Should I inform the neighbours??

irish bloke

Hi All,

New here and this is my first thread.:)

Background:
I currently have a 5 ft high fence running along the side of my house (back garden).
The fence is about 100 ft long and is the back wall to about 5 house gardens.
All these house gardens are about 5 ft lower then the level of my back garden.

Problem:
Issue I have is that I have no privacy. I can see all there top windows and they can see me..:(
What I would like to do is put hedging up in my garden to about 9ft, this would give me privicy.

Unfortunately this will block out some of there sun.

I want privacy but dont want to fall out with the whole block either.
Should I tell them, should I just go ahead and plant it, should i not plant it, What should I do?

Thanks in advance...

Bullseye1

How deep is your garden. Could you plant back from the fence in order to give you privacy and limit shadowing onto your neighbours.

irish bloke

thanks for the reply,

I would have the room to do that for about 90% of the fence.
It is an idea but I would hate to loose some of my garden too.

I would be willing to tell them first but could run the risk of one or more saying they dont want me to do it, then what do i do!

On the otherhand If I say nothing and go ahead and just plant it, the hedge will be lower then the fence when planted and gradually grow over time. This might not be such a blow to them...

Carlow52

Get a balaclava if you are that paranoid:D

Do you really think that folk are going to be orsed sitting up in their top rooms looking at you.

They have no right to light by the way

How far from the wall to the back of the 5 houses?

what way does you garden run? ie does it face North

paddy147

Carlow52 wrote: »

Get a balaclava if you are that paranoid:D

Do you really think that folk are going to be orsed sitting up in their top rooms looking at you.

Theres all sorts of weirdos out there,pervs too.

So you never know.

paddy147

Hedging to 9 feet height will take a good few years to grow to that height and it will also have to be some thickness too,if its to be 9 feet high.

Imagine trying to maintain and keep it cut now.:eek:

Extend the height of your existing wooden boundary fence to 2 meters high.

You can do this with regards to planning laws and boundary walls in a back garden (max of 2 meters in height from ground level).

But idealy you need to consult/talk with your immediate neighbour before you just go at it.

irish bloke

Carlow52 wrote: »

Get a balaclava if you are that paranoid:D
ha ha....

Pretty sure it faces east. Sun come up at my back fence and travels around my right hand back fence (not the one with the 5 houses) and sets at the front of the house.

That would make there gardens face South I reckon.

The fence is about 30ft away from the 5 houses and is about 10 ft high for them (my garden being 5 ft higher

irish bloke

paddy147 wrote: »

Hedging to 9 feet height will take a good few years to grow to that height and it will also have to be some thickness too,if its to be 9 feet high.

Imagine trying to maintain and keep it cut now.:eek:

Extend the height of your existing wooden boundary fence to 2 meters high.

You can do this with regards to planning laws and boundary walls in a back garden (max of 2 meters in height from ground level).

But idealy you need to consult/talk with your immediate neighbour before you just go at it.

To extend the fence to 2 m would require me pulling up all the H posts and cementing them back in for another 1.5 ft approx lift. This would take some considerable effort and prob cost a bomb, also I would gain nothing from it as I would still see them.

paddy147

irish bloke wrote: »

To extend the fence to 2 m would require me pulling up all the H posts and cementing them back in for another 1.5 ft approx lift. This would take some considerable effort and prob cost a bomb, also I would gain nothing from it as I would still see them.

Move house then,or else get ued to the fact that your house is 5 feet higher than anyone elses.You bought the house knowing this situation so you are stuck with it.

Expect protests and complaints from neighbours for complete blockage of light as they will have a 14 foot high wall of blockage from their side.14 foot high is very high indeed,too high in fact.

If it were me,Id be bashing down your front door demanding that you cut the hedge back down to decent/accpetable size.

The neighbours can have you in the courts for matters like this.

So be warned.

irish bloke

lets be honest, im not going to move house over this, now am I.....:rolleyes:

How can they have me court over this?? I thought if it grows in my garden i can grow what i like??

Carlow 52 has suggested they have no right to light!!!

