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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Garden and fence

135 replies

Onthe1234 · 25/04/2020 07:52

Hello sorry will be slightly long. i moved in to my new house in Feb.and the weather is nice we have started clearing the garden and decided to put a new fence up all the way around as one side hasent really got one and the other side is just bushes and tress and I have 2 dc under 6 so need to be safe to let them go out and the neighbour was fine up until we said we was keeping the good side off the fence as it will stop the kids climbing on it but she wants to good side as her dog can climb but went out the other day came back to a note and she wants to know all what we've got planned for the garden and wants to see planning permission i don't need planning permission for a fence do I? As long as its not above 2m she also wants to know what else we have got planned for the garden as it is unlevel and we was going to dig so much to level it then put a patio on shes got no right as its my garden and will have nothing to do with her or is she right and I need to let her no my plans?

OP posts:
Traviis · 27/04/2020 13:56

The OP doesn't really care about birds nesting or the environmental impact of removing a tree and she doesn't care about having cordial relations with her nearest neighbours.

Onthe1234 · 27/04/2020 14:42

No tbh I dont

OP posts:
Dorp · 27/04/2020 15:47

Why don't you care about it, OP? That's a shitty attitude.

sunshinesupermum · 27/04/2020 17:04

I'm really glad I don't have you as a neighbour OP.

myangelalex · 27/04/2020 17:25

I think good and bad sides of the fence only applies when it's onto a road or public space? Not neighbours.

myangelalex · 27/04/2020 17:34

Sounds like you will be enhancing the property. Your neighbour is talking nonsense. Do what you planned

EKGEMS · 27/04/2020 17:52

This reply has been deleted

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SoupDragon · 27/04/2020 17:58

Mocking someone for what are clearly literacy issues just makes you look nasty.

Traviis · 27/04/2020 19:11

Sounds like you will be enhancing the property. Your neighbour is talking nonsense. Do what you planned

Removing trees isn't generally considered an enhancement as they take years to replace. Also there's the issue of flood-prevention. It's a shame that OP has gone for a short term victory over long-term peace.

Onthe1234 · 28/04/2020 06:42

The fence has been put on hold as they carnt send anyone out to to determine the bondrey until lock down is over and they don't want me to spend the money on the fence for us to have to pay to move it and I'm just fed up everything we want to do do the garden she has got something to say about it all we want to do is make it a nice garden so I.carnt under stand why she's complaining about everything we want to do to it

OP posts:
Onthe1234 · 28/04/2020 06:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Onthe1234 · 28/04/2020 06:45

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Onthe1234 · 28/04/2020 06:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Traviis · 28/04/2020 07:01

I'm not too sure what you're showing us (or why, if I'm honest).

Does one of them show a before photo of the "tree"? (Looks like a Laurel to me). And does one of your photos show some of the new fencing?

Zeusthemoose · 28/04/2020 07:21

I feel sorry for your neighbor. Did you get permission to chop the tree down from the council or for any of your plans? You don't own the property.

SoupDragon · 28/04/2020 07:24

I feel sorry for your neighbor.

The neighbour who thinks she has a right to say what the OP does to her garden?

LakieLady · 28/04/2020 07:31

Hard to tell from a small pic, OP, but it looks pretty steep. The steeper it is, the more soil and substrate will have to be moved to level it.

I think that to reduce that slope, from the retaining wall onwards, and just moving it to the higher area, will mean that the top part will have to be on a much steeper slope than it is now. That will make it bloody awkward to mow or strim and difficult to use.

My advice (which is probably a waste of key strokes, as you've ignored pretty much all advice up to now) would be to have the spoil from levelling the lower area removed and disposed of. Then you can keep the top part pretty much as it is, and build a retaining wall, possibly using railway sleepers to reduce the cost as brick would be expensive. It will need to be very strong, because the weight of the material it's retaining, plus rainwater, will be considerable.

Not doing this properly will risk the whole lot slipping down on the area below.

Where I live there were houses built at the foot of the mound on which a medieval castle sits. One day, several houses ended up with vast amounts of the castle mound right outside their back doors, despite all the work having been properly done and overseen by experts, and approved by English Heritage. They had to move out for months!

You don't want similar happening on to your nice new patio!

HenTeeth · 28/04/2020 07:41

The fences aren't as bad as I'd imagined. The one with the concrete posts looks ok, is it really that wonky? If it is you will be able to use the existing posts and panels as they aren't that bad and just have them put in again. I'd just keep the 'bad side' and either put trellis on it like Caramac said or grow something up it and fasten it on. It will be so much cheaper to just do this.

The one with no posts where the Laurel is pushing it over is the worst and from your photo I think you're right to wait to have the boundaries looked at as it's all over the place.

There is plenty you can get on with in the meantime that isn't doing the fence. Falling out with your neighbours isn't a good thing but she can't tell you what you can and can't do in your garden. First though you need to make sure of your facts and that means you need to get your boundaries looked at.

Garden and fence
Onthe1234 · 28/04/2020 08:07

Its not the fence at the top off garden its the on at the right side where there isn't really a fence and we are waiting for the council to come but it won't be until lock down is over and they will probably have a back log so could be a few months yet so where getting a quite to get it leveled maybe in two sections will see what he says when he comes later 34 no its quite a big job as it is all unlevel and we won't be able to have it all one level as will look silly

OP posts:
Movinghouseatlast · 28/04/2020 08:17

@AddressLabel that is totally wrong! You tell who is responsible for maintaining a boundary feature by looking at your deeds. If the deeds don't say then it is a joint responsibility.

OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow · 28/04/2020 08:55

I am still at awe that people can just go and do such big alterations to the property they don't own😱

Nanny0gg · 28/04/2020 09:41

If the OP is going to be living in her home for many years I don't blame her. It's one of the dilemmas of renting.

HenTeeth · 28/04/2020 10:05

Presumably it would have been straight, the boundary. It's just that the fence is inadequate. You are doing the right thing to wait before you replace it. It's a huge garden, it will be great when it's done.

Traviis · 28/04/2020 11:03

Don't forget to put holes in the gravel boards for hedgehogs.

antisupermum · 28/04/2020 11:23

Oh the snobbery about this being a council house is just unreal. People all commenting about "did you get permission. You don't own this property" clearly don't live in council houses, and never have.
A council property is not the same as a private tenancy. You do not need permission for every small amendment you want to make. The councils usually WANT you to make these changes as it saves them the time and money. (speaking from my experiences with my own Local Authority, cant say this is an across the board thing).

You would be getting very different responses here OP, if you hadn't mentioned your council tenant status. Fact.