I just think it's so sad when neighbours are regarded as strangers ... when we moved in we introduced ourselves to everyone we saw ... now we don't socialise together or live in each others pockets, far from it ... to be honest I don't even remember everyone's names (I'm shockingly bad at names), but I bung the ball back on the few occasions the boys behind us get overexcited with their aim and if I don't see it they come to our door and ask for it politely ... when I said it'd landed in the pond and frightened the frogs they wrote a funny little note of apology. If the ball bangs loudly on the fence too many times I shout telling them that's enough now and they stop ......... until the next time ........ they're boys
One neighbour uses his chainsaw and chops wood loudly more than we would like, and in the summer the boys behind us have their friends round to play on the trampoline and their dad (who sometimes works nights) shouts at them a bit. Someone's teenage son has friends around on warm summer evenings when the parents are away, and they sit outside strumming guitars and smoking (!) until the wee small hours.
I noticed next door (elderly chap) had a dripping pipe from the tank in the roof and let his daughter know when I saw her visit. The other side take in parcels for us and we do the same for them, and we keep an eye on their house and garden when they're away and they do the same for us. The idea of being upset because neighbours can see you when you're in your garden is just odd to me.
I come from a village where people used to chat over the garden fence and take each others washing in if it rained ... no one there would lie dead in their home for days with no one having missed them ... and in bad weather older children would be sent around to ask if elderly neighbours needed any shopping done ... ... I'm used to being part of a community ...
Last edited: 04 August 2017 10:48:55
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Are the children doing anything more than just being children ?
Can your house windows be seen from those not on the trampoline?
Children will want space to play and the point of trampolines is to jump high. Children do not spend all day in the air above the trampoline looking into your windows.
What is it you are you "terrified" of?
Most new houses have some sort of fencing around around the garden, if you need it higher then you will need to get higher fencing.
It cannot be an offence to have a trampoline. Are you allowed to fence in your front gardens? I assume that you were aware of the layout of the houses and that the front gardens were open plan when you bought your house.
It seems rather unfair to blame the neighbours for having children and a trampoline.
When you buy a property you do need to assess things such as how much privacy you require. If that is really important to you it is up to you to provide it.
We have a six foot high garden fence and our neighbours have two boys with a large trampoline. They are really well mannered boys but at times they are understandably noisy, when enjoying themselves on the trampoline. They are children. ( Unless we are looking out of an upstairs window the trampoline is not intrusive. )
I'm with dovefromabove on this. I like to be friends with my neighbours. My neighbours on three sides can see into my back garden from their upstairs windows, I can see into theirs, and none of us find it a problem. The first thing we did when we moved to our house was to take down the net curtains that the vendors had left in all the windows. The next thing was to cut down the huge shrub that blocked our view of the street.
I wonder what some people do in their homes and gardens that they are so worried the neighbours might see? If you act as though you've something to hide, is it any wonder if others are curious? Get over yourselves, you are not so interesting that everyone wants to watch you.
I agree with the idea, but not everybody does. We've lived in the same house for nearly 30 years and do get on well with the neighbours. The only exception is the people who move in 2 doors down from us a few years ago. I tried speaking to them when I saw them in their front garden and was completely blanked by them. I spoke to our immediate neighbour and he said he was given exactly the same treatment. There is virtually no communication between them and any of their neighbours.
That's a shame ... but you've made the move and they know that you're willing to be neighbourly should they eventually change their mind and decide that they need good neighbours ... some people have had difficult neighbours in the past so prefer to keep them at arms length ... or have had neighbours that try to take over. That's why just being pleasant and polite but not living in each other's pockets is the best way forward in my experience. But even if they're not friendly, I still don't understand why being able to be seen in your garden is a problem ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
C75 opened this thread with a very reasonable asked, his right to privacy. Why do others find that peculiar, when all he is asking is for his neighbour to have respect, show some courtesy and move away from 'ME' to 'WE', not a great ask. Some my want to live in a goldfish bowl, others just want their right to a private life and for others to make out in some way that is odd and that you have something to hide is very extraordinary. I for one completely understand where C75 is coming from.
Is there a reason you think the builders would not give permission for a shed if you asked?
I'd just plant some nice stout roses interplanted with some sturdy shrubs under your front windows. It won't stop them cartwheeling but it may move them a bit further from the windows and you'll have something nice to look out on
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
So do I. It's all about NOT living in a goldfish bowl. I'm certainly not doing anything untoward in my house, but still don't want people gawping in all the time. That's why we have vertical blinds; they let the light in and still provide a good level of privacy.
We thankfully haven't had problems with our immediate neighbours, but the house behind us installed a trampoline, and for the whole of one summer we had to put up with the seemingly constant screaming of kids on it. A peaceful summer in our garden it was not. Had that trampoline been close to our house it would have driven me nuts. Thankfully the novelty seemed to wear off after one summer and we never had any more problems.
You really do not need a trampoline to see be able to see into you neighbours houses and gardens. What you want to gawp at keeps going out of sight ! Just look out of an upstairs window, the view is unintrupted then.
I really don't care much who sees me in my garden. Even in my dressing gown when I wander out first thing in the morning to look round. I do have vertical blinds as I have through room and I do like to keep the sun out in the afternoons when it is hot.
To be honest life is far too short to worry about what my neighbours are up to. People's seemingly excessive concerns about not wanting to be overlooked do rather make me wonder what they are trying to hide though. Could it be nude sunbathing? Now that would put me right off.
My garden fencing came with the house. Quite a serious point is that it is rather too high to to have a conversation over the garden fence . This really can be quite isolating. You never know when you might need help from neighbours. Fall off your ladder (or the trampoline) or pruning the Rambling Rector. You will be pleased if someone sees you lying on the lawn and gets help.