Its not my fault my house is higher then theres.... they also bought there house knowing theres was 5 ft lower then mine!!!!

galwegians

irish bloke wrote: »

lets be honest, im not going to move house over this, now am I.....:rolleyes:

How can they have me court over this?? I thought if it grows in my garden i can grow what i like??

Carlow 52 has suggested they have no right to light!!!

Its not my fault my house is higher then theres.... they also bought there house knowing theres was 5 ft lower then mine!!!!

stick in a line of leylandi trees they will take about 5yrs to grow anyway,
by then they will have got used to them, go ahead and dont be asking permission to put anything on your own property, best of luck to you,

irish bloke

galwegians wrote: »

stick in a line of leylandi trees they will take about 5yrs to grow anyway,
by then they will have got used to them, go ahead and dont be asking permission to put anything on your own property, best of luck to you,

Thanks galwegians for the positive reply. I will probably end up doing exactly that...

Cheers....

galwegians

irish bloke wrote: »

Thanks galwegians for the positive reply. I will probably end up doing exactly that...

Cheers....

your wecome pal, done the same thing myself at the front of my house, planted 42 leylandi trees two and half foot back from fence, and two and a half foot apart, 5yrs ago and they are seven and a half foot tall know, great privacy.
good luck,

galwegians

welcome to boards.ie by the way.

magicbastarder

the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
i keep hearing (in a 'i heard that...' way) that leylandii planting is restricted in some manner, though the source is never sure quite how, but that it's to prevent situations like this. i suspect they are referring to a law which does exist in england governing the planting.

how many people sit in their bedrooms staring into their neighbours back gardens? most housing estates i've been in allow you to see into your neighbour's back garden from the upstairs windows. you just happen to be in a relatively unusual position where you can block them out.

yes, they knew they had a 10 foot 'fence', as you say. that does not imply they expected a 14 foot one.
plus, will you be able to trim the back of the leylandii that overhang their gardens? they will have a difficult task doing so, and you will have doubly pissed off neighbours if the leylandi end up overhanging their gardens by a few feet.

at the very least, plant birch which will let dappled light through (during the summer, when you will be using the garden most) but which will effectively block any 'spying'. and it will let more light through in the winter, when the sun is low and the blocking effect of the leylandii would be otherwise much more pronounced.

RAH1

get blinds

irish bloke

magicbastarder wrote: »

the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
i keep hearing (in a 'i heard that...' way) that leylandii planting is restricted in some manner, though the source is never sure quite how, but that it's to prevent situations like this.

how many people sit in their bedrooms staring into their neighbours back gardens? most housing estates i've been in allow you to see into your neighbour's back garden from the upstairs windows. you just happen to be in a relatively unusual position where you can block them out.

yes, they knew they had a 10 foot 'fence', as you say. that does not imply they expected a 14 foot one.
plus, will you be able to trim the back of the leylandii that overhang their gardens? they will have a difficult task doing so, and you will have doubly pissed off neighbours if the leylandi end up overhanging their gardens by a few feet.

at the very least, plant birch which will let dappled light through (during the summer, when you will be using the garden most) but which will effectively block any 'spying'.

I see your point too or else I wouldn't be on here asking for opinions and advice and go way and plant a forest.
I also have a security disadvantage. I have 6.6 ft gates at the side of my house meeting my 5 ft fence at 90 degrees, anyone that way inkind could jump the fence without any great hassle.

paddy147

irish bloke wrote: »

lets be honest, im not going to move house over this, now am I.....:rolleyes:

How can they have me court over this?? I thought if it grows in my garden i can grow what i like??

Carlow 52 has suggested they have no right to light!!!

Its not my fault my house is higher then theres.... they also bought there house knowing theres was 5 ft lower then mine!!!!

Your neighbours have rights too,with regards their line of sight and angle of light and shadow on their property from anything you would put up or errect.Also any structure,man made or natural that protrudes into their property or obstructs their property can be a case of legal action.

They can easily have you in court over this matter or start legal proccedings against you for the above matters.

