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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be pissed off about my neighbour's decking?

47 replies

londonlass78 · 14/03/2018 10:20

Have named changed as I suspect my neighbour is a mumsnetter.

We have a shared 6 foot fence between ours and our neighbour's garden. My neighbours have recently installed decking which is right up against our fence. This means that when they are standing on it, they tower over the fence and are looking straight in to our garden, and kitchen diner window. I'm pissed off about this sudden lack of privacy and feel like we should have been at least consulted before they did this.

I'm also annoyed because there is a noticeable gap under the decking and because it is right up against our fence, we are going to get weeds and all sorts (had mice living under our decking in a previous house) poking through the gaps in our fence and in to our garden.

I don't want to make an issue out of it because they are decent neighbours on the whole but AIBU to be annoyed and is there anything we can do to regain some privacy? Thanks.

OP posts:

MrsCharlesBrandon · 14/03/2018 11:54

We had raised decking fitted about 3 years ago. As soon as we realised that we'd be overlooking our neighbours (that we get on really well with), we put up bamboo screening. We're all happy.

Maybe that's an option?

BadTasteFlump · 14/03/2018 12:01

We had a similar problem. We also had six foot fences but that was their total height as there were no gravel boards below the fence panels. So we slotted out the fence panels, but new gravel boards below them (you can get quite deep ones), put the fence panels back in and the extra 30-40 cm of height was enough to give us our privacy back.

We thought about trellis but you can still see through it so seemed a bit pointless.

CheesyWeez · 14/03/2018 12:04

ladybee28 thanks for the big laugh

Mandalorian · 14/03/2018 12:20

Before you put something on the fence, who paid for it? Because if your neighbours did then it's theirs and you can't go putting anything on top of it.
Boundaries may be shared, but unless you shared the cost of the fence then its certainly owned by one of you. Have a read of the Garden Law website.

morningconstitutional2017 · 14/03/2018 12:26

It's horrible to be overlooked in your garden. As has been suggested it's a good idea to put trellis on top. If they're reasonable I'm sure they'd understand about privacy.

A previous neighbour of ours took down a 6' high fence by our patio and replaced it with one which was half the height while we were away. As you can imagine we were horrified. We were younger then and didn't have the guts to be confrontational. Eventually we moved house, not just due to that.

Zaphodsotherhead · 14/03/2018 12:30

I wouldn't worry too much. A year of the kids slipping over on the greasy wood and breaking their arms and climbing under the decking and getting stuck and rats/mice nesting under the decking and all the local cats taking their dead mice/rats/chickens/rabbits underneath and leaving them to rot...

...they'll have that decking down in no time. Then they'll buy a trampoline...

specialsubject · 14/03/2018 12:36

zaphod read my mind! Decking is a stupid idea in the British climate.

wink1970 · 14/03/2018 12:43

I hope those of you suggesting leylandii are joking or have a good solicitor. Some councils don't, but our local council rigorously enforces and/or backs private action against nuisance hedges as defined by the High Hedges Act.
You may not like your neighbour's decking/patio/etc, but you're an idiot if you 'resolve' it by planting leylandii.

BadTasteFlump · 14/03/2018 13:00

Leylandii aren't triffids you know - if you give them a trim a couple of times from Spring - Autumn you can keep them at whatever height suits. Yes they grown quickly if you let them - but they don't have mysterious powers to take over the universe.

Jux · 14/03/2018 13:08

Honeysuckle. Smells gorgeous, grows fast, bees love it (and won't bother you if you don't bother them, but they're great to watch).

If you want a tallish plant, try fennel. It grows fast, smells lovely, can be used in cooking, attracts wasps and other flying creatures so you're less likely to be bothered by them when picnicing. Cut it right down at the end of the season and it'll spring back next year.

FaFoutis · 14/03/2018 13:15

I'm not joking and nor am I an idiot.

MissMisery · 14/03/2018 13:16

Don't worry OP, in my experience , give it a few months and the whole lot will be a slimy death-trap and they'll get rid when they're sick of the A&E visits

MissMisery · 14/03/2018 13:20

Aah, I see that point had already been made! Yes v bad idea in our climate...

Allthebestnamesareused · 14/03/2018 13:21

FaFoutis I for one am loving your plan

Dustysparrow · 14/03/2018 13:21

I would be really annoyed by this too OP - YANBU. I'm astonished that if these people are on the whole reasonable sorts then it hasn't occurred to them that you might be bothered by them all suddenly looming over your fence. I would hate this too, so thoughtless. If you own the fence then I agree that trellis with a vigorous climbing plant would be best - and putting that up will also make it pretty clear to your neighbours that you are pissed off, if they don't know already. Very frustrating that you would have to though.

Tinkobell · 14/03/2018 13:25

You might want to gently point out to them that it's their privacy which has also been compromised - now you can't help but see and hear EVERYTHING! Sounds daft, but people often haven't thought about that. Our neighbour is about to build a house with bedroom windows that overlook our patio. It's not great for our point of view. But worse for them, when they are in their bedroom - we can see right in and wave!!

boredofwaitingagain · 14/03/2018 13:53

We once installed decking like this off of the back of our house. Honestly it never occurred to me until it was built that we would affect their privacy. Luckily they were fab neighbours and I apologised straight away and paid for some trellis. I also made sure we arranged furniture etc so that we never looked over at them and I made a real effort not to intrude on them they didn't seem to care though.

Shattered04 · 14/03/2018 13:54

For what it's worth, the 30cm rule applies from the highest point of the ground. So if decking is built out from a steep slope, it could easily be six foot at one end, but so long as it is no higher than 30cm at the highest point of the ground, it's fine.

This could mean that the fences end up lower than the height of the decking and it's all still legal (as far as I know..)

Bejazzled · 14/03/2018 13:57

We had to get planning permission for our raised decking (im in Scotland) so we consulted with our neighbours amicably before going ahead.

Chattymummyhere · 14/03/2018 14:00

If the fence is 6ft and the deck is 1ft it would be very easy To appear to be towering without breaking any regs. I know some houses here have To have some type of raising as the drop from back door to garden is huge where the land hasn’t sank.

Chattymummyhere · 14/03/2018 14:01

Has sank not hasn’t.

SweetMoon · 14/03/2018 14:42

@ladybee28

That's hilarious

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