Keeping youself aloof from others is not a good idea. You just need to be friendly and courteous. Not live with them.
There are some dire neighbours I agree, but it is still best to be polite whether you like them or not.
Posts
I think the suggestions have already been made Cathy.
- screening
- discussing your concerns with your neighbours
- ignoring the issue (with no reaction the kids will soon get bored and concentrate on their playing - as kids do)
Last edited: 04 August 2017 09:56:01
I just think it's so sad when neighbours are regarded as strangers ... when we moved in we introduced ourselves to everyone we saw ... now we don't socialise together or live in each others pockets, far from it ... to be honest I don't even remember everyone's names (I'm shockingly bad at names), but I bung the ball back on the few occasions the boys behind us get overexcited with their aim and if I don't see it they come to our door and ask for it politely ... when I said it'd landed in the pond and frightened the frogs they wrote a funny little note of apology.
If the ball bangs loudly on the fence too many times I shout telling them that's enough now and they stop ......... until the next time ........ they're boys 
One neighbour uses his chainsaw and chops wood loudly more than we would like, and in the summer the boys behind us have their friends round to play on the trampoline and their dad (who sometimes works nights) shouts at them a bit. Someone's teenage son has friends around on warm summer evenings when the parents are away, and they sit outside strumming guitars and smoking (!) until the wee small hours.
I noticed next door (elderly chap) had a dripping pipe from the tank in the roof and let his daughter know when I saw her visit. The other side take in parcels for us and we do the same for them, and we keep an eye on their house and garden when they're away and they do the same for us. The idea of being upset because neighbours can see you when you're in your garden is just odd to me.
I come from a village where people used to chat over the garden fence and take each others washing in if it rained ... no one there would lie dead in their home for days with no one having missed them ... and in bad weather older children would be sent around to ask if elderly neighbours needed any shopping done ... ... I'm used to being part of a community ...
Last edited: 04 August 2017 10:48:55
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks I was about to post similar.
Talk to your neighbours!
The front gardens are all open plan.
Plant something with thorns between along your boundary. A row of roses, or if you want to be sneaky a row Berberis Thunbergii
Last edited: 04 August 2017 11:27:53
I'm with dovefromabove on this. I like to be friends with my neighbours. My neighbours on three sides can see into my back garden from their upstairs windows, I can see into theirs, and none of us find it a problem. The first thing we did when we moved to our house was to take down the net curtains that the vendors had left in all the windows. The next thing was to cut down the huge shrub that blocked our view of the street.
I wonder what some people do in their homes and gardens that they are so worried the neighbours might see? If you act as though you've something to hide, is it any wonder if others are curious? Get over yourselves, you are not so interesting that everyone wants to watch you.
I agree with the idea, but not everybody does. We've lived in the same house for nearly 30 years and do get on well with the neighbours. The only exception is the people who move in 2 doors down from us a few years ago. I tried speaking to them when I saw them in their front garden and was completely blanked by them. I spoke to our immediate neighbour and he said he was given exactly the same treatment. There is virtually no communication between them and any of their neighbours.
That's a shame ... but you've made the move and they know that you're willing to be neighbourly should they eventually change their mind and decide that they need good neighbours ... some people have had difficult neighbours in the past so prefer to keep them at arms length ... or have had neighbours that try to take over. That's why just being pleasant and polite but not living in each other's pockets is the best way forward in my experience. But even if they're not friendly, I still don't understand why being able to be seen in your garden is a problem ...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
C75 opened this thread with a very reasonable asked, his right to privacy. Why do others find that peculiar, when all he is asking is for his neighbour to have respect, show some courtesy and move away from 'ME' to 'WE', not a great ask. Some my want to live in a goldfish bowl, others just want their right to a private life and for others to make out in some way that is odd and that you have something to hide is very extraordinary. I for one completely understand where C75 is coming from.
Is there a reason you think the builders would not give permission for a shed if you asked?
I'd just plant some nice stout roses interplanted with some sturdy shrubs under your front windows. It won't stop them cartwheeling but it may move them a bit further from the windows and you'll have something nice to look out on
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
So do I. It's all about NOT living in a goldfish bowl. I'm certainly not doing anything untoward in my house, but still don't want people gawping in all the time. That's why we have vertical blinds; they let the light in and still provide a good level of privacy.
We thankfully haven't had problems with our immediate neighbours, but the house behind us installed a trampoline, and for the whole of one summer we had to put up with the seemingly constant screaming of kids on it. A peaceful summer in our garden it was not. Had that trampoline been close to our house it would have driven me nuts. Thankfully the novelty seemed to wear off after one summer and we never had any more problems.
You really do not need a trampoline to see be able to see into you neighbours houses and gardens. What you want to gawp at keeps going out of sight ! Just look out of an upstairs window, the view is unintrupted then.
I really don't care much who sees me in my garden. Even in my dressing gown when I wander out first thing in the morning to look round. I do have vertical blinds as I have through room and I do like to keep the sun out in the afternoons when it is hot.
To be honest life is far too short to worry about what my neighbours are up to. People's seemingly excessive concerns about not wanting to be overlooked do rather make me wonder what they are trying to hide though. Could it be nude sunbathing? Now that would put me right off.
My garden fencing came with the house. Quite a serious point is that it is rather too high to to have a conversation over the garden fence . This really can be quite isolating. You never know when you might need help from neighbours. Fall off your ladder (or the trampoline) or pruning the Rambling Rector. You will be pleased if someone sees you lying on the lawn and gets help.
Keeping youself aloof from others is not a good idea. You just need to be friendly and courteous. Not live with them.
There are some dire neighbours I agree, but it is still best to be polite whether you like them or not.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'