Neighbor trees again :)

[Deleted User] · 25-03-2021 11:17am

https://www.fi.edu/science-recipes/tall-trees

You can use shadows or a stick to measure the height of a tree.

GreeBo · 25-03-2021 11:19am

Effects wrote: »

Doubt you can use a laser measure for the top of a swaying tree to be honest.
Isn't there some way to do it with a 45 degree square and some maths, as you suggested?

The past couple of years I've just used a drone, with built in GPS, and level it with the tops of the trees to get a reading.

The only foolproof way is to drop the tree and stick a tape on it.
Just explain to the neighbour you need to do some measuring, he'll be grand.

Effects · 25-03-2021 11:49am

GreeBo wrote: »

The only foolproof way is to drop the tree and stick a tape on it.

Kind of did that years ago, where I climbed to the top with a rope :pac:

Outkast_IRE · 25-03-2021 11:53am

The trees are not soley responsible for the house being cold. I think you may of fixated on this idea incorrectly.

Insulation, Airtightness and a correctly funcitoning heating system are the top items of any hit list to keep a house warm.

If you have single glazing this would also need to be addressed.

The trees arent keeping your house cold at night or on days with heavy cloud cover.

Large bottle small glass · 25-03-2021 12:00pm

OP we had the same issue with a rented property and a neighbour with 15m tall Leylandis on his side of boundary. They were remote from his house (circa 100m) and he liked the privacy it afforded.

I told him in the event of them falling they would damage house; damage we "might" have been insured for but for which the Insurance company would come after him for the costs. I told him it was unlikely he would be covered with his own policy (I had no idea but I felt he wouldn't call to check) especially as I had put him on notice in writing previously. As an owner of property he would be viewed as a mark in the event of being sued.

The more passive aggressive and gently you put the above the better. It'll sink in fine without being forceful

He was much easier to deal with after that and we split the small cost 50/50.

The cost was small as there was and probably still is a high demand for biomass. Trees were felled by a machine and chipped on site and sold. Cost was slight less for €1k each.

I says · 25-03-2021 12:52pm

You’ll need agreement if it’s a boundary. https://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-trees-cut-down-2737796-Apr2016/?utm_source=email
Don’t do anything to upset the neighbors as you can see. There is a legal way look up the tree council of Ireland regarding the updated rules.

Doctors room ghost · 25-03-2021 2:07pm

The Continental Op wrote: »

I used to work in tree surgery. People don't have a clue about the height of trees. I can vividly remember one job where we went out looking for 100ft high poplar trees which after a massive search and giving up the first time turned out to be about 12 ft tall pollarded stumps. We had the address of the house to go to but strict instructions not to call at the house as the owner was in bed recovering from an operation.

My wife said to me only yesterday our Guinea Fowl had flown 60ft up into a tree - none of our trees are over 30ft.

Do you not find the guineas awful noisy fcukers around the place

The Continental Op · 25-03-2021 2:16pm

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

Do you not find the guineas awful noisy fcukers around the place

Compared to my wife the noise is very soothing

We love them because they are such a great fox warning and deterrent. I've watched them all attack a fox (all bluff but it works) and the fox run off.

Doctors room ghost · 25-03-2021 2:55pm

The Continental Op wrote: »

Compared to my wife the noise is very soothing

We love them because they are such a great fox warning and deterrent. I've watched them all attack a fox (all bluff but it works) and the fox run off.

What sort of fowl do ye keep.

The Continental Op · 25-03-2021 3:24pm

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

What sort of fowl do ye keep.

Currently just various chickens (usual layers, silkies and some mixes ebay types), bob white quail and the guinea fowl.

IrishHomer · 17-07-2021 10:34am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/116686907#Comment_116686907

Your completely wrong!

On a cold week in winter when snow and ice are in my garden it lingers as opposed to neighbouring land it all goes because that gets sunlight.

My home is fully insulated etc.

I recently approached the owner and he's not well in the head. He's completely out to piss me off. I even offered him full market value to purchase his site for cash he declined the offer.

Does anyone know have we not got a right to light?

GreeBo · 19-07-2021 11:32am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117623282#Comment_117623282

Offer to buy the trees :D

[Deleted User] · 19-07-2021 12:37pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117623282#Comment_117623282

No right to light, and you are seriously misguided if you think chopping down a few trees is going to bump the temperature in any significant manner. Better off looking at upgrading your heating and redoing your insulation.

josip · 19-07-2021 12:46pm

Install a massive mirror wall on the other side of your property to the trees.

cnocbui · 19-07-2021 1:17pm

If the house is well insulated, the sun isn't going to heat the inside of it one iota in winter, given insulation works both ways, but that's beside the point that the sun doesn't heat irish houses in winter. What next, the need for people to apply sunscreen before going outside on a sunny day in December?

GreeBo · 19-07-2021 2:13pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631990#Comment_117631990

It does though, thats why we put windows south facing rather than north facing, solar gain.

cnocbui · 19-07-2021 2:43pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117632364#Comment_117632364

Lol. I have a sun room with south and west facing windows, and I close it off from the rest of the house in winter and the temperature in there is around the same as the inside of my fridge. In winter, you would need to stand outside in the sun for 36 hours near naked, to make the daily recommended amount of vitamin D.