RAH1

actually do put in the trees because me and a friend of mine used to spend evenings in college looking out our upstairs back windows trying to figure out what the neighbour got up to.some craic making observations on them.two young fellas used to play the play station in a house out the back and they would nearly always end up fighting.

irish bloke

galwegians wrote: »

welcome to boards.ie by the way.

cheers...:)

irish bloke

paddy147 wrote: »

Your neighbours have rights too,with regards their line of sight and angle of light and shadow on their property from anything you would put up or errect.Also any structure,man made or natural that protrudes into their property or obstructs their property can be a case of legal action.

They can easily have you in court over this matter or start legal proccedings against you for the above matters.

Anyone I have spoken to would disagree with what you are saying. Yes if my tree/hedge grows over the line of there property they are entitled to chop it back to there line, but not the top on my property.
I even rang the council abt hedging and they said there is no issue with me growing this.

Are you 100% sure about me blocking there light with hedges being a case for legal action???? If so I can ring the council.

irish bloke

RAH1 wrote: »

actually do put in the trees because me and a friend of mine used to spend evenings in college looking out our upstairs back windows trying to figure out what the neighbour got up to.some craic making observations on them.two young fellas used to play the play station in a house out the back and they would nearly always end up fighting.

Was that you who used to spy on us???:D

RAH1

irish bloke wrote: »

Was that you who used to spy on us???:D

ya.you would want to change the paint in the kitchen.not great.i seen ya messing with your sister in law aswell.bad man.haha

irish bloke

RAH1 wrote: »

ya.you would want to change the paint in the kitchen.not great.i seen ya messing with your sister in law aswell.bad man.haha

naughty!!!!;)

Sonnenblumen

OP you can build any structure up to 2.0m, higher would be subject to planning. Frequently these heights are exceeded without going the planning route.

You can plant what you like, where you like on your own property. If some whinger comes knocking on your door, well you'd know what to do there.

Ideally it would be better to do with neighbours on side but you're under no obligation to consult. Right to light/sun is rubbish so don't let anyone bully you.

If someone came banging on my door, I'd know what to do.

paddy147

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

OP you can build any structure up to 2.0m, higher would be subject to planning. Frequently these heights are exceeded without going the planning route.

You can plant what you like, where you like on your own property. If some whinger comes knocking on your door, well you'd know what to do there.

Ideally it would be better to do with neighbours on side but you're under no obligation to consult. Right to light/sun is rubbish so don't let anyone bully you.

If someone came banging on my door, I'd know what to do.

You really need to study the European/EU laws and rights of a person before making any more comments.:rolleyes:

irish bloke

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

OP you can build any structure up to 2.0m, higher would be subject to planning. Frequently these heights are exceeded without going the planning route.

You can plant what you like, where you like on your own property. If some whinger comes knocking on your door, well you'd know what to do there.

Ideally it would be better to do with neighbours on side but you're under no obligation to consult. Right to light/sun is rubbish so don't let anyone bully you.

If someone came banging on my door, I'd know what to do.

Thats what I thought, Thanks also for the advice. I think i will just go ahead and plant them and deal with the door knocking if it comes then.

I will try plant them a few feet back to mitigate against the trees growing into there back garden as magicbastarder pointed out.

irish bloke

paddy147 wrote: »

You really need to study the European/EU laws and rights of a person before making any more comments.:rolleyes:

I'll not dismiss anyone comments as im no legal expert but do you have more details on this, extract etc would be great!!

cheers...

Carlow52

paddy147 wrote: »

Your neighbours have rights too,with regards their line of sight and angle of light and shadow on their property from anything you would put up or erect. Also any structure,man made or natural that protrudes into their property or obstructs their property can be a case of legal action.

They can easily have you in court over this matter or start legal proceedings against you for the above matters.

Paddy147

We need to distinguish clearly here between 3 things
1: building works
2: shrubs
3: encroachment of 1 or 2 into some one else's property

1 is a planning issue and not an issue in this post
2 is not a planning issue
3 not allowed

Cant agree with this angle of/ right of light bit for shrubs: the overhanging bits yes but not stuff in his garden.

