Very ugly fence?

eamon11

Hello,
I wonder if I can get your opinion.
I recently purchased an old house and the adjoining neighbour has sheds adjacent to my property, which he seems to live in also on and off!!
He had already erected a green iron railing fence when I bought the place. It is 6 foot high and spiked on top and to be honest looks like something out of a concentration camp.It also does not offer any privacy as its railings. He has it set in concrete. I hate it.
If I put a block wall on my side, can I touch the railings with it?
Or What's a good idea to put there?I bought a load of Willow cuttings to make a rapid fence but Hedge might be difficult, even on my side as it's all concreted!

Thanks in advance.

punisher5112

eamon11 wrote: »

Hello,
I wonder if I can get your opinion.
I recently purchased an old house and the adjoining neighbour has sheds adjacent to my property, which he seems to live in also on and off!!
He had already erected a green iron railing fence when I bought the place. It is 6 foot high and spiked on top and to be honest looks like something out of a concentration camp.It also does not offer any privacy as its railings. He has it set in concrete. I hate it.
If I put a block wall on my side, can I touch the railings with it?
Or What's a good idea to put there? Hegge might be difficult, even on my side as it's all concreted

Thanks in advance.

Timber frame fence on your side or plant a hedge..

Remember to try keep your boundary so it isn't taken away by him if he wants to.

Lumen

Has he concreted past the boundary?

If so, how far in and to what depth?

the_sonandmoon

We have a very low and badly built boundary wall between us and next door. I can see her in the garden all the time, and she us. Plus I don't trust it to not fall in on top of our kids.
We approached her about it, but she really is the neighbour from hell, and didn't want it touched. So we built a timber fence in our side of the boundary (not against wall, a few cm into our property). She objected to the council. They inspected it and said, as it was totally on our property, and under 2m, it was totally fine to have erected it under exempted development. We sent her a reminder from our solicitor that the boundary remains the centre line of the wall.

eamon11

thanks for all the replies folks,

Had a chat about it to neighbour but he didn't care and didn't want to know about it. "It is the way it is" were his words.
The concrete extends into my property about 12 inches. Don't know what depth but looks quite sturdy. The iron railings are big heavy things and some are rusty. Rather that going down the preferred route of a nice garden hedge, I am thinking it might be smarter to work with what I have. For example, I have a good concrete base so maybe build a wall or something on my side? Would go against the nature country look I am trying to create but as he say it is what it is. No other neighbours for miles around but I am stuck with him.

Lumen

eamon11 wrote: »

thanks for all the replies folks,

Had a chat about it to neighbour but he didn't care and didn't want to know about it. "It is the way it is" were his words.
The concrete extends into my property about 12 inches. Don't know what depth but looks quite sturdy. The iron railings are big heavy things and some are rusty. Rather that going down the preferred route of a nice garden hedge, I am thinking it might be smarter to work with what I have. For example, I have a good concrete base so maybe build a wall or something on my side? Would go against the nature country look I am trying to create but as he say it is what it is. No other neighbours for miles around but I am stuck with him.

A wall requires significant footings which you don't have. A concrete base is at it's most fragile at the edge. If you build a wall on it the base will crumble/crack and the wall will fall over on to your side. Concrete is terrible in tension, and that's what you're doing by putting weight on the edge.

If I was you I would anchor wooden fence posts into the the concrete base. There are no doubt various ways to do it. Off the top of my head, you could drill a hole, bond in a steel rod, then slot that into the bottom of the fence post. But not sure what tools you have available.

There are also recycled plastic fence posts with a hollow core which are designed to take some sort of internal support (steel or poured cement/grout stuff), so that could work. They're more expensive but last forever.

Keep the whole thing light and mounted as far from the edge of the slab as possible.

eamon11

thanks Lumen,

can I touch the already erected fence for support?

Lumen

eamon11 wrote: »

thanks Lumen,

can I touch the already erected fence for support?

Maybe, although it won't be designed to take significant wind load, so hit and miss fencing will be better to let some through.

I've done a couple of garden projects with self tapping hex headed timber screws and galvanized perforated plumbers tape. Depends how bodgy you want to get.

eamon11

thanks lumen,

can you explain what you mean by " self tapping hex headed timber screws and galvanized perforated plumbers tape"

Cheers

just googled it and I have lots of this stuff. Called galvo band around here. Are you saying you would wrap this around the railing and screw to timber?

the_pen_turner

tech screws and galvoband

Lumen

I guess it depends how much leverage the concrete and railings can take. These post supports look handy:

https://www.ie.screwfix.com/bolt-down-post-supports-75-x-75mm-pack-of-2.html

What sort of fence do you want, over what width? Vertical? Horizontal? Shiplap? Hit and miss?

I installed some horizontal hit and miss a couple of weeks ago and it was really quick once I had the posts in. In your case I guess you'd want it single faced.

lgk

eamon11 wrote: »

He had already erected a green iron railing fence when I bought the place. It is 6 foot high and spiked on top and to be honest looks like something out of a concentration camp.

Sounds like palisade fencing, not allowed in a domestic setting without planning permission (which I assume the neighbour doesn't have).

Sleepy

Could you try putting some planters at the base of the fence and growing climbing plants in them?

The fence was there before you bought the house so from his POV, you're the one being the bothersome neighbour complaining about it now. For the sake of good relations, I'd try and work with, rather than against him.

eamon11

thanks to all who replied.
yes it is palisade fencing. Met the former owner the other day. This fence was not there when he moved out a short time ago.So it's just recently been erected but it's definitely not new. Must have got it second hand. Don't know the reason for it as we are not exactly a security risk. Why does it have to be so high? It gives an industrial feeling rather than residential. My 5 year old asked if it was a jail on the other side!! It's 65 metres at least 7 foot high. Didn't measure but Im 6 foot and it's well over my head.
As said I will do something off my own bat. Was thinking hit and miss vertical. The verticals would be where the gaps are in neighbours fence, neatly covering the holes. I can run a few 3 x 2 horizontally along his fence to carry my verticals. I might also try a raised bed against fence and try to plant Willow or something.

lgk

You could complain to the LA who will require the owner to remove it or seek retention planning (which they're very unlikely to get) but that then sours the relationship for good. However, as they took advantage of the property being empty to erect the fence, they're not great neighbours anyway.

Lumen

lgk wrote: »

You could complain to the LA who will require the owner to remove it or seek retention planning (which they're very unlikely to get) but that then sours the relationship for good. However, as they took advantage of the property being empty to erect the fence, they're not great neighbours anyway.

Also, once the enforcement period lapses that pallisade fence isn't going anywhere. So there is a case for biting the bullet now.

Or maybe being nice, putting a wooden fence up, and _then_ getting planning enforcement involved.

roper1664

Lumen wrote: »

Also, once the enforcement period lapses that pallisade fence isn't going anywhere. So there is a case for biting the bullet now.

Or maybe being nice, putting a wooden fence up, and _then_ getting planning enforcement involved.

What is the enforcement period exactly?

Lumen

roper1664 wrote: »

What is the enforcement period exactly?

7 years I'd imagine, if this is a not-exempted-development issue.

roper1664

Thanks. That's what I would have thought too. I had thought you were referring to something different and more imminent

lgk

roper1664 wrote: »

What is the enforcement period exactly?

It's 12 years for enforcement action.

Even after that lapses, unauthorised development doesn't get the green light. If the owner was to seek permission to do anything else to the property, conditions may be attached that such a fence or any other unauthorised development would be removed.