Neighbour has painted our and I mean our fence

[Endoftether2000]

Would I be unreasonable to go out and paint my fence. Scenario approx a year ago husband decided to replace all fences on both sides the original posts were wooden and had broken causing our garden to have props holding the right fence up. He went round to the neighbour who was relatively new and advised that he was replacing the fence with concrete gravel boards and posts. She advised that her side of the fence was OK to which my husband responded that if he removed the props that were straddling our garden the fence would fall down and was surprised she didn't know as the old neighbour was aware and advised my husband he would make the new buyer aware (as if he was going to stay he would have gone half's with us) so he agreed times and dates when the fence would be removed to no inconvenience to her or her garden. Fence was removed she then asked if she could have the fence for her wood burner so husband and people that were helping took the old fence round. She then knocked at our door and said that she had too much wood now and could he dispose of the excess which he did. She then paints said fence (we stained our side grey) she painted hers with dark brown stain which has ingressed but not too badly but painted the top of the fence brown when I had stained it grey which can only be seen from the bedroom so I could live with that. Then she hammers things to it only one screw yes screw not nail can be seen so can live with that. We are on the front garden today and notice behind the overgrown bushes which is our next project to tackle she has dark brown stained the section of wood that is the size of a tall gate that connects from our house to her garage and the small fence that is our border in dark brown stain on both sides the small fence being on our land. The section of wood and the fence are on our land so is this trespassing? I am tempted to go out and paint over it even if due to the colour I would have to use garden paint? Opinions appreciated. By the way I hate dark brown stain!

I’m struggling to workout how you’ve got a 10foot high fence.... I thought for residential properties 6.5ft was the limit?

For the love of god - please use full stops.

I can help you find it if you don’t know where it is!

Callimanco

Nitpickpicnic
With 7 fencing-related disputes in 6 years, do you ever wonder if you be a common denominator here? I have never had a single fence dispute in 30 years of home owning...

@Callimanco, stop gaslighting...

@Nitpickpicnic totally with you I have the same a.sh...s NDN .. urghh if not one thing another all for an inch... then pathetically gaslight and say you can’t take it with you.. like wtf.. the next owner may want their boundary in place.

Never give an inch anyone saying it’s not a big deal..!! Can’t be owners or don’t have their names on the deed. It is a big deal.

And as a previous poster said. Jet wash the stain off. Comes off very easily do the deck every two to three years it comes clean off. 👍

Not clear if your deeds state the fence belongs to you and is on your land. If so, your neighbour has no right to paint or attach anything to it without your prior permission, otherwise it can be classed as criminal damage. If you’re concerned about things escalating, why not politely clarify it’s your property and ask her to check with you before doing anything to it again. Do make sure it’s definitely your fence first though!

After they paint fence did they sand floor? Any cars you needed waxing?

Sorry but I am completely with you OP. I spend a lot of time, effort and money keeping my garden looking nice just like my house and if my NDN painted MY side of the fence I would paint it back the colour I wish. If the grey wouldn’t cover it I’d be asking her why she did it and can she please replace it so you can have it back how you want. I’d also tell her not to climb over the fence into your garden again - a bit weird that who would even think that would be ok?!

I wouldn’t care what she did to her side of the fence though

I'm so confused.

You talked her into having a fence she didn't want: I can deal with that, if a boundary needs maintaining and one party is not prepared to do (usually due to cost) then it needs doing. Period.

On the other hand, you paint your side your colour and she paints her side her colour. Period.

It seems to me you are BOTH being petty, her because she didn't want the fence and you because you're a bit precious.

Don't start all out war over fence colour unless you wake up tomorrow and she has painted all of your side of the fence all brown.

Why can't everyone just do the right thing?

YANBU at all.

Your neighbour is taking the piss climbing into your front garden to pain your property!

look at the deeds. If she has painted on your property. Just let her know and ask her to repaint. The first concern is to make sure she knows the boundaries. she might think it is her fence. Then have a conversation about the boundary and know what you want when you are done.

Concrete gravel boards sound absolutely minging

They may sound "minging" but we've had them at to different houses and in storms where others fences have blown down and fence posts gone rotten they are safe and secure.

I agree with jwpetal.
Keep it simple. Have a straightforward conversation.

Concrete gravel boards sound absolutely minging

I have them at the bottom to help prevent rats apparently.

I just can't be bothered with this sort of nonsense with neighbours. If you don't like what's she's done tell her. Maybe she doesn't realise you need matching garden fences.

