Privacy fence ideas

[Ideasplease322]

I have name changed as my neighbours will know this is me😊.

My house is on a plot of land surrounded by a number other houses.

One of my neighbours is building a raised platform/deck behind my six foot fence. It is at the bottom of their garden, about three of four foot high and when they stand or sit on it they will totally overlook my front door and front garden (the fence is two foot from my front door).

I know they should have applied for planning permission, but I don’t want to report it and sour neighbourly relations further - the lady of the house is quite confrontational, and has been quick to call me out if she thinks I am stepping out of line (the hypocrisy is galling).

So I want to add something to the top of my fence to improve privacy. The fence runs along the full side of my house and driveway - six other houses back on to it. It would be too expensive to do the whole thing. I also don’t have the space to plant trees.

Any ideas- probably need an extra two feet. Needs to look good - It’s right beside my front door. The lady of the house isn’t very pleasant and I don’t want to feel on display every time I leave the house.

Sorry that was a long story😊🙄.

I has attached a diagram if that helps!

Oh and I should have added have a large dog. It seems friendly enough but I pretty sure it will now be able to jump over the fence from this platform. My fence is now really only about three foot high from that side.

Is that in proportion? Your garage is the size of their house?!

Trellis or bamboo in a pot. I'm about to do similar

You could add a little trellis on top maybe

Trellis would probably be the easiest not total privacy but better than nothing and you could plant some small climbing roses or honey suckle and train it to climb up the trellis would fill in the gaps

I dont know if you can extend the height of the fence without either knowing who legally owns that part of the fence or in ome cases, both parties go halves in the cost.

Rather than raise the fence, I'd buy long, thin planters and grow bamboo in them along the fence line. Bamboo comes in 2 types with 1 being very invasive. If its contained in a slim pot though, they can be moved if needed, but still provide privacy.

Another option would be a trellis where you could grow runner beans or another climber up. Or a flower plant that doesnt die back in winter.
www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/163255555216446259/

Or artifical screening:
www.primrose.co.uk/-p-102272.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZT5BRCdARIsAGEX0zkKDESGanGtFr6Tq2wxkHeX0rt6JCSBW8DnCMzP60eREersz6JjmgcaAqNfEALw_wcB

I have vines which grow fast in summer and can be trained up wires between poles (easier I think than trellis or fence). Or beans that will grow in the first year. have your plants a metre inside the border so you can walk round them to pick or prune, and the neighbours have no excuse to cut them or steal the crop. It will be a convenient place for your muck heap and beehives.

You could also grow a very annoying climber such as Clematis Montana. Make sure you can see the stems in the ground so you can cut through them when you get fed up with them. bay trees also grow quite fast.

A generously-sized shed on your size of the fence would be an attractive asset. Perhaps you could have a wood-burner with the metal chimney projecting through the roof towards the back. Or an aviary with cheerful chirping birds.

If the shed has a flat roof you can invite unsightly friends to sunbathe on it.

Sorry it was such a crap diagram😂. My house is bigger than theirs - but garage is normal sized!

The fence is 100% mine. Most houses have their own fences behind.

I absolutely love the bamboo planters. I need something that looks stylish while giving me privacy to some and go without an audience!

I think it’s worse with everyone working from home now. I feel really self conscious and my garden used to be so private.

Thank you all

Do they have planning permission for the decking? There are rules around decking so you may want to quietly check with the council if it is legal.

I'm looking to buy something similar to this due to the same reasons

Oh god sorry, just reread you don't want to report. I need to read things properly.

😂 no worries. The fall out from reporting it would not be worth it. It’s done now so I just want to mitigate the impact.

The galling part is she yelled at me not so long ago from trimming overhanging branches. Said it was unneighbourly to trim them as it impacted her privacy (It really didn’t). Not even her trees. Said it didn’t matter that Legally allowed to to do it, it was up considerate.

My fence is so high I couldn’t see her while she was yelling at me😊. It has only been since the viewing platform was erected that I could actually see what she looks like😂

Our neighbours have just raised their terrace must be a thing at the moment

She sounds a bit 'do as I say, not as I do'

I've been looking at pleached trees. That could be a good solution and a haven for birds.

I would still report, because what a pita she sounds!

Can you go the other way? Lower the fence by a couple of feet. THen they have to put something in place to stop them falling over the edge of their platform

I am thinking of moving in the next few years - don’t want to have to declare a dispute.

They are selfish hypocrites- but if I put some screening up I won’t have to look at them😊

Ditto here!

They originally stuck up some willow sticks to act as a screen, but that soon fell down. Then the fence fell to pieces! I think the answer is a tall trellis and/or bamboo which grows like a weed but isn't too dense.

Hate willow sticks.

Neighbours have used them on one side of their platform. They won’t last long, after a bit of a weather battering they will break apart.

I have an awful fear they will put up some cheap looking diy screening. They clearly don’t give a hoot about regulations or aesthetics.

Just report them to planning. That on its own is not a neighbour dispute!

Our neighbours have done the same thing with a raised summerhouse. They look into our whole garden and that side of the house now. Also against planning rules.

Just to warn you, you can't add trellis to a fence if it makes the total height greater than 2m (so only another 6 inches, I think, above your current 6ft fence). Otherwise you need planning permission.

We're looking at bamboo in pots and pleached trees at the moment. Alternatively you can add a thin strip of trellis and train climbers to grow above it.

Mother of pickles that sounds dreadful. It really annoys me when people flout the rules.

I hate that people don’t give a fig about he impact they have.

I am so careful, my deck is below the 30cm limit, I let neighbours trees grow a little into my garden so I can’t be accused of trespass when I trim them - and I only do that for the branches which impact the use of my garden.t

These people could easily have had a lower deck, but it’s more convenient for them to raise it. Don’t bother to get planning permission and screw the impact on the neighbours🙄.

We have similar issue though it was our doing. We extended out the back and the level of front of house is different from the back so when we extended we were higher at the back if that makes sense. It means that we can now see into NDN garden, despite a fence. Just today I ordered that extended trellis that someone linked upthread. It extends to 6ft 5 which would give us about and extra 30cm of height which I hope will make a difference.

pergola near to fence than spread out split bamboo screening on top in summer when you use garden the pergola can be made at different dimensions (length depth) with a tilt upwards near to you (so it higher than 6 ft I think you can go up to 7 & half feet?)
pretty & useful?
www.gazebodirect.co.uk/Pergolas
some ideas (B &Q Wicks Homebase may provide something much cheaper that you may be able to adapt)

I noticed that somebody said you can’t extend your fence over 2 meters.
I’m sure I read somewhere that you can add a post onto the inside of your fence and then a trellis attached to it so your are getting more privacy but it isn’t actually above your fence and boundary line (just inside it)

I follow a page on instagram called screenwithenvy - decorative panelling and fencing, I've no idea why I'm following them, I must have thought just incase I need it one day , anyhoo, looks good and might be a solution for you?