Neighbour complaining about our garden lights

[Slave2love]

Very petty and silly subject I know but here goes.
We have a small hedge on the edge of our front lawn to separate our garden from the neighbour's driveway. (Only recently planted, very small at this stage) further in on our lawn we have put a few small solar lights. Next doors drive is only just wide enough to squeeze 2 cars side by side and there is very little room to open doors etc. Until we put the hedge and lights in they were opening their car door fully over our garden in order to get out (also stepping on our land at times). Now I appreciate that we have made it awkward for them to open the doors fully now but surely they are not entitled to use our garden in order to get out of their car? They are new to the street but we knew of them previously and children are actually in the same class at school. Neighbour has asked this morning if we can move the solar lights. All has been pleasant with them up until now despite them being quite selfish neighbours. I could understand if the lights were on the boundary line but they are much further in. I feel it is them who have created the problem by parking 2 cars on a drive only really suitable for one. AIBU to not want to move the lights?

We were going to have a line of these:

www.diy.com/departments/panacea-triple-arch-finial-fence-panel-w-1-21-m-h-0-91m/1677231_BQ.prd

but instead of putting them into the ground we were going to use railway sleepers as a base & fix them onto those & to the garage wall at one end. Like you, we wanted something that would take up the least space.

I must stress that we didn't actually do it, so I don't know how well it would've worked, but it might be worth looking into.

I like those, ifIwerenot, but can't help think that the neighbours would soon be chipping the finish off with the car doors.

Do not move the lights unless mug is the look you're going for.

Its your land, stop being so nice and get territorial about your space. Or they will spend many years walking all over you.

diddl

We expected the moronic neighbours to attack the fence somehow or other, so we went for something cheap & deicded not to care.

@ifIwerenotanandroid we have those around the back patio, but we screwed them down to the floor. Absolutely brilliant railings (and cheaper in The Range )

Keep the lights. They’ve got a cheek asking.

Adobe

Nice to know we were on the right track. Can't tell you how many nights I lay in bed coming up with ideas & nothing seemed to work - then saw these.

Did those up and plant a 5 foot hedge .

Build a wall. And get the Mexicans to pay for it. No wait...

This would annoy me too. My (evil) neighbours tried taking down our wall (they thought it was theirs) until I stopped them, with the idea of getting two cars on the drive. When I said even if the wall wasn't there I'd want some sort of boundary, they initially said they'd replace it with a fence (the wall is quite thick).

They took some bricks off our wall, never replaced/fixed it, and I don't want more aggro so have left it for now.

I think they realised that if they couldn't just take it down and have nothing, ie if I insisted on a fence, they still wouldn't be able to get two cars on. Idiots.

Of course now I have the other side of that problem, they can only get one car onto their drive and instead of parking in front of their house (eg blocking themselves in), they park fully on the grass verge outside my house, as close to the edge of my drive as possible (so they have room to swing out from their not-really-dropped-kerb-drive).

Some people just can't be reasoned with.

Build a wall. And get the Mexicans to pay for it. No wait...

A wall in Colorado would help the OP how?

Thank you for all the advise. It's all very well putting in a fence or a wall but then they would be even less able to open the car door and that is bound to p*ss them off. At least with how it is now is shows a boundary but is more flexible than if we put a wall up. She can open the car door it just means being mindful of our solar lights. Something she obviously doesn't want to have to do each time she goes in the car. Is that my problem? They dont tend to step on the hedge because there is a bit of soil and gaps in between. Yes I think we chose the wrong hedge for what we are after.

Just seen the pic these lights are well within your garden how cheeky to ask you to move them! And the hedge gives you a defined boundary which is a good thing surely.

Slave were you raised to be a total People Pleaser?

Seriously? So you piss them off because they cannot use YOUR PROPERTY?? Very few people would put random neighbours needs and wants above their own.......

Gosh, didn't mean that to sound aggressive!

Just stand up for yourself woman!!

I will most probably end up moving the lights slightly

Oh dear god don't. By all means ignore the more antagonistic advice and try to keep on friendly terms, but if they can make you move your own boundary lights they will keep taking the piss.

So they can only get out of their car t using you garden to do so.? In which case their diveway is too narrow for two cars, they know it and are being bloody rude using/wrecking your garden. Install a fence or triple the solar lights!!!

It is your land to do what you like with. They are selfish CFs. Don't let the bully you into moving your lights.

They want to use your land. They have no right to use it. You don't want them to use it. You have the right to keep them off your land. It's that simple.

If they're p*ssed off by your doing something, that's their problem & tbh you've already made a move to keep them off, & they've already objected in a CF way. They should park on their own land so that they can get out of the car ON THEIR OWN LAND.

I think I'd be inclined to dig up some of the lawn and plant lots of shrubs.

" they would be even less able to open the car door and that is bound to pss them off."*

Oh dear!

She can still open the car door can't she?

I mean how far over on the drive are they parking that the lights are in the way??

Does she just want to able to heedlessly fling the door wide open?

I think I'd be inclined to dig up some of the lawn and plant lots of shrubs.

What about a full-scale replica of the Trevi Fountain?

That was a joke. I agree with @donquixotedelamancha. No need to antagonise neighbours, but I certainly wouldn't be moving something that's well within your boundary, and which you have put there expressly to prevent neighbours walking on your garden.

Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile- its a saying Op and applies here. Don't let them take advantage of you, cant believe how entitled some people can be.

No way would I be moving the lights - tough if they don't have room for two cars - they should have thought about that before they purchased the house!

Our house is a newish build and has a big driveway, it can fit four cars 2x2 easily. Next doors drive is separated from ours by a thin line of stones which according to the deeds, we also own. Yet their drive is so narrow there really isn't any way they can park without stepping on our land to get out of the cars.... unless they park right up against their house - which means one side of the car cannot open their door.

Occasionally it annoys me and I could put stuff on the stones to cause them issues but as long as they are ok neighbours and don't cause us problems, I let it go. If your neighbours are causing issues, i would go out of my way to make it difficult for them. It's your lane and you can do what you want.

*I mean how far over on the drive are they parking that the lights are in the way??

Does she just want to able to heedlessly fling the door wide open? *

They are parking pretty much to the edge of their drive because they have to I suppose because theres another car parked to the left of it (sorry not shown in the pic) so in their eyes my solar lights are in the way. She wants to be able to open the doors fully I assume. If you have to shimmy down the space between the car and someone elses lawn then that tells me there really isnt sufficient space for 2 cars side by side on that drive but Instead of rethinking their parking arrangements they are implying it is us causing the problem by not giving them enough room.