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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think the neighbours should have told us they were cutting down their hedge?!

44 replies

PDR · 08/09/2009 12:16

Right so I just got home from coffee at a friends.

See the neighbours have tree surgeons vans outside their house. Wonder to myself what they are doing...

Get into the house and see that they have cut down the entire hedge that shields their garden from ours!

We only have a 3ft fence up our side as the hedge was very tall and didn't need anything really.

Now we can see right into their garden and them into ours.... great.

I can see why they have done it as the hedge was eating into their (smallish) garden but maybe they could have mentioned it to us?!

Have spoken to my husband who thinks he will probably put up a 6ft fence unless they are planning on putting something up on their side.

Am I being unreasonable in thinking they should have at least mentioned it to us before they did it??!

OP posts:
GoAwayMrWappy · 08/09/2009 12:18

Ours did this and put a poxy fence up. We planted laurels in front of fence and they are already at the top. Soon we will never have to see them again hahahahahaha!

EldonAve · 08/09/2009 12:18

YABU, their hedge, their business

How would telling you in advance have helped?

Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 12:20

Just a bit of a shock really!

You go off to a coffee morning with a perfectly private garden and you come back 2 hrs later and you have a goldfish bowl!

OP posts:
Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 12:21

Just a bit of a shock really!

You go off to a coffee morning with a perfectly private garden and you come back 2 hrs later and you have a goldfish bowl!

Another thing is that we live in an upside down house so they can now see into one of our bedrooms from their garden table.

Will have to me careful when getting dressed!

OP posts:
fircone · 08/09/2009 12:21

I feel your pain.

Our neighbours did this and now they can see into our sitting room. I bought some semi-mature Lleylandi (sp?) at vast expense but they are still spindly and meanwhile Mr Tosser next door has a birds-eye view of our day-to-day lives.

VinegarTits · 08/09/2009 12:21

YABU plant your own hedge if you want privacy

wishingchair · 08/09/2009 12:22

Sadly, their hedge, their business. Bloody annoying though as our neighbours did the same leaving a 3 ft wall. We now have massive bamboo screening us from them.

mayorquimby · 08/09/2009 12:25

it's annoying but yabu to think they should tell you before hand.

nickelbabe · 08/09/2009 12:32

i think good neighbours would have mentioned it!
but it really is none of your business (although i think yanbu)
you'll have to put up a 6ft fence. (it will take too long to wait for anything to grow)

Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 12:36

Just looked at Bamboo - quite expensive! Panda's must be munching their way through a small fortune!

Yes think fence might be the best way but will wait and see if they plan on putting something up on their side.

Surely they don't want to see us either?!

OP posts:
oneopinionatedmother · 08/09/2009 12:43

good neighbours would definitely mention something like this. How bloody rude!

leylandi grow fast (if aided by a bucket of water a day) though a good size fence is faster and probably less hassle in the long run (a fence doesn't carry on growing...)

YA -sooo- NBU

particularly if the boundary is a shared responsibility on your house documents.

after all, just buying the wood for a dcent length of fencing and doingit yourself could cost £400 + - not an inconsiderable amount.

privacy is an essential part of a good garden IMO.

nickelbabe · 08/09/2009 12:46

ps don't be tmepted by leylandii: once it's established it will grow to about 30ft high and cannot be got rid of!

anniemac · 08/09/2009 13:23

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anniemac · 08/09/2009 13:24

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MummyDoIt · 08/09/2009 13:26

Technically they are within their rights but whatever happened to common courtesy? It wouldn't have taken them more than five minutes to mention it to you and tell you what they intend to put in its place.

madamearcati · 08/09/2009 13:29

maybe they have plans to put up a big fence in its place.Yanbu to feel cross but at least its better than the other way round.this way you can put up a fence or grow a hedge.If they had a massive hedge you didn't want it would be worse.

Squishabelle · 08/09/2009 13:43

YANBU. You sound like me; I value my privacy.Our boundary fence recently needed replacing and neighbour insisted on a 'see-through' one. Soooooo Ive just banged in a load of leylandii (yob trees!!!1) but I dont care a jot! Cant wait for them to grow to 30 foot!

Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 18:22

MummyDoIt yes what happened to common courtesy indeed... if they had come over and warned me at least I would know what was going on....

Squishabelle see through fence?! WTF? Why bother with a fence at all then . Here's hoping the leylandii grows thick and fast!

OP posts:
Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 18:25

Fingers crossed they are planning some kind of huuuuuuuuuuuuge fence!

OP posts:
Crapweasel · 08/09/2009 18:26

Absolutely agree that YANBU - they should have told you. It's not about consulatation or getting your agreement but (as others have said) about common courtesy in letting you know what is happening.

SomeGuy · 08/09/2009 21:50

The neighbours have a leylandii in their garden, we have a six-foot panel fence for the first quarter of the length of the garden, but from there on is wire fence, and the bloody thing has encroached several feet through the wire fence (not the panel fence though), and is also about 10 foot tall, which is blocking out our light.

I hacking it back a bit yesterday, I should have asked them to come round and do it really. We had to pay to throw away the trimmings as well....

Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 22:28

Ok maybe no leylandii then!

Still hoping they are planning to put a fence up themselves!

OP posts:
Bigmouthstrikesagain · 08/09/2009 22:35

You are nbu - it would have been polite to mention they were doing it.

But at least it was their hedge to cut down, when dh and I moved into to our first flat (that we owned) the large tree in our garden - that had provided the privacy we wanted when looking at the place - had been unprofessionally hacked down and all the cuttings left in our garden. This was done by our neighbours the day bedfore we moved in! Which was nice

Original poster
PDR · 08/09/2009 22:45

bigmouthstrikesagain - that's shocking!

OP posts:
DMspecial · 08/09/2009 22:55

good fences make good neighbours. It would have been polite for them to mention it.

Now are you going to wait to see if they replace it it or go to see them, ask and tell them you plan a large fence?