Neighbouring treehouse

[Spooked7]

I will append a diagram if it helps, but AIBU to ask neighbouring family to take down large wooden treehouse that sits above the level of our fence and dominates the view?
I don’t know the neighbours and don’t want to start a dispute with them, especially as we only recently moved in. However, we had no idea there was a treehouse overlooking our garden. It was disguised by overgrowing trees as the previous owner of our house had passed away over a year before we viewed the house...and the trees hadn’t been cut back for a while. After a few days living here we started to see heads of small boys popping through the trees about 4 feet above our fence. I still didn’t realise it was a treehouse. Then a month later they employed a tree surgeon to cut back the trees as they were overhanging our (small) garden and blocking light from getting in. This exposed the entire, very large, wooden treehouse. It is a platform about 5.5ft off the ground, with a see-through fence panel about another 3 ft in height around its edge. The whole structure sits above the level of our fence. It has some bits of camouflage netting and a sheet of canvas loosely attached, that flap and wave in the wind. It is both intrusive and unsightly and I have no idea what to do about it without angering the neighbours. I have had advice from the council who said they will happily go round and investigate anonymously whether they should have sought planning permission for it, but it would be completely obvious that we instigated it, as it doesn’t really affect anyone else. I know that if/when we decide to sell our house this treehouse will put a lot of people off. It dominates our very small garden.

Has anyone managed to resolve a similar issue without it leading to a dispute?

@Spooked7 have you not had a chance to go and speak to them yet? I'm sure it would be more productive that having to repeat yourself to people who haven't read the thread.

I hope the neighbours are reasonable and understanding when they see the before abs after photos and take it down. It's clearly dominating your small garden like you say and with such a large garden hopefully they can come up with something else for their children which won't impact you and your neighbours.

Good luck.

@ColdCottage

No I haven't yet. I'd like to actually go round in person but apart from being in lockdown it's pouring with rain. I'm not sure how it would come across by text but tone of a message is very hard to convey.

Haven't read the thread but my friend dealt with nosey neighbours by having shagging sessions in her garden.

@Spooked7 totally agree. Do it in person.

@MindTheMinotaur
Haven't read the thread but my friend dealt with nosey neighbours by having shagging sessions in her garden.

Hmm, I don't think I'll be having any of those in front of two young boys and my own children.....but maybe you should actually read the thread?

I think going around and showing them the photos is a good idea. Perhaps they may not realise how intrusive it is now. They will need to screen it on their side. Perhaps they can put a solid fence up so they cannot see into your garden. It doesn't help with the view through. What an unusual situation and not ideal at all. Maybe this was their lockdown project.

Note that these things are always at the furthest point from their house 🙄

Note that these things are always at the furthest point from their house
So true. In this case though, it's the only part of their garden with big enough trees, however their huge trampoline is also wedged right up along their back fence too, closer to ours and my NDN than to their own windows. I'm sure everyone does this though, rather than have it stuck in the middle of the lawn, but it does mean the neighbours get more disturbance from it than the owners do.

Why don't you invite the neighbours over so they can see exactly how intrusive it really is then say: the tree house was hidden by the overgrown trees previously so we had no idea it was there, had we have known we would never have bought this house due to the complete lack of privacy: there are 2 options here, either put a solid side in and reconfigure it so your kids are looking into YOUR garden whilst also putting up some form of screening or we will have to get the council over to check it out and you risk being told to remove it altogether.

Be polite but firm and make it clear you would rather find a resolution together and calling out the council is a last resort as you want to remain on good terms.

The ball is in their court then and anything negative that comes of it is on them.

Would you still be able to see the treehouse if they moved it 10-15’ further into their garden without the trees?
I ask because you do ask them to move it snd then that created a hole which you can then see more of their garden/house and they yours.
Worse still they may just swap the tree house and trampoline over then you’d have the trampoline to deal with and they definitely don’t need permission for where they’re placed.
I’d ask neighbours to screen it, the tree will soon grown back and hopefully hide it again for when you sell. I know you also mentioned noise but if their garden is 20’ and yours is 7’ you’ll still hear them regardless of where they place the treehouse .....kids voices/screams carry.
If they refuse to screen it, go down the council route happy that you at least tried a compromise.

It wouldn't bother me to be honest. I like seeing kids playing outside and obviously a play house is not a tree house which can only go in a tree. Tree surgeons are expensive, of course they were going to get a full trim if they had one out. They don't want more branches falling down in the future causing a hazard and costing more overall if they keep having to get the tree surgeon back. If it's a problem for you why don't you put some screening up? Or ask if they'd be happy for you to make the tree house fully enclosed on your side so it then looks more like a high fence?

