Enormous tree in neighbour's garden

[treewoes]

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!

treewoes Please don’t let this thread upset you. You will most likely be able to have a pleasant conversation with your neighbour even if they say no.

I honestly don't think I have been particularly aggressive.

I do think you are very unreasonable which I have said and I have said what I personally would think of a neighbour who did what you are proposing but I really don't think I have been scathing or overly aggressive.

I am well aware that people have unseen issues which is precisely why I try not to be super rude and aggressive on here though sometimes things can come across differently on here than they perhaps would in real life and precisely why if I was your neighbour I would be polite and friendly to your face.

Think - they are really close together - from a distance some look like one tree, but it’s actually three. My house is on an awkward plot and although my garden is smallish, nine other gardens Border mine😊.

The leaves were about a foot deep. I have burned through two leaf blowers! I spent my life pulling tiny sycamores out of my garden, (what’s left of) my lawn and my guttering.

What's your soil type?

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

That’s your opinion Heart, but a fair few other posters have commented on the nature of the replies too, so I’m clearly not alone in thinking this.

@Dollymixture22.....try the nice way I suggest. You do have the High Hedges Act whereby plants (except bamboo) constituting a 'hedge' shouldn't be more than about 2.5M high I think....but taking a legal route would be very heavy handed for something that actually is good for everyone, but just needs managing.

You called me rude, OP. How have I been rude?

This is just a practical problem, surely??? Crying ain't going to fix it. I'm just trying to fathom the wood from the trees! Boom boom! 😁 Sorry garden designer...bored and stuck on a long train ride!

@dolly.....leaves will be gone by end of Nov, then you can add a new blower to your Xmas list and breathe in the fantastic air with clear lungs! 😁🍁

“You called me rude, OP. How have I been rude?”

To be fair Heart, you weren’t actually bad. But after I’d received a number of harsh replies already, you accusing me of refusing to say why I bought the house and then sending a snipey reply (“I think the reason you don’t want to answer it is because you can’t”) was just quite upsetting. The reason I didn’t want to answer wasn’t because I can’t; it was because I knew I’d get even more of a kicking from those posters and why would I subject myself to that?

Others have called me massively entitled and selfish, bloody cheeky and arrogant, said they’d tell me to fuck off if I was their neighbour or think I was a twat, and called me an idiot. So yes, I do think there have been some rude and aggressive replies on this thread and like I say, a number of other posters have commented on the nature of the replies as well.

Our neighbour has four fir trees at the bottom of their garden
As soon as the clocks go back they block out all the sun due to the sun height in the sky

Every 3- 4 years we pay them about £250 to get the trees reduced in height
(I'd pay to get the darned things removed if I could)

This has worked well for the last 12 years. Our neighbours get a friend in to chop the tops off, we give them the money

Op what sort of tree is it?
Please go round and knock on your neighbours door if you are nice and polite and explain the concern and offer to pay -why should it be an issue to them. They may actually say yes.
If they don't at least you'll know.

When you are buying a house you often don't see things like this.

Wow didn't read all the responses but I don't understand such hostility to OP. She was asking a simple question. Asking to trim back a tree that over shadows her garden at the best part of the day isn't the worst thing in the world. She probably didn't realise what an impact the tree would make on enjoying the garden until after moving in.
OP there's nothing wrong in asking in a nice way. Keep it light hearted. I certainly wouldn't ask to have it taken down though, maybe a step too far
Good luck!

I have a huge row of thuja firs at the end of my garden....but if they weren't there id literally be waving at my neighbour in their bedroom. So you know, sometimes you have to opt for the lesser of the evils.

Every 3- 4 years we pay them about £250 to get the trees reduced in height
(I'd pay to get the darned things removed if I could)

Topping trees as you describe is actually really bad for the trees.
It weakens them and puts them at a risk for falling over.
Also looks unbelievably ugly!
No decent tree surgeon would ever top a tree, they should always be professionally thinned (which not all trees are suitable for) not beheaded.

