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AIBU?

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Original poster

Enormous tree in neighbour's garden

287 replies

treewoes · 27/10/2019 13:08

I live in a small terraced house. At the bottom of my next door neighbour's garden there's a huge tree. I'd say it's at least three times taller than the surrounding houses... probably about 100ft if I had to guess?

Every day the tree blocks the sunlight in my garden for about 3 hours solid in the early afternoon, before the sun swings back round again in the late afternoon/early evening.

I would really love to get the tree either significantly reduced in height or removed altogether, but obviously it's on my neighbour's land so it's not my call.

I don't know the neighbours at all well (we only moved in six months ago and have barely seen them) and am really nervous to ask them, in case they're annoyed or think I'm interfering.

I'd be willing to pay for some or all of the work if the neighbours weren't happy to do so. DH thinks we should go halves but since we're the ones who have an issue with it, I think it's only fair that we cover the full cost if need be.

Does anyone have any advice on how they would deal with this situation? Do you think it's worth exploring getting the tree cut since I do get sunlight in my garden for about 6 hours a day (but none at all from 12-3)?

And does anyone know how much it would cost to get such an enormous tree cut back or chopped down? Logistically it could be a challenge as the tree is located between two rows of terraces.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
treewoes · 27/10/2019 17:15

Jizelle it’s funny how the people accusing me of being rude are the ones who come across as the most rude, aggressive ones on this thread. Just an observation.

OP posts:
TooMuchSun12 · 27/10/2019 17:16

We did exactly this. Went halves with our neighbour on cutting back their huge tree (very similar situation to yours). We hadn’t lived there long and didn’t notice how much the tree would block the sun in summer as we bought the house in winter. They were more than happy to do it. We have a great neighbourly relationship. From memory it was about £500 for the work.

Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:17

Do we know what species of tree please? A 100 footer could be a giant leylandii (very low biodiversity value) or a giant sequoia, or a London plane? This information is important to have OP. Some trees such as beech actually respond pretty well to a hard crown reduction and in these times of water scarcity it can actually reduce the pressure on a tree by reducing the crown which it's root system has to support. Oaks on the other hand will not respond too well to any crown reduction and you are restricted really to just chopping out any dead or dangerous branches. The species is important and a reputable tree surgeon should advise.
Personally, yes, I think you should offer to pay for the works in full 100%. I also think in the same situation if the tree was being totally removed I'd offer a bit of money to supply some replacement small garden saplings - something like Rowan / mountain ash which are very biodiverse and suitable for a small garden space. That way you can really weigh up how much of a pain in the ass this tree really is to you!

Original poster
treewoes · 27/10/2019 17:17

“It's just SO rage inducing when neighbours are perfectly friendly and polite but refuse to bow down to your unreasonable requests and change/get rid of things they like but you don't isn't it?!”

Frosted, why are you so worked up and angry? You have no idea whether my neighbours like the tree or not - they might hate it!

OP posts:
SheeshazAZ09 · 27/10/2019 17:18

OP you have a valid concern. As you say small gardens are not appropriate places for large forest-sized trees. We've taken out several large trees from various gardens (ours), replacing them with plants that are more appropriately sized, and we've also asked neighbours if they'd mind our paying to take out very large trees or reducing them.

The neighbours thing has had varying success.

One one occasion we asked if we could pay to have the neighbour's tree cut down. They said no. But then another neighbour who did some garden work for them and who had got similarly pissed off about the tree just took things into his own hands and cut it down one day while he was doing the other work! I was astonished (and pleased) at his chutzpah. Their working relationship didn't seem to suffer at all as he continued to work for them.

In my view you should ask your neighbours their feelings. It could be that they would welcome the extra light themselves and will happily agree.

Regarding the price for reducing or cutting down trees, it can vary; we've paid between 200 and 600 quid.

I do consider myself an environmentalist and used to work for a tree planting charity; my work included planting hundreds of trees in appropriate places, so am in no way anti-tree. Just anti-tree-in-wrong-place.

Original poster
treewoes · 27/10/2019 17:21

Tinko I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not a beech or an oak or anything beautiful like that. Yes, I’d be happy to pay for a small replacement tree(s) if that’s what the neighbour wanted.

OP posts:
Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:22

By the way, I'm not in favour of inappropriate tree plantings next to buildings....too many people plant leylandii, weeping willows and cedar next to homes...it is stupid. The trees are constrained, the roots can damage foundations, they risk falling in storms etc. Problem is they are sold as tiny saplings and then 80 years later too big for the space.

Dollymixture22 · 27/10/2019 17:22

This thread has terrified me. I was going to ask my neighbour if I can reduce the sycamores at the bottom of his garden, they are tight up against my fence, are over 100 feet and have grown about 30 feet since I moved in. The sap has completely destroyed any garden furniture I put out and the grass doesn’t grow.

As I said previously they used to the trimmed and topped, but since new neighbours bought the house they haven’t been touched.

Yes they were there when I bought the house, but I was 25, had never owned a house before and didn’t think about trees.

Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:23

Evergreen or deciduous?

aweedropofsancerre · 27/10/2019 17:23

I understand what your saying OP. I live in a terrace and have four gardens around me. We do have trees and one is quite large at the back. We are in a conservation area and you need a tree licence to do any work on the trees. Sadly a neighbour at the end of our garden got someone in and hacked the tree that was hanging over slightly. No communication, nothing, she thought she could as the tree was on her side and she didn’t like it. She isn’t allowed to do that and we had to get the local estate involved. The tree looks awful from her side and in truth if she had simply spoken to us we could have paid for someone to trim it back. It wouldn’t have been an issue , instead she got abusive when we confronted her about hacking the tree and went on about it’s poisonous leaves! Just speak to your neighbours.

frostedviolets · 27/10/2019 17:24

Frosted, why are you so worked up and angry? You have no idea whether my neighbours like the tree or not - they might hate it!

