Neighbours' Greenhouse

[LIZS]

Neighbours have today had a posh large green house erected very close to our boundary. We had been missing some fence panels at the far end of the garden after a storm a while back and had someone around to quote a few weeks back (already quoting a job for neighbours other side). He saw the concrete slabs laid out and thought maybe they were putting up a shed which would have saved us a panel or two ! When the fence had come down originally (a year or more back) they had asked us to put something up so we had used chicken wire temporarily to enable them to contain their chickens if they let them out. Since then we have had a lot of work done to that area of garden, now laid to lawn if still a work in progress. I did tell the workmen this morning as I left for work that we had plans re. a fence and could they please allow suffcient room for the posts.

My Q is , how can we best stop risk of any damage to their greenhouse when it is now only separated from our grass by a couple of feet of wire and the dc play down there? If dc do kick a ball over are we liable for any damage or is it their risk ? Will neighbours be annoyed if we go ahead and put up a 6' fence panel behind it (which I think we are entitled to do) and perhaps stop light to greenhouse but protect it. I don't really want to fall out, although we aren't overly friendly atm anyway.

I would put up the fence panels

I think the light thing depends which way the greenhouse is facing. Where does the sun fall relative to the fence/greenhouse? Also, I would have thought that they should have thought about the likelihood of a fence panel going in, either put up by you or by some future owners.

I'd think it's their lookout, assuming that the fence is your responsibility (it sounds from your OP as if it is?).

You do not have any responsibility to them in terms of having to put something up to stop their chickens getting out - if they have anumals it is their responsibility to sto them getting into your garden.

I would go ahead and stick up a 6ft panel to try and minimise the danger of footballs smashing panes in the greenhouse but glass and balls and small kids and experience tells me it is a sure thing that they are going smash quite few over the course of their childhood.

We are to the east of them so a panel will restrict their morning direct sun. Yes it is our fence - we have both sides and bottom at rear of our house and neither at front, althoguh this is anecdotal. We put the wire up to keep the peace as a protem measure because they had wanted to buy that chunk of land, at that stage full of rubble and weeds, and we'd refused. This is our first summer being able to use it to any extent and they have no kids so suspect they donlt really understand the risk. Indeed it only occurred to me this afetrnoon. I did ask dh to speak to them when the fencer had suggested they may have plans but he doesn't do confrontation and we don't see much of them.

On the same note though you couldnt complain then if the chickens got in and ravaged your garden because you didnt maintain a boundary that was your responsibility - after a yr they may have given up hope. I woudnt worry about the light issue though as i would have thought they would have considered that before deciding on the location of it.

dh reckons on just putting up the fence as planned Saw one of neighbours earlier going into house earlier and he said nothing but hello ! Had a brief conversation with his partner at the weekend too.

Put up your fence panels anyway. Neighbours must have thought you'd replace them at some point?

As I said on another thread, our neighbours wrecked our fence by putting plants on it, then when we replaced the fence, put up their greenhouse right next to the fence.
It's actually putting pressure on the fence post.

I'll never understand why people put up greenhouses very near the boundary. Surely it's got to make maintenance a nightmare?

Well it is possible today is the day. Work on next door's fencing is well under way and the guy reckons he might start ours later on. Can't forewarn neighbours with greenhouse as they seem to be away or at least we've not had sight of them since before the weekend.