I think you should try and buy the property and cut down the trees and sell the property, but first check that you don't need permission to cut them down as it may be a planning requirement they are retained.

magicbastarder · 19-07-2021 2:52pm

are you comparing a sun room to a normal room? i suspect Greebo is not talking about a sun room. in our house, it's quite obvious the difference between the east facing room and the west facing room - pretty similar in size and insulation - on a sunny winter morning.

Cluedo Monopoly · 19-07-2021 3:09pm

Are the roots of the leylandii impacting your boundary walls or foundation?

GreeBo · 19-07-2021 3:13pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117632687#Comment_117632687

This.

A sun room has no insulation or thermal mass so any solar gain is immediately lost.

A south facing room is warmer than a north facing room in winter, because of solar gain. If there is no sun hitting the room due to trees then the OP is losing out on this.

drogon. · 20-07-2021 9:03am

I was looking at something similar and came across this link - https://www.treecouncil.ie/trees-and-the-law

My neighbour’s tree/hedge is far too high – what can I do?

There are no height limits for either hedges or trees and there is no legislation currently available in the Republic of Ireland to enforce a height restriction.

There is the opinion to seek a works order under Section 45, Land Conveyancing, Law Reform Act 2009, to reduce the height of the trees.

A tree outside my house blocks the light in my garden,

do I have a right to light?

Right to light is a specific and complex legal matter and you should seek independent advice on this.

A right to light exists only if the owner of a house can satisfy a court that he or she has enjoyed the uninterrupted use of that light for a period of greater than 20 years, before any legal action is brought about the light. This, however, only applies to the windows of a property and not to a garden.

Peregrinus · 20-07-2021 10:00am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117632819#Comment_117632819

But there won't be no sun hitting the house because of the trees; the trees are only 40 feet high, and they are 50 feet away. And presumably they don't fill the entire southern horizon from east to west. So they'll only cast a shadow on the house when the sun is (a) low in the sky, and (b) in a certain quarter. And even then they'll only block direct sunlight; there'll still be diffuse sunlight reaching the house.

So, they could block out some of the solar gain that the house might otherwise experience, but probably not very much. Without knowing the orientation of the house, the size and density of the stand of trees, the quality of the insulation, etc, it's really not possible to quantify this, but it's very unlikely that the trees are responsible for more than a tiny fraction of his huge heating bills. It could be nil; if the stand of trees is big enough their positive effect in sheltering the house from wind may exceed their negative effect in blocking direct sunlight.

GreeBo · 21-07-2021 9:52am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635936#Comment_117635936

Yeah, so they block out the sun i.e. cast the house in shadow, during winter, which is when you most want solar gain due to it being cold?

If you think there isnt "very much" difference between being in the direct sun and being in the shade then this has been a wasted conversation on my part!

The trees may block some southerly winds from hitting the house, but a) these wont be that cold and b) unless the OP is in the habit of keeping his windows open while at the same time complaining about a cold house, I dont think the wind on the exterior is an issue.

Peregrinus · 22-07-2021 3:22am

We're not told how much shadow the trees cast on the house, or for how long, or at what time of they day. We don't even know whether the trees are north, south, east or west of the house. And of course solar gain is at it's lowest in the winter; whatever adverse impact the trees are having will also be lowest then.

But I do note that the OP tells us that on a frosty day ice in his garden lingers in the shadow of the tree; he makes no similar claim about ice or frost on the walls, windows or roof of his house, which makes me think that either (a) the shadows don't reach his house, or (b) ice/frost doesn't form on it. And (b) would suggest that he needs to look at his insulation.

Discodog · 23-07-2021 4:39pm

Hypothetical thought but what if someone had solar panels & they became blocked by a neighbour's tree ?

IrishHomer · 25-07-2021 9:31am

The hous is in total shadow in winter.

In summer it gets sun for a couple of hours in the morning and that's it.

We have no boundary walls just wooden stakes and wire fencing.

I had a sewerage system upgrade 6 years ago it cost me €8k And the installation companies warned me that the roots of the lilandai are in danger of choking my newly installed percolation pipes.

magicbastarder · 25-07-2021 9:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635936#Comment_117635936

in the winter, the sun is always low in the sky.

" This angle, called the altitude or sun angle, varies throughout the year. Ireland’s position in the northern hemisphere means that the maximum sun angle ranges from approximately 11° to 15° in winter and from 58° to 62° in summer (depending on location)"

http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/058/Construction_Technology_Sample_Chapter.pdf

also, regarding them casting dappled shade; if they're leylandii they are quite capable of casting deep shade. i have a ~15m birch at the end of my garden, and the person behind has a large leylandii about the same height. the difference in shade they cast in winter is striking.

lastly, you asked the OP does he get much frost on his walls. i don't get frost on my walls; i don't think frost on walls is really that common at all.

Panrich · 25-07-2021 9:53am

What about overhanging branches? Can branches that encroach on your property be removed?

I’m wondering if you could ‘thin’ the trees in that way.

magicbastarder · 25-07-2021 9:54am

FWIW, we moved into this house in november 2012 and that winter/spring i removed a 35 foot long and probably 10-12 foot tall leylandii hedge which was in our garden, but running along the boundary between us and our neighbour (whose house is to the north of ours). she said it made a massive difference to her garden, which after that would thaw out much faster in winter and dry out faster after rain.

[Deleted User] · 25-07-2021 10:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631990#Comment_117631990

Most fair skin people actualy do need sun cream on a sunny Dec day, actually.

Neighbor trees again :)

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