Neighbours New Tree house

[Silvafoxa]

Hi,

Just some background. I have DC and we are friendly with neighbours. We live in a semi rural area but our garden is (was) completely private and we enjoy that! especially with lockdown.
There are no other neighbours in close proximity.

So our neighbours started work on a treehouse that is approx 10ft + in a tree at the back of their garden. Our garden and house wraps around the back of the garden.It is at the very bottom of their garden. The tree house is 5ft from out kitchen window and looks directly into it.

It’s all we now see looking out our kitchen window and completely dominates our view (I have shrubs and planting but nowhere nr 15ft to cover).

It also now blocks all light into kitchen. It’s a big shed on stilts with overlooking windows. With added fairy lights. It use to be pitch black outside our window snd it’s lit up in the evenings.

Since it’s been erected random adults have been up and looking through into our house (maybe unintentionally but it’s really not nice).

I spoke to neighbour who said it’s for children and to lighten up. They were very dismissive and said it’s staying.

I just think come summer it’s going to be hell with kids in there so close to our kitchen and patio. They didn’t put it nr their house probably for the same reasons I do not want it so close to mine.

Am I being miserable, it’s such an eyesore ?
Should I report to the council ?

@LadyinRead

Send them a letter saying if they don't move it by XX Date you will report it to the Council on the grounds it is blocking your light and breaching your privacy. Don't wait too long as there is a time limit for such things.

I wouldn't do this as it may come across as threatening.

If you are going to report it, just report it. Don't tell them beforehand.

As you have already spoken to them about it, I think realistically you only have 3 options

1. Put up with it
2. Try to block it somehow
3. Report it and hope it gets removed

I wouldn’t worry about upsetting them. Arseholes like this are bullies, and the more you let them, the more they will get away with it. What they have done is against the law, so should be reported. Contact the Planning Enforcement team at your local authority and they will take it from there.

If you stand up to them now it will make them less inclined to mess with you in future, especially if it ends up costing them money (it will).

If they want a summerhouse, build it at ground level, not up a bloody tree!

Yep, report it. They clearly don't care what you think.

Agree with what @msagnesdipesto says. You need to meet aggression with assertiveness

Not ignoring that this must be horrible and you would be within rights to report it...

As a shorter term block, you could look at window frosting which is cheap, easy to apply, lets the light in and is easy to remove again when/if it's no longer needed.

Purlfrost is one example, but there are others.

Might that help with the 'looking into the kitchen window' problem?

Tell them if they live the fairy lights so much to move the fucking thing charming tree mansion house nearer THEIR house.

You've asked nicely, now is the time to involve the council & fast!!

Wankers

I would complain, I understand the not wanting to fall out with your only neighbour part but that ship has sailed in my opinion. They have already made it clear they don’t care if it causes you bother so I would report it and you will be glad when it’s gone!!!!

I would suggest perhaps waiting a couple of months. Often things which at first seem a great intrusion, aren't. It might become unused very quickly and less of an imposition. Meantime you can log what happens. You could phone the council to ask but I don't think it would make any difference if you decided to log a complaint now or in a few months time

Talk to the council planning department, make a complaint about the treehouse, and raise your concerns about the lack of privacy.

Your relationship with the neighbour is not going to get any better as long as the treehouse remains and your resentment about it builds. If you think they're rich and intimidating now, just wait to see what they're like if you let them get away with this.

If you think they're rich and intimidating now, just wait to see what they're like if you let them get away with this

This. You need to get angry.

We have the exact same issue and Summer is a nightmare. Like that our neighbours will not do anything about it. It is also an eyesore. I feel your pain.

@DogInATent

Talk to the council planning department, make a complaint about the treehouse, and raise your concerns about the lack of privacy.

Your relationship with the neighbour is not going to get any better as long as the treehouse remains and your resentment about it builds. If you think they're rich and intimidating now, just wait to see what they're like if you let them get away with this.

This! I’d you don’t stand up to them now, it won’t end here. Good fences make good neighbours, literally and metaphorically. I’d report it.

Report them! They didn't give you and your family a second thought, and its such a shame in these situations that the person who has done nothing wrong has to be burdened with stress and worry.
What is wrong with people!!

@Silvafoxa

We sent them a photo. They just said that their house was built first and they always planned to put a treehouse there before our property was built. Such an odd response ! We didn’t build our house we purchase it.

Should a build a taller treehouse ? 😂

They’re already being arseholes so who gives a shit if they know it’s you who reports them to planners?

I imagine your neighbourly relations wouldn’t really have recovered from being told to ‘lighten up’ when you spoke to them about it, not to mention their subsequent combative responses.

Totally agree. Put up and shut up. Block with something (unlikely to be possible). Report to council.

Honestly. Nasty people.

Admission. We put a shepherd's hut at the end of our garden last summer without asking permission of neighbours. The bottom of the garden backs onto a field. Shepherd's hut is approx 7 feet high, no infringement of planning requirements. No neighbour on left, neighbour to right loves it but his neighbour wrote to us saying they didn't like seeing it across two gardens. So we had it moved. No sense in upsetting people even if we had the right to keep it.

Ughh, why are people so weird and nasty? I would never dream of putting up anything that would infringe on my neighbours.

Maybe give one last attempt at telling them how it is affecting you by writing them a letter.

If there's no response/nothing changes in a week's time, then I would report it to the council.

You can't let people get away with being bullies.

if it's within 2 metres of the boundary, there are planning limits on its height

@Jjjayfee makes a good point about the novelty wearing off. My sister built a tree house in their garden (albeit not overlooking anyone). Lot of excitement about it at first but after a couple of weeks the novelty did wear off. The kids would go up there if they had friends over but that was about it. I would watch and wait for a bit. Adults aren't going to want to spend summer evenings sitting up there and having going up and down a tree house to go to the loo, surely? If there's no wifi up there then it will soon become redundant space

Perhaps take a photograph and send to the council?

Stick a massive security light at the back of your house that goes off every time someone goes into the tree house, angle it so it shines into their house or treehouse

Plus put blinds up

Or you could erect a screen of some sort. I think you can get sail like things you can hang

They don't care about you so why should you care about them? Just report it.

I hear squirrels love to bite through fairy light cables….

Here you go

I love how everyone is being so considerate and suggesting discrete methods of pansy planting etc.

I'd get a few inflatables and sex dolls and recreate daily scenes.

Educate the children on the different sex positions at least surely?

The use of the tree house may die down (but I think in the summer it will return), but the physical structure will remain. If it is as the OP describes, it is pretty intrusive and visually dominant and is impacting on her enjoyment of her own property.

The planning system is in place to stop such things - use it!