Would this annoy you? Neighbours copying everything you do.

Haha! This is our neighbour too! We find it funny. He lives there with his wife and adult son.

We built a summerhouse during the first covid lockdown and painted it a certain colour and then painted our shed the same. Within a month, our attached semi detached neighbour painted his the same colour. Within a few months, his neighbour and their neighbour painted their sheds and summerhouse the same colour. So 3 other houses did the same colour!

We then started working on the garden. Had a new patio laid with steps and walled flower beds. Next door was in their bedroom window watching at times, now they have the same slabs as us. We have seen them with their visitors in their garden leaning over our fence, pointing things out that we have done and then it appearing in their garden within months. I have planted a lot of shrubs down both sides and along the bottom, so we will eventually have a private garden.

When I wash my car, he comes out and washes his. When I jet wash the drive, he follows with his jet washer and does his. When I cut the grass, he cuts his. If I go out to wash the windows, he follows with his bucket. I went out the once, to do some weeding in a flower bed I put adjacent to the fence we own between us, and he came with his spade and started doing the same right in front of me the other side of our fence.😂 I started growing vegetables and now he has a vegetable patch too.

We have now painted the lower half of the back of our house a colour because we are going to get a glass roofed shelter installed over the patio in the spring. We will see if he follows. He hasn't yet because since we did that, the weather turned so he hasn't had chance to.

At first, we were like "what on earth is going on?", but now we have got used to it and to be fair, we would rather have him as a neighbour than a bad one.

Just to add, we never really spoke to each other other than to say hello, now he comes round with chocolates every christmas and Easter, so we now have to do the same and give him some in return. 😂

He is harmless and it's actually nice that they like what we have done to our garden so much they want to have the same. Not sure how he will spend his time, when his view is blocked by the shrubs. Guess we will have to wait and see.

It's a classic "keeping up with the Joneses" situation. A bit annoying but there are far worse things neighbours can do!

Could you get a really cheap but horrible statue thing and put it in the garden with a fake expensive price tag….then when they’ve splashed out on it, bin yours 😂

Really weird and annoying!! It’s hard to pinpoint why but it would freak me out a bit especially when it’s so many things.

I guess it is a compliment but also a big obsessive? Like they are watching.

Our ndn does this but everything is always just a bit "better" or "bigger" than us

No. I am not sure I would even notice, definitely wouldn’t bother me.

I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it.

We had our kitchen roof changed to sky lights.. they did the following year. Changed our patio doors to bifolds, so did they. We had a big pergola built… now so have they.

Oh dear - next you will be telling us that they have iphones just like you

In terms of works to the front of the house this would be my dream. The house matching is going to make them look so much better and more harmonius on the street.

This

Are their choices exactly the same? If you are just prompting them to get a new whatever and it’s similar that’s not strange but getting exactly the same is a bit weird. We got a new front door and now everyone is but that is just because all the doors are the same age and are starting to fall apart. It does mean the estate is moving from everyone having the same door to different colours and styles but I think that looks nice.

However if my mum copies something in the house it drives me wild.

Where did you buy your garden furniture, and lighting from?

My garden table & chairs & sofa set is from John Lewis. As it’s from a high street shop someone on my street is likely to have the same furniture or a version of. If it was bespoke or imported from another country then less so.

My garden lighting is from Sainsbury’s and the local garden centre. Again virtually every garden has some form of festoon bulbs!

Oh no. I'm doing exactly the same with my neighbour but it is because her house looks really great!!! We get on really well and she has even given me the contact details for the people who have done the work. I think you should be flattered that you have good taste.

Are the things they are copying super rare and niche? Or are they the basic bitch pumpkin spice latte type home improvements that you see everywhere. You can hardly blame them for embracing the same trends and fashions as you have.

Well. I wouldn’t like it as I think it’s weird. In my road there’s 2 houses the exact same because of this. One neighbour copies everything the other does even down to having the same plants etc. anyone that visits me always asks if they are twins as it’s that noticeable. My neighbour hates it bless her and is actually moving when she can.

My sil does this, we live far enough apart that it doesn’t make a huge difference, but it is everything from lights to pergola to patio, to rugs. She also copies my clothes, so if I turn up wearing x and we are going out she gets changed into something that’s as close to it as possible,

but I’ve noticed she also copies other people, their cars and holidays, she’s went on the same holiday as us numerous times, it appears she sees something she likes someone else has or wears or does and then she does it.

i put it down to she simply lacks the ability to come up with ideas herself, i don’t find it annoying, i find it uncomfortable, i feel an element of discomfort when we visit snd i see the next identical thing, but i dislike intently when she tries to dress like me but as she’s small and obese and im tall and a health weight, its limited to things like i wear a green jumper and black jeans and she puts on a green jumper and black jeans. If I wear something like a midi skirt, she will exclaim oh I can’t wear stuff like that as I’m short, whilst eyeing me up and down, I just nod and change the subject.

as we are in our fifties I do find it really uncomfortable, I saw her recently do it to some friends, where one got a new car and she went on and on about getting one to her husband, and then another talked about their holiday and she’s now decided to book it,

I know it’s a sign of flattery, it means she thinks whatever it is is good, but it is uncomfortable when it’s constant.

Our next door neighbour couldn’t sell their house. We freshened ours up and put it on the market. Next door could now see the inside of our house and changed everything to the same as ours. Same kitchen, bathrooms, decor. Can’t do much about it. Next door the other side copied our blinds. Neighbours often copy eachother when they see something looks nice. You often see houses in a row with the same leaded windows or driveway.

‘Matching’ semis do look nice but copying everything with identical stuff is a bit weird but ultimately harmless.

But things like bifolding doors, shutters, block driveway etc are incredibly generic. The vast majority of my street has that & everyone has some form of wooden garden furniture.

Shutters is another example.. they dissed ours and then went on to have them too.

How did they diss them? DH has never been a fan but practically we need them, the curtains have to stay shut otherwise when it’s warmer to watch TV, same reason we had them installed in our previous property.

Why on earth would it annoy you?

This.

I’m not surprised you’re irritated, op, even though this is supposed to be flattering. Your neighbours clearly have no imagination or sense of their own style.

Could you mention it to them?

This is complete nonsense. There a huge amount of choice. Take garden furniture: it can be wood, bamboo, metal in various colours, glass. Different patterns in the metal and different style of chairs. They could have gone for square, round, rectangular table, or an L-shaped lounging area.

It’s disingenuous to say there is little choice. Have you ever been to a garden centre?

If everyone were creative, Pinterest probably wouldn’t exist. How many times do you hear people being advised to check it out for ideas/inspiration? Not everyone is good at knowing what will or won’t work - so neighbours looked at your house and thought “oh wow, I love what they’ve done to their driveway/bin storage/decking area, I think I’ll do the same”.

Then stop following generic trends and get an inflatable Mr Blobby for your garden 😂

Imitation is the finest form of flattery 🤷‍♀️

So what did they say when you asked them why they got the same done as they had originally dissed yours? I’m presuming you asked them if you are close enough for them to be actively telling you they don’t like something you’ve had done to your house. If you didn’t ask them, why not? That would have been the perfect opportunity.