They have a right to light in UK but not here, the LA's have used guidelines called the Littlefair guidelines but again for buildings and not shrubs/trees: page 10 here shows the idea
http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/files/documents/house_extensions/house_extensions.pdf

The shading issue has become more of an issue now with solar gains being in the regs but at 30 feet away from the houses....

Again the link shows the 45 degree rule also


The one concern I have here is that with the gardens 5 feet lower, the 2m rule has been applied by DLRDCOCO from the lower side:)

In addition big roots could damage the walls: the birch trees don't have the same impact

Finally re this comment

Originally Posted by paddy147 View Post
You really need to study the European/EU laws and rights of a person before making any more comments.

It, IMO, behooves all of us to provide links/precedents examples to support these sorts of statements.

Misty Midlands

Go ahead and plant the trees, it's your garden and you deserve privacy. Good luck!

magicbastarder

i know what i'd think if someone planted trees like that unnecessarily and blocked my light. and i'd be right.

this thread is depressing.

Sonnenblumen

paddy147 wrote: »

You really need to study the European/EU laws and rights of a person before making any more comments.:rolleyes:

reminds me of the bull in the china shop?

irish bloke

magicbastarder wrote: »

i know what i'd think if someone planted trees like that unnecessarily and blocked my light. and i'd be right.

this thread is depressing.

your probably not reading all my reasoning then. I also have a security issue of a low back garden fence as previously stated...

Therefore i am not unnecessarily blocking someones light....

Skerries

i wish my neighbour would grow a few trees at the back of us
big saggy wrinkly tits are not what i want to be looking at whenever a bit of sun comes out

shinikins

OP you may want to check with the council before you do anything, as Sonnenblumen pointed out a structure may be built without permission to a height of 2m. This means that the wall can be built no further than 2m on the neighbours side, not yours, so your still going to end up with a shorter wall.

Best short term solution for you is to invest in some wooden garden pannelling or fencing and attach it to the existing wall on your side an grow some climbers. Clematis grows fairly quick as does honeysuckle. Then apply for permission to extend the height of the wall but expect objections!!

magicbastarder

irish bloke wrote: »

your probably not reading all my reasoning then.

it's more the other posters with the '**** 'em, your property rights override all other concerns' attitude which i find depressing. at least you seem to want a compromise.

maybe i'm biased, but i know loads of my neighbours on a first name basis, and i know how valuable it can be having goodwill around you. don't mess with that lightly.
like i said - birch would provide screening without that complete light blockage that leylandii provide, and they will look a lot nicer from their side too.

beer enigma

I think the message here is that whilst you can completely shield your garden with leylandii, compromise is probably the best option in terms of neighbours.

There's no right to light in Ireland irrespective of what has been said & I have a neighbour that's just tried that line. She contacted the council & they told her as much, she then went legal & took a case for nuisance - she lost that too - as you can see from the photo below, she has more of a case than most especially given that the trees are one the east of her garden, so light is severely hampered.


Relations between the neighbours is at an all time low & they spend their time avoiding each other - compromise is your only man...

padi89

Of all plants don't go putting in a 100ft row of leylandii unless your fully prepared to put the work in keeping them in check. There is evidence everywhere of them growing out of control in suburban settings from lazy ignorant owners and very few well kept hedges. They grow at an astonishing rate and are so dense no light will get through. Neighbours
at my back planted them and never kept them under control meaning every year i have to top them from my side cut them back from overhanging on a 20ft run and its a huge amount of waste to get rid of. You should take into account that you should take care of overgrowing folige on your neighbours side too but there is nothing
to say you must do.The other half another 20ft she wont let us cut which has now a towering 25-30ft structure blocking half the garden of light and its horrible and so selfish. When i went to dig a little in the bag this summer the roots are now over 10ft into my lawn and everything is just bone dry all this distance from our wall. You should be weary also of possible cracking to walls from roots, as my neighbour has experienced. I think leylandii have their place and can look well properly maintained but people get lazy don't bother one or two years cutting and next it,s a nightmare and costly to get some pro's in.
Is there not something else that may suit, less destructive maybe something that creates more dappled shade.
In regards to height my house is south facing. The wall at the back of my house is about 8ft and another 3-4ft of leylandii. In the summer is will block approx 6-10ft of light into the garden depending on the height of the sun, come winter it won't get any. Just letting you know this so you have an idea of what your neighbors may experience. If their gardens are not deep it may have a much more drastic effect.
Nobody has a right to light but its definetly something don't give a rats ass about until the tables are turned and your on the receiving end and can't enjoy your garden. Whatever your decision take your time and do your research.