You are in a difficult position OP. There is no way you could have known a tree house with that very intrusive design was hidden there from that first picture. Plus it probably was installed this summer after your viewings and survey etc.
I think I would start off with a conversation with your neighbours (awkward but has to be done). Think about if you are happy with it being screened by a tarpaulin or other solid side (not the current slatted one) until the trees grow back. It's not ideal but a compromise would be easier and quicker to agree with your neighbours.
As others have said, I'd guess they don't realise how intrusive it is from your angle now the tree cover has gone.
If they weren't willing to compromise, I would put it in the hands of the planners. Good luck!

I'd be willing to risk neighbourly relations for this one (and as others have pointed out, it's not as though you have much to do with neighbours who back onto you).

Agree with you OP that it's best to talk it through face to face when lockdown etc allows. You could say that you are willing to put up a higher fence your side as a compromise, but it will require planning permission because it would be over xyz height. Presumably if they don't have planning for the treehouse they'd cotton on and sooner offer to sort it themselves rather than 'get found out' when your justification for a high fence exposes their lack of planning permission for the treehouse.

At least if you put your own fence up you have control of the aesthetics. Expensive solution though.

I don't think you are being in any way unreasonable to get this sorted.

My three boys are adult now. They would have loved something like this. More importantly to you, their friends would REALLY have loved this. This is likely to end up the main play spot for groups of kids and a teen hangout as their children age. Kid being kids, any solid screen you put up is quite likely going to be used as an extention of the climbing frame in time. The neighbours may well impress upon their kids the importance of not disturbing you but their friends are not so likely to care about that and even the nicest kids tend to want to impress their friends and show off. I would act firmly not on the basis of todays privacy issues, but on the basis of the privacy issues you'll have over the next 10-15 years if the treehouse lasts that long.

Just a thought. Could you put up one of those bamboo screens to whatever height and then when or if planning come round they will insist you take it down and also the neighbours tree house. You could in fact complain about your own screen anonymously and there you go.

I’d put up a very high trellis to block their view into your garden. You can get ones with ivy or fake greenery attached. Or plant a high wall of mature bamboo on your side!

I doubt they’ll agree to take the treehouse down, it must have been expensive and time consuming to build and the kids probably love it.

As you’ve just moved in I’d avoid getting into a neighbourly dispute over this, especially as the treehouse was there when you viewed (just hidden so less noticeable).

this website has suggestions for screening bamboos. Some of them grow to 6m quite quickly and they are bushy at the top and less so at the bottom so it could work for you. It would be pretty in a tall planter that is the backrest for a bench, and it wouldn't have to be all that wide so long as it's fairly centred on the middle of the treehouse. Like this photo but not as wide, maybe two seater size. Bamboo is very wind resistant, it just sways and lets the wind pass through it.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

Something like that could work, though I'd have to remove our shed and decking to fit in in, so not practical. If I remove the decking I'll have to also redo the steps down from the upper part of the garden. It's all so costly and such a pain.

Could you not just sit a planter on the decking? Would it impede the shed door or something?

OP you are over thinking this

Ultimately the treehouse is intrusive overlooks your garden from above your 6foot fence and should never have been built up against the boundary

Just ring the council and let them deal with it . Council workers can be polite and conciliatory too, you under estimate their skills.

All this 'trying to find planters high enough' or 'talking with NDN' (for a compromise you probably won't be much happier with) is faffing around

You can't afford not to report to council to get it dealt with as that may be the deal breaker for your sanity relaxing in your garden or losing £10 000s from your future house sale.

We have a ground level hut near back of our garden in amount some trees and all the teenagers still hang out there with their friends! They get shushed snd sent in if they get noisy

If NDN don't want to fall out they'll find a way to apologise & re-site it once the council worker has a chat with them.

When do you think you might sell?

If your main concern is genuinely an issue with reselling, then the kids may even have grown out of it by the time you want to sell.

I'd suggest having a chat with the neighbour, saying you have no issue with it for now, you don't want to stop the DC enjoying it, but that it is intrusive and that you're worried about what will happen when you come to sell, that it'll put buyers off.

And ask if you can reach an agreement that if you do ever sell - or if they do before you - that the treehouse will come down?

@Sparticuscaticus

OP you are over thinking this

Ultimately the treehouse is intrusive overlooks your garden from above your 6foot fence and should never have been built up against the boundary

Just ring the council and let them deal with it . Council workers can be polite and conciliatory too, you under estimate their skills.

All this 'trying to find planters high enough' or 'talking with NDN' (for a compromise you probably won't be much happier with) is faffing around

You can't afford not to report to council to get it dealt with as that may be the deal breaker for your sanity relaxing in your garden or losing £10 000s from your future house sale.

We have a ground level hut near back of our garden in amount some trees and all the teenagers still hang out there with their friends! They get shushed snd sent in if they get noisy

If NDN don't want to fall out they'll find a way to apologise & re-site it once the council worker has a chat with them.

Totally agree. Just have council deal with it. You deserve to enjoy your garden in peace.

I also agree with @Sparticuscaticus aside from that I would have the face to face conversation with the neighbour first. If they agree to do anything OP, be sure to put a deadline on it with them so it doesn't drag out and you know when to go to the council.