shared another.

man and woman in wedding clothes sitting on a sofa

Dave and Elena, united in neighborly matrimony.

Courtesy of Elena Nicolaou

Here's to the kindness of neighbors, to Elena and Dave's union, and to these two precious ladies who are so delightfully full of life and love.