padi89

Andip thats what i live with in my back garden half of it covered by those monsters except for me the distance is closer and south facing.

Meelich

Please please don't put in Leylandii, they are horrible plants, block huge amount of light, look incredibly ugly if you trim them back, create tons and tons of waste leaves/branches on the ground and the roots are massive and destructive and drain your own lawn of moisture, never mind your neighbours. You will be creating a rod to spoil your own back by planting them. They will also eat into your own garden in terms of how wide they will get over time.

the lowest maintenance option by far would be to get some of the opaque roller blinds for your back windows and let the sunlight into your and your neighbours gardens.

If your neighbours gardens are south facing this means yours must be north facing meaning you will be creating an even more shaded back gardn for yoursefl, that's far from ideal.

lrushe

As someone who has neighbours with tall conifers at the back of me I would urge you to take your neighbours feelings into consideration. The ones at the back of me are about one and a half times the size of the house, there is part of my back garden where nothing grows, not even grass because there is no sun light getting through. The roots are also starting up push up under the dividing wall so there is a big crack in the wall. I sometimes also fear in high winds that one of the trees will come down, if that happened the damage would be extensive.
I don't know why my neighbours feel the need to have such high trees there is already a 6ft wall around there garden. Sometimes I think it's just that people are under the notion that their lives are so interesting that people will be peering out the window at them all the time, not the case at all

gizmo555

Misty Midlands wrote: »

Go ahead and plant the trees, it's your garden and you deserve privacy. Good luck!

Wyldwood

Could you put yourself in your neighbours' shoes for a minute and think how you'd feel if they planted a mighty line of Leylandii along the boundary with you & you had no control over how high or wide it would be. Bet you'd be knocking on their door mighty fast.
Consider putting a nice mixed border in at the bottom of your garden with some high evergreen shrubs dotted at the back. You'll get height and all year round interest + something that doesn't require constant cutting like a hedge or the dreaded Leylandii.
I have to live with a row of 40+ feet Ash trees at the bottom of my south-west facing garden & they block an incredible amount of sun in summer.

Eyeore

All these house gardens are about 5 ft lower then the level of my back garden.

Surely the neighbours are at the disadvantage here, arent you looking down on them?? I would think their 10ft fence is high enough to stop them seeing into your garden.

Cicero

Planting Leylandii makes absolutely no sense whatsoever in small suburban gardens surrounded by other gardens/houses- you said the houses are south facing- that means sunlight most of the day from early morning right through to evening time hitting various parts of their garden...even an 8-10 foot high hedge won't impinge on their light, especially if the fences are at the end of their garden...but get something sensible..Leylandii are just unsuited for a garden your size.

Sonnenblumen

gizmo555 wrote: »

Gizmo

what an extraordinary photo, is it real? I'd love to know the location.

beer enigma

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Gizmo

what an extraordinary photo, is it real? I'd love to know the location.

It's in Plymouth in Devon - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/06/huge-leylandii-plymouth-dispute

hucklebuck

You could dig your garden to the level of the other gardens, get some great top soil, have a smashing garden, not have the hassle of tree maintenance or annoyed neighbours.

If any neighbour of mine had such little regard for me as to plant leylandi and obstruct my sun I would spray roundup all over their garden when they were in work.

okee

Like everyone said don't plant leylandiis they're a horrible plant and take over
the place, very high maintenance, laurel hedging is better