Neighbour Garden Room privacy

[goldfishbowl2025]

Hi Mumsnet,
I’m not sure whether this belongs here, but our neighbour’s new garden room sits a lower than our house and he can look up and see into my directly my bedroom. At night when their lights are on, it really feels like I’m in a goldfish bowl—I can see into their office and it makes me wonder if they can see into my room too.

I don’t want to draw my curtains all the time, but it’s starting to affect my sense of home and privacy. Has anyone been through something similar? How did you handle it? did you speak to them, did you ask for a blind, or find another solution? I’ve text but they don’t see how it’s affecting my privacy and to be honest it’s having a massive effect on me as my bedroom is my haven- I like to move around not thinking I’m being watched. He said he doesn’t work late down there but I feel like 3/4 nights last week he worked late and then gone 11pm I saw the lights go off (when they go off I can see the light reduce in my room).

help!!!

Privacy film. We put some on the bottom half of ds's windows. Save the ndn from seeing him mooching about in just his pants!!

Why should I I do that though?

He’s recently built this garden room

Because you don't want people to see in

Trees for screening?

But if it works..? Would be interesting to see if the working late stops when the privacy film goes up.

Because he isn't going to take his garden room down and you are worried about him seeing you. This idea is a compromise. Even without the garden room I assume he could (if he wanted) just sit at the back of his garden and watch you.

Yes that’s true - also it’s the light from the garden room though when my curtains are drawn - he just said he can’t see how the light affects me - but it gets round the curtains

I’ll get the one way sticky stuff then I guess

and no he’s just spent £30k on it so no he’s not pulling it down.

Can you do a diagram? Is your bedroom on the ground floor and their garden room is just a few feet lower, or is your bedroom upstairs on the first floor? Because if your bedroom is upstairs, then in practical terms they’re not going to see much more than your ceiling. And that’s if it’s well-lit. If your bedroom is in shade and you’ve no lights on, they can probably see very little.

Don’t presume that just because you can see them well, looking down at them with their lights on, that your bedroom is similarly goldfish bowl-like.

Using reflective film on your window will give you definite privacy in the day. Just remember that when you put lights on at night, the privacy goes the other way, so you should always close your curtains when you have the lights on.

So we are upstairs and he is downstairs at the back of his garden. Also we are on a hill and he’s lower than us.

Oh so he can’t see in? I can see everything he’s up to! He woks really late a lot

I just want to be able to walk round my room like I have done for the last 16 years not thinking anyone can see in cos no one could.

Trees would need to be the height of the house 😂

Yeah, stuff changes. Houses get built, trees fall down, people start using their properties differently. Change in our homes can feel hard at times, but it will soon just be normal if you let it. If you keep over focusing on what he's doing you'll spoil your enjoyment of your home for no gain at all. Let it go, buy some privacy film, and be glad he's not taken up drumming/ the bagpipes.

Privacy film on one side, and on the other a custom neon sign that lights up at night in bright pink and says" SWITCH THE LIGHTS OFF YOU SELFISH TWAT"

Or just stick one of these on your wall so it shines right into his garden room at night.

https://www.temu.com/search_result.html?search_key=neon%20sign&search_method=user&refer_page_el_sn=200010&srch_enter_source=top_search_entrance_13554&_x_vst_scene=adg&_x_ads_sub_channel=shopping&_x_ns_prz_type=-1&_x_ns_sku_id=17593777715541&_x_ns_gid=601099893263443&_x_ads_channel=google&_x_gmc_account=5584549166&_x_login_type=Google&_x_ads_account=8308307013&_x_ads_set=22574130620&_x_ads_id=179420050443&_x_ads_creative_id=753191795483&_x_ns_source=g&_x_ns_gclid=CjwKCAjw3rnCBhBxEiwArN0QE8ID-F5d9py2JeW_0SCRDuDv7x7SaZyA0cyWQuSSOQjC9zzCqb7d4BoCXVsQAvD_BwE&_x_ns_placement=&_x_ns_match_type=&_x_ns_ad_position=&_x_ns_product_id=5584549166-17593777715541&_x_ns_target=&_x_ns_devicemodel=&_x_ns_wbraid=CkAKCAjwu7TCBhA0EjAAnrEVdZgJ9oLS2UazBkyC49Cg7aB8ttarH5zD03gjqLz6v4eKiqhYl8SFkilrTu8aAvGL&_x_ns_gbraid=0AAAAAo4mICGFN5LKIWspb-8rRATTI6HYe&_x_ns_targetid=pla-2425921792704&refer_page_name=kuiper&refer_page_id=13554_1750024376880_bse1vukub4&refer_page_sn=13554&_x_sessn_id=4hhwvplncr

The dog on a skateboard might be a nice touch.

I can see right into one of my detached neighbours, even with the big tree. I'm not sure if they realise how little privacy they have. I put up privacy film on the big window facing them. It works. I don't think they could see much of us anyway, due to the angle, but it is more comfortable knowing they can't see a thing.

the sticky stuff is the way forward.

You’re right it’s just hard cos we’ve had no changes like this in the 16 years we’ve lived here.

@goldfishbowl2025 stand at an upstairs window and look down at a spot a similar distance away to his garden room. Now go and stand in that spot and look up at your window. You won't be able to see in.

I'm afraid this is your problem not his. He's entitled to be anywhere on his property looking in any direction. I'm amazed you think he should put up a blind for the sake of your privacy though.

Privacy film or blinds are the way to go.

Because his garden house is borderline on planning but we didn’t kick up a fuss. It didn’t need it but potentially we could have raised that it’s higher than it should be. But yeah he’s within his rights, I will get some sticky blind stuff

You could ask to pop round so you can understand what they can see from the room.

This is why older generations loved their ‘nets’ (curtains) or if in Buckingham Palace, voiles😁
Not the complete answer at nighttime, still need thicker curtains, but still…

Or a shade blind. You can see through it from inside but it's opaque from outside (until you switch the light on; you will need a full blind over the top).

I recommend black out blinds at night so his lights don’t disturb you.