I'm not worked up or angry.

I've told you my opinion as to whether you are being unreasonable or not (I think you are).

I've offered a possible part solution that I do (cut the branches you can reach back to the fence line) to increase light

I've told you what I would do in your situation (a pretty woodland garden with white fences and flowers)

I've told you how I personally would feel if I were your neighbour.

And I've warned you that in my opinion you run a big risk of souring future relationships because your neighbours will quite likely think you rude and entitled even if they don't say it to your face.

They might hate the tree.
Then everything is fine for you isn't it?

Whether you intend to or not you are coming across massively entitled and selfish, I am clearly not the only one that thinks so and calling posters rude, nasty, glad I'm not your neighbour, unreasonable etc isn't exactly helping your case

Paisley19 · 27/10/2019 17:25

@gwackywacky Well said!!

SynchroSwimmer · 27/10/2019 17:26

If you have overhanging branches over your property - then you are allowed to cut those. (and offer them back). I think I would chat to the neighbours first, but no obligation to do so.

You could maybe have a chat with them to say the light levels are affecting you, so at some point when the leaves are off, you will prune the overhanging......and then you can see from their reaction, how open they are to any discussion/compromise...

The sun in particularly low in the sky from Nov to Feb, (I have the same issue with trees at this time of year) I guess being new in the house, you have yet to experience these lower light levels for the next 4 months in your new property.

Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:26

@dolly.....sycamores trim well but wait until it's colder in winter. There are a lot of fungal spores in Autumn which can get into open stumps and kill a tree. Do the work when it is colder. Also sycamores are excellent anti pollution trees....so do bear that in mind.

FiddlesticksAkimbo · 27/10/2019 17:28

YA (very obviously) NBU! A polite request and being prepared to accept that they might say no (or that there may be a TPO) is wholly reasonable.

EskewedBeef · 27/10/2019 17:31

I think it's a reasonable thing to mention to a neighbour. It could be that the tree is inconvenient for them too, but they don't have the wherewithal to do anything about it, or possibly the logistics are tricky (awkward access, for example). If you offer to pay they might be thrilled.

I'd get to know them a little bit first though, and mention the tree in passing to gauge their thoughts about it.

Dollymixture22 · 27/10/2019 17:32

Thanks tinks. There are about forty of them - three sets of neighbours have them. I suspect they just seeded and no one bothered to cut them down! While I love nature, I hate those bloody trees😁.

But don’t want to kill them so will wait till it gets colder.

Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:32

Can't comment further on this until we have indication of species - evergreen or deciduous?

Original poster
treewoes · 27/10/2019 17:32

Whether you intend to or not you are coming across massively entitled and selfish, I am clearly not the only one that thinks so and calling posters rude, nasty, glad I'm not your neighbour, unreasonable etc isn't exactly helping your case

You are rude and clearly very worked up for reasons I can’t fathom. Why shouldn’t I defend myself against you and others who have been equally aggressive and nasty? Other posters have been able to give perfectly civilized replies without coming across so horrible. Reading yours and several other people’s posts has actually made me gulp at the vitriol of the replies. Why don’t you think before you post and remember there’s a real person behind the screen who may very well have other issues they’re dealing with in their lives, before sending such attacking, scathing responses.

OP posts:
NoSquirrels · 27/10/2019 17:40

I’d find out what sort of tree it was for starters, OP, before you do anything else.

Tinkobell · 27/10/2019 17:40

@Dollymixture22....40 trees! Blimey! Do you live on a country estate! 😁 Two things on this. Self seeded treees actually benefit from selective thinning, so better to completely remove the stragglers and allow the major trees to thrive. Big sycamore leaves are one of the best pollution controllers you can plant.

Original poster
treewoes · 27/10/2019 17:41

Tinko thanks for trying to help, really appreciate it - but I think I’m going to leave this thread now. It’s really not doing my head any good and I’m on the verge of tears - not what I was expecting from asking a simple question about a tree!. Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to give helpful suggestions.

OP posts:
Wobblywobble321 · 27/10/2019 17:42

I haven't read all the replies but I wouldn't mind at all if you were my neighbour as long as you asked and didn't demand.
When we bought the house we live it there was a massive tree in the garden. No idea how we didn't really notice how huge it was when we looked at the house. After being her for about 6 months we saved up enough to have the top of it professionally removed (cost a bloody fortune). We knocked the neighbours behind just to let them know what our plans were because the tree had been there a long time and gave them a massive amount of privacy so we didn't want it to be a big shock to them. They were so relieved we were cutting it down because they hated it. I would have loved it if they had knocked and told us they were losing light and offered to pay for it to be removed when we moved it. The only reason we left it there so long was because we couldn't afford it. So your neighbours might not like their tree either (like us) and be unable to afford to chop it down.

heartsonacake · 27/10/2019 17:45

You need to toughen up, OP. I don’t think anyone on this thread has been particularly rude or aggressive Confused

LolaSmiles · 27/10/2019 17:47

And of course I can answer why I bought my own house, what a strange thing to say. I just don’t see why I owe you a response!
I think the point people are making isn't about the rights and wrongs of large trees and the need to think when planting, and more that this was a large mature tree when you viewed the property, a large mature tree when you decided to buy the property, and it will be in the time you now live in the property.
It's not an unforeseen situation if someone opts to buy a house with a big tree near by.

The fact that you seem to be tarring lots of posters as being rude for pointing this out seems a bit unfair on those posters in my opinion.