Neighbour has just lowered the fence!

[draxdomax]

We are end of terrace and are responsible for the fence to the left of us.
Having trouble with the neighbor to the right.

Bit of history: We started off alright but then we caught them spying on us (we are a F+F couple and I guess they find us interesting or disagreeable).
The police got involved and caught them with cameras illegally set up.
There was also evidence they were following us around the street and taking pictures and posting to channels (those pictures eventually reached us).

We didn't talk for 3 years.
Then, a common friend has died and we simply started talking again after meeting at the funeral.
Even started greeting each other and being somewhat pleasant.

Few days ago, neighbor approached and said he's having the fence between us changed.
It is indeed an old fence that would probably crumble this winter.
We asked him how high the new fence is going to be - he answered "as high as the old one".

Today, their fencing worker came with the fence panels and, not only that they are much shorter but they also have a "see-through" top section...
We've gone from 2m cover to 1m cover and feel naked, especially these are unpleasant and conflictive people with VERY keen interest in us.

My partner went to talk to them and the wife just laughed in her face "haha we don't care, it doesn't matter what we said"...

So, we are enemies again :/

1. Can we do something about the fact they promised a certain fence (verbally) and then installed a different one?
2. Can I attach something from my side on their fence? Thinking to get some sort of sheet material that will cover up to 6"... Or at least cover the see-through part of the fence

Any ideas, discussion, suggestions welcome.

You have been given good advice as to you cannot do anything about your neighbours fence, you cannot attach anything to it. Also your neighbour does not need to have a fence, it is your responsibility to make your garden secure, if you choose to sadly.

Normally, I would suggest as others have said to install your own fencing inside of the boundary, however I would err on the side of caution due to you mentioning your garden is small. Should the neighbour remove their fencing, their garden may look bigger by a couple of inches and of course yours would look smaller. The title plans may not be detailed enough to show the exact boundary of the fencing, so it may be difficult to prove the boundary is not at your new fence.

So, I would look at evergreen, fast growing hedging which is not too deep. Bare root season will be here very soon, plants can be purchased for small amounts of money, you are unlikely to spend too much time in the garden now summer is over, so there will be some growth by next year, of course you could spend higher amounts and plant more mature hedging to gain instant privacy. Normally hedging plants are in staggered rows, as it is a small garden, a single row of plants closer together is likely to suffice.

As difficult as it may be - I would be tempted to not even mention the situation to the neighbours just plant your hedging as though you always planned to do it, irrespective of their new fence.

that's a key comment that actually matters a lot - thank you!
I have absolutely no doubt that the moment I erect my own fence, they remove theirs.
The whole premise was to stick it to us somehow, I have no doubt.
If I build a fence, I am just playing into their hand.

Bamboo in pretty pots

Not invasive. Fast growing

Asset to your yard

Genius!

Can you plant something like willow? I tried to cut one down a while back, hacked it to a tiny stump thought I'd killed it and it was 8 ft tall again a year later - grows like a bugger. Bound to be a gardener on here with more knowledge than me though, don't know if they can be planted as a boundary hedge.

Double check your deeds for the exact boundary. Build a fence with posts your side. Paint their side with anti burglar paint as you go along. If they take theirs down it won't be pleasant to look at!

Get a tall fence with barbed wire

Those scenic shower curtains work well, are inexpensive, and can be regularly replaced. And a hosepipe.

We had similar - nosey neighbours. So we put up our own fence, having ensured the actual boundary was marked (it was - with large concrete posts between which they’d just stretched some wire, allowing them to peer right into our kitchen at all hours). We then informed the nosey neighbours in writing, saying that the boundary remained the same, and that we’d added that information to our house deeds (I think it was the deeds, but do double check). It was bliss not having them looking in.

i dont see how youre playing into their hands by putting up your own fence

theres no law to say anyone has to have a fence unless its in the deeds

my nighbours complained about my lack of fence they were told to put their own up

Nothing you can legally do, not everyone wants a tall fence. You could put up your own fence or bamboo screen if you wanted though. I suspect it was cheaper for the shorter one

I'd put some posts in with trellis starting just below the upper level of their fence bringing it back up to the original height (or higher). Then plant some star jasmine (trachelospermum) which grows fast, looks nice and smells nice.

This will be the cheapest option, there is no need to put another fence next to theirs when you just want to make it higher.

You can’t do anything to their fence, but I would absolutely install my own fence to the maximum allowed, which I believe is 7ft or there abouts.

I was going to suggest this kind of thing. Put your own posts up, but only put fence on the top half.

this. But IN POTS

Lots of great ideas on The Middlesized Garden but my favourite is the raised trellis. If you grow plants up it then it is classed as a garden structure, not a fence, so you can go higher, and you can plant under it so you don’t lose any garden space.

This is what I was trying to explain 😁. Picture above. Seen it done in real life too and it’s lovely.

@draxdomax I’ve seen folks put concrete in large pots or containers with a sturdy wooden post in… a few of them - then put a wooden trellis/privacy screen or something attached between them. You could have benches, lights etc also positioned between and on them. This way they go up against the neighbours fence but are freestanding like large plant pots. They can be repositioned /moved easily if needed. Saw it on Instagram.. let me try and find the link…

Great minds 👍 (and @GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut too)

This is the star jasmine:-

@draxdomax so these folks just used metal poles for lighting - I’m thinking of doing it with a thick wooden support instead so I can screw/drill/attach whatever I need to them in my garden.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp5rvORpkpA/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cvz9OkfKaU2/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

My neighbour planted willow(no idea what type of willow) all along his boundaries. They went from sticks to a really good privacy hedge type thing in a few years. It was a really cost effective solution. We do have large backgardens though so I'm not sure just how much space they would take up if your garden is on the smaller side.

The trellis idea looks great. You can use fence post spikes which are easier than dealing with concrete. You drive the spike into the ground with a sledgehammer and the bottom of the fence post sits in them.

Planting things is great but slow. I would also put in my own fence, 6 ft and not only is this an instant fix, it will help if you do want to move to have that privacy.

Does anyone know the approx cost of a fence? I wouldn’t have a clue. How many panels is it?

I said in pots.

Could you use some kind of sail, I see them used for shade but they could be used vertically instead. Just make sure you only attach it to things you own. You might only need a post or too.