Please offer to pay. I know with xmas looming financially I'd want that like a hole in the head.

Some very rude and over invested posters on this thread. There’s no need to call the OP an idiot. Grow the fuck up.

If you were my neighbour OP i’d welcome a conversation. It might not go your way but you can only ask and as long as you’re polite I don’t see the harm.

We asked a neighbour to cut down a tree because it was overhanging our garden and cutting light to the conservatory and we wanted to put the house on the market. We offered to pay and he could keep the chopped wood for his wood burning stove.
We contacted a tree surgeon and it cost us £400 about 7 yrs ago. Neighbour was very happy with his 'free chopped wood'.
Best £400 we spent on improving the house to sell it.

Definitely worth having a conversation with the neighbour but I'd start by inviting them round for drinks and nibbles to get a feel for what sort of people they are. Don't ask them at this stage. Our neighbours were pleasant enough although he was a Daily Mail reader type of person. Lots of pathetic prejudices such as his refusal to sort and recycle his rubbish 'because it gets shipped to India and why should they have his free rubbish'.

We worked out that we'd have to sell the idea on the basis of the benefit to him of having lots of log burner sized chopped wood ready for the following winter. And all for free!!

Yabu firstly 1950/1960 isn't quite 70 years ago more like 60/65 years

Also I'd check independently that there isn't a tpo or that planning permission isn't needed for the tree to be removed before you go in all guns blazing

Have you asked other neighbours what they think of tree. Might be worth putting feelers our first. If it's as big as you say it is then you won't be the only garden affected.

If the tree was removed would the privacy of your garden or there's be compromised so, otherwise you'd have to pay for some hedging as well as the removal of the tree

This tree could be under protected status and then there is little you can do. I know a neighbour I had who is trying to cut down part of a large tree in her yard but she is not allowed. She did buy the house with the tree already there, guess she didn't know that some trees can be protected.

The species of tree has a huge bearing here.

What type is it? Some you'd because to have lopped and crown lifted, others removed. Depends on effect it may possibly have on the soil and swelling as a result of groundwater changes.

Op, I do think asking outright might cause a bit of friction, but if you could get onto chatting terms, and one day bring the tree into conversation....you could frame it as a "if you ever did think about reducing/removing it, I'd be more than happy to chip in, my grass would love the extra light" sort of thing.

OP I would like to apologise to you. The idea that you would be on the verge of tears makes me feel really uncomfortable.

I don't think I was rude but I do think I was a bit cavalier or casual.

I'm sorry for making you feel bad.

We had a huge sycamore in our garden when we moved in. We planned to get rid of it when we did the extension but it wasn't out A1 priority. Our neighbours were really hassling us about taking it down despite the fact that we clearly hadn't planted it and they chose to move in after us knowing full well that there was a large deciduous tree in the neighbouring garden.

We did get it taken down eventually (had to apply for permission which took ages). We were always going to it but it did make me think less of the neighbours that they were so pushy about it.

When I had my leaky roof done the builder also had to remove several feet of damp walls and rebuild most of the top storey of my three storey house. My rear neighbours popped round to ask if I’d consider not rebuilding it because “the other houses are only two storeys and its not fair yours is blocking our light”. But my house was built decades before the rest so everyone could plainly see it before they decided to buy a neighbouring house. They are batshit crazy so I told them to get lost.

I’d regard OP’s situation as being similar - the surrounding trees, houses and other features were there before you bought your house and if you didn’t like it you didn’t have to buy the house. YABU to buy it with the aim of later pushing the neighbours to remove pre-existing features on their property just to suit you.

Ahol, I 5ink you ar3 being extreme. Op simply wants to ask of she can pay to reduce the tree.

This is a very common neighbourly request - five minutes on google will show hundreds of posts about this.

The advice is usually to talk to the neighbour and make the offer that OP is proposing here.

I think it is totally reasonable and doesn’t warrant the extreme responses from some here.