Nightmare neighbour and new fence panel!

[Northernlass1234]

Background: elderly lady 70s, lives alone, rarely goes out, has two adult sons, one nice, one not - we were previously friendly but had loft extension and neighbour got very upset about lots of things - that was two years ago and i thought things were de-frosting

anyway she texted saying she was repairing fence post but got home from work to find this - see pic.

anything i can do as she clearly did this to wind me up?

The other fence panels look like they want replacing to be honest I'd just replace them to be the same the newer one looks loads nicer than the grotty old ones

And how on earth was she meant to find a gritty old matching one to replace it to match? That's just crazy!

Not sure what's wrong with all the other posters, I can totally understand why you're so pissed off op.
If our neighbour mentioned something about the fence I'd be well annoyed if I got home and found they broke my glasses in the process. They shouldn't be going anywhere near them.

🤣🤣🤣

Your neighbour has replaced a fence panel with a new one. It's orange because of the preservative treatment, but will weather down to the colour of the others after a few soakings of rain.

It's a fence panel, it's tidy, secure. She asked permission before entering your garden.

I can't see the problem.

That's not how mumsnet works! You don't get to delete because you don't like the answers

Lifeomars are your neighbours the kind that spend all day reserecting old cars, the men gather around said car and the women Don leggings, headscarves and pencil skirts?

This

The fence needs maintainance, thats why the rest of it looks so terrible

You can’t buy them ‘pre-weathered’ so no idea how you expected that style to match immediately? We and neighbours have replaced different sections at different times and 12/18 months later it all looks identical. Did you want her to buy a pre-used one so it could match????

https://www.diy.com/search?sort=product.price&term=fence+stain

Looks fine to me, as said upthread, just needs weathering.

Did you take that pic with a potato?
Either way the blurriness is obscuring whatever issue you have because all I can see is a new fence panel?

You could try oiling the whole fence. Oils can contain tints of colour. It would all become darker, though time will weather the new panel grey.

It'll weather down.

Seriously, it does look odd but that's the way it goes with replacement fence panels. I don't think it was particularly done to be annoying.

I think that's being petty on your part.

Anyone else intrigued to know how this "nightmare" of a neighbour managed to fall out with the OP over her loft extension? The mind boggles...

If the panel needed replacing, then what did you expect her to do differently?

It's the same style. There's nothing you can do about the colour. It'll be grey too in a couple of years.

Surely you didn't expect her to replace the whole fence because one panel was damaged?

Plant something in front of it or paint your side.

Suspect she was not a nightmare about your extension either tbh.

Grow some climbers up all fences or paint your side all the same colour - problem solved

It will change colour. Definitely. That's what happens.

You wouldn't have a choice. That's how they come. All the other panels in the photo will have looked like that when new. After a year they will look completely different.

We need to replace two of our fence panels and they will be in the same bog standard orangey colour they come in and at least £30 each we will only be buying the two that need replacing. We will most certainly not be replacing all 15 panels just so the neighbour can have a matching view. Whoever thinks the whole lot gets replaced is out of their mind and I presume, has never had to upkeep or pay for a fence. I will paint the side facing us the same brown as the rest and as long as next door keeps their mitts off the top strip they can paint the other side whatever colour they wish. Shock, horror the fence panels on the opposite side of my garden are not of the same style as mine, that’s because it’s that neighbour’s choice which ones they put in.

No you blooming well can’t get them more in keeping with the old fence, that is the colour of a new, untreated fence panel. If you don’t treat it then it will end up the same colour as the rest when it weathers. Gees, you can spot the people who have never had to pay for the upkeep of a fence.

There's a nightmare neighbour in the scenario all right

second, i replaced all my fences to match with others - maybe I’m a more considerate neighbour

More likely you replaced them all because you didn't want to look at mismatched panels yourself.

He doesn't hate me though or think I'm trying to ruin his life by replacing fence panels.

<💡lightbulb moment💡>

The . . . the possibilities . . . . they are endless . . . .

Thank you @YellowDots .

Thank you so much!

😂

Fence panels don't come in orange as standard! There are many that are less offensive (No pun intended) than that and it does look awful! It was never going to match your weathered ones, but there are panels which look more natural.

I doubt she's done this to annoy you though, as surely it looks the same from her side? More like she doesn't really care and just wanted the damaged panel replaced.

I'd see if I could find a better one and ask if you can change it at your own cost?

I think this is one of those things you only know if you’ve had to replace a fence panel, we had one last year that split and broke in a particularly strong wind and I sent our friend that ordered the panel pics of our existing ones to ‘match the colour’ 🤦🏻‍♀️ I didnt know the others were only grey as they’d weathered in! Felt a bit silly but never had to buy a fence panel before so wasn’t to know 😅