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!!!

If he is working late into the night, eg past 10pm, or 9pm if you have kids, I think it’s very reasonable to ask him to keep the noise down. He shouldn’t be having conference calls with the doors open late at night. Of course you can’t make him, but it would be neighbourly.

Not all blackout curtains are created equal, I would consider upgrading. Or fitting blinds onto the window frames.

I would definitely be tempted to buy a long range water pistol and try and squirt him as he closed up the bifold doors! Say the noise woke you up and you thought it was an intruder/fox/cat in your garden and didn’t mean to get him!

After all, you’re entitled to be leaning out of your window squirting water in the garden, if he’s entitled to build a huge office and pollute your bedroom with noise and light.

I love threads like this, where you get a glimpse into the minds of people the rest of us write threads about.

Yes she can. Councils now take light nuisance as seriously as noise nuisance. If he's keeping his neighbours awake with bright lights late into the night, he needs to install blinds.

But what if he gets a blind then doesn't use it as HE wants to see the sky?

If he turns the lights off to star-gaze, fine.

Exactly. He's not going to see much sky with the lights left on.

Sorry to derail slightly, but can anyone recommend any sticky film stuff for windows? Thank you!

Re the neighbour, since you can see him so well, could you maybe drop something into conversation that makes it clear you can see that’d make him feel a little uncomfortable ??

Sounds like he’s the one that needs to worry about his privacy with you seeing everything he does and knowing what time he works until. Also, everyone has the same issue, people can see into peoples windows from the street, that’s why they have blinds or curtains and shut them. Do what everyone else does.

😂😂😂😂. Excellent!

to be fair he doesn’t have very loud conversations at night in the garden room, he has them at 9pm outside down the side of his house! So as to not wake his child but right outside my en suite where my window is open and one of my kids rooms!!! I worry if I can hear him talking can he hear me and my ahem ablutions? having a shit.

You are looking down into your neighbour's well-lit garden room. He won't be able to see nearly as much looking upwards into your unlit room. Go into your own garden this evening (which you have said is higher than next-door), look up at your bedroom and you will probably only see a bit of ceiling or anyone right beside the window.

If you can see them, they can see you. But not necessarily all of you.

You have to move your head downwards as if you were smaller to get an idea of what the limit of what they can see.

You need to talk directly to him. Say you haven't got an issue with the garden room, but the light show and accompanying chatter down the side of the house needs to be reigned in. Our NDN installed ridiculous spot lights down the side of their house that beamed directly into our bedrooms so we asked them nicely to not keep them on late and they agreed. You might find he's reasonable if you just talk to him.

Because you’re the one with the problem with it?

Yabu, so unreasonable!

Either it has PP or it doesn’t -there is no borderline yes.

of course you can’t insist a neighbour dresses their windows in a way of your choosing. Don’t be ridiculous.

get a grip op, get some blackout blinds as suggested previously (it will sit in the window and together with the curtains block out all the light. get a decent eye mask. chill.

That’s a different issue worthy of a normal neighbourly chat?

Which laws are you applying here? It’s not like he’s installed floodlights, he’s just got his house lights on?

OP is the one who is moaning that she likes to have work calls with the doors open but is unhappy that her neighbour can hear here! It’s never once been mentioned he’s making any unreasonable noise.

I don’t think the privacy film works at night (when it’s lighter inside your room than outside) so you’ll need to shut the curtains if you have the light on. I’m sure you would anyway 😂

He makes loud calls outside at 9pm down the side of her house beside her kids' bedroom. Sounds unreasonable to me.

Light can be classed as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act. If it's interfering with the enjoyment of her home, it could qualify.

Incredibly unlikely. It’s a light in an office, not a laser being shined into the OP’s home.

Get some twin blinds with a sheer option and a blackout.

Ye t him back tell him you are concerned and can you come round and take a look at your room from us garden room. Although if it’s lower than your house I don’t see how he can see in

I don't get it.

The house behind me is about 60 feet away. I'm sitting on my sofa right now and looking up at its bedroom windows. I can't see a thing other than the window. I can't see inside, and never have seen the inside. I can't even see the ceiling.

So I have no idea why you think he can look from a ground floor room and see into your bedroom. Angles of sight just don't work like that.

Get some up and down blinds. You can position them anywhere on your window - nicer than the plastic film