Christ alive what is the world coming to 😂

If the fence is to your right when standing at your back door facing the garden it is her fence boundary wise. In which case you may have paid for it but she legally owns that boundary.

Not unreasonable. You told NDN in advance. THEN she asks for excess wood AND asks you to take back what she doesn’t need! She’s not being helpful...she is a potential neighbor from hell. Nip it now OP or you’ll regret it. Simply thank her for sharing her paint but say this was your next project and so, of course, you want it grey and since she did such a great job with the brown perhaps she could do it for you? Oh and btw why don’t you touch up the top of fence where your brown splashed—by accident I’m sure😂😂😂.

My neighbour put up a new fence whilst we were away and he stained both sides dk brown - we are delighted!
If you don't like it, paint it.

@Callimanco
@Rowan8

Yes, no doubt I’m the reason some of my many neighbours (across 3 properties) lose their tiny minds over not getting the exact fence they want.

I’m clearly enormously uneighbourly and annoying when I hear out their plans, then calmly offer information like The Actual Law, and take the time to find quality tradespeople for them. I top off my vengeful attacks by rearranging my life around their construction schedule, offering to pay my share upfront, allowing extra access to my property for construction, and letting them have ‘the good side’ to maintain civil relations.

In return, I have been met with the most unbelievable arrogance, idiocy and criminal damage. Other nearby neighbours, legal professionals, tradespeople and even passers-by have been horrified at what’s gone on, I’m no longer surprised.

Feel blessed that you’ve had stress free fence negotiations, if you’ve had any at all. Trust me that fences often make people crazy. Even normally rational, nice people. And don’t get me started on nature’s assholes when they get excited about fencing. They can start a years-long campaign of nastiness over the tiniest perceived slight. Shooting themselves in the feet, and raining shrapnel around everyone nearby.

My favourite has to be the Earth-mother hippy (30’s) who told me that my boundary trees (far inside my rural property) had spoken to her, begging to be released from their 9 lowest branches so they could ‘breathe properly’ and better house fairies and elves. I kid you not.

So she waited for me to go on holiday, chain-sawed the branches (from my side), dumped them in my garden. 17 mature trees, branches of 20cm+ diameter. On the hottest day of the year (40º). Caused irreparable damage to the trees (no regrowth possible), wildlife, my garden and lost me a vital windbreak. Required a new fence to be built, at my expense, since she sold and moved away a month later. But, you know, the elves are apparently happier now so no harm done.

Not in the UK, if that’s important. Sorry for the derail OP.

No problem Nitpick picnic. This is first time I have posted. Your story about elves made me smile. If I post again I will be clearer about my situation 😊. I am interested in people focusing in on my choice of colour and gravel boards. Comefromaway is absolutely right. Gravel boards will be there for ever and panels if get broken or rotten can be slid out and replaced. I guess it could be a generation thing. Today's society has become more cheaper and throwaway as to when I was young. I guess that is why the developers used wooden posts. I am not a brown person. All of the comments regarding a variety of shades of gray may not have lived through the beige brown trends that I did when I was younger. Trust me bridesmaid three times to my aunts and uncles all in beige and brown I blendend into the magnolia chipboard😆 now that is showing my age👍

It’s a fence. As long as she’s not smearing shit and entrails all over it I don’t really think it matters

We were in the same position op. Our fence. We painted our side grey. Ndn painted her side brown. We had a solicitor instruct her not to touch our property.. She legally had to allow us onto her property to maintain the fence. I went round and painted it grey

They didn't happen did it. You're allowed to paint the side of the fence that's in your garden.

As an aside, please can people leave space under fences so that hedgehogs can get through.
The craze for concrete panels has lead to a sharper decline in hedgehogs, they need to roam freely from garden to garden in order to find a mate.
I had the pleasure of seeing a hedgehog in my garden several hours ago ( insomniac) saw him squeeze under my fence into my next door neighbours. They eat slugs too!

As you were.

The craze for concrete panels

What craze? Fences of this sort have been around for over 50 years.

As an aside, please can people leave space under fences so that hedgehogs can get through.
I have no hedgehogs here. I do however, have rats around. So concrete panel it is. Not like they can't dig under, but it helps with the control.

@Windyatthebeach genuinely, honestly, not piling on, I just need to know: why is it a bad thing for someone to paint their side of the fence? It protects the wood and you can’t see it. I genuinely don’t understand why this is a negative.