If you live in the SE UK,you can't drive into a garden without a dropped curb and a certificate from local authority to cross the pavement. Elderly bloke 3 doors down did it,visit from ESCC HIGHWAYS.My oldest son house shared in Crawley West Sussex, one bloke had his wife's car (she didn't drive, they were separated) because she had a blue badge. Son parked on the completely paved front garden, visited by woman from council,saying as before,and that car would be removed. Parking was permit holders only,but there were no spaces,he sold his car.
There was a situation in our area where people had their front gardens paved and then drove across a footpath and grass area to park. The local council warned them to remove their vehicles before bollards were installed to stop them crossing. The residents weren't happy, but hadn't even attempted to get drop kerbs. Had they asked they wouldn't have got permission.
If you live in the SE UK,you can't drive into a garden without a dropped curb and a certificate from local authority to cross the pavement. Elderly bloke 3 doors down did it,visit from ESCC HIGHWAYS.My oldest son house shared in Crawley West Sussex, one bloke had his wife's car (she didn't drive, they were separated) because she had a blue badge. Son parked on the completely paved front garden, visited by woman from council,saying as before,and that car would be removed. Parking was permit holders only,but there were no spaces,he sold his car.
There was a situation in our area where people had their front gardens paved and then drove across a footpath and grass area to park. The local council warned them to remove their vehicles before bollards were installed to stop them crossing. The residents weren't happy, but hadn't even attempted to get drop kerbs. Had they asked they wouldn't have got permission.
I think the situation is now that councils do not want any more gardens paved over as it's not considered good for the environment. Less water is soaking away to add to the water table as more is ending up in the drains.
I have 7 boundary neighbours, 4 sets of fogeys and 3 with brats.
Family 1 have young children, screaming "dadeeeee look at meee" whilst on the trampoline, and having tantrums. Detached houses and when I'm in the garden I can still hear the brats banging up the stairs.
Family 2 have young teens, in the garden on the trampoline, talking about wenking and pern. Single mother talks very loud and has had various domestics for everyone to hear.
Family 3 have older teens, smoking weed and chatting shet late at night. It's almost as if the parents have abandoned the house; maybe the kids murdered and buried them under the patio?
So when family 1 brats go to bed, family 2 brats are still out and when family 2 brats go to bed, family 3 brats are still out. There is very limited time window in which I can enjoy my garden and I tend to go inside when the brats are there.
Basically all of the sets of children, regardless of age, are annoying, so it's pointless trying to re-assure the OP that age will change them. I recommended moving house. I moved house from an EoT which was horrific, so even with the crep I put up with here, it's a massive improvement. My next move will be a property where I cannot see nor hear the neighbours whilst sitting out in the garden but of course it's all a question of money.
I thought I'd give a little update to this thread and say after much agonising I have decided to pull out of the sale of my house and stay where I am. I have looked so hard for so long and struggled to find anything within budget that is equally as nice as where I am, and offers any more chance of the neighbours not being how they are. So I've decided to try and focus my efforts and money into improving the current garden into a more private space. I am also going to make a concerted effort to not hate my neighbours so much Because it's south facing with no shade at all it's also incredibly hot and unpleasant out there in the summer and also in my living room which gets the direct sun all day, so I want to address that too.
It has also noticeably improved in terms of the neighbours noise as soon as the weather turned, so perhaps being able to make the most of an autumn/winter garden would be nice.
I thought I'd share some pics of the garden to help get opinions.
When I moved in the garden was literally just barren and full of brambles. I built the wildlife pond (still a bit rough about the edges but the frogs don't care) and created the existing beds which are still a WIP, the bed on the left will eventually be tidied up and a greenhouse fitted on the bottom left.
The noisy neighbours are to the right of me as you look from the house so that's the initial side I want to focus getting privacy from.
My initial thoughts are:
- Plant a row of mature trees (maybe 5 or 6? something evergreen like photinia or a japanese privet?) going from the flower bed behind the pond (there is nothing there that can't be moved) towards the house
- Then either (a) two separate wooden pergolas - one running from the start of the new trees I plant up to the decking (the other side of the decking is where the man next door likes to stand and peer into my house and garden) and then a second pergola over the living room window area (plant stuff growing up them) to offer some shade and protection from the sun / neighbours or (b) one very large wooden pergola running from the start of the new trees I plant in an L shape across the whole decking area round to the living room.
- Attach trellis to my fence all the way around and grow fast growing things up (how high can the trellis legally go above the fence??) as well as trees and shrubs which will take time to mature
- A water feature near the living room window on the decking to help with the noise. Maybe another in the pond. I do love a water feature.
Would love any other suggestions or comments on my initial thoughts - I'm really not very good with this stuff!
Fortunately, we haven't noisy neighbours. But we like our privacy.
We've a decent sized patio outside the French windows in the lounge of our small semi.
Between the corner of the house and that of the garage I built this featherboard fence on top of two coures of bricks years ago, with a door in it, it's easy enough if you've done a bit of DIY.
It's set back a bit and I've low concrete plinths for the refuse bins to sit on, which helps to keep that end of the drive easier to keep clean. We don't see the bins and they aren't that visible from the road.
On the top I put some trellis, this gets covered by a wisteria, jasmine and a clematis.
You could try putting trellis on part of your fence next to where you want some privacy. Jasmine and wisteria are fast growers, so they'll soon provide more cover.
Or better still errect something similar to what I've got from the corner end of your house along the decking for as far as you feel it necessary. Mine's supported by lengths of 3" x 2."
If it were my house with such a problem, I'd also cut the decking back as far as the edge of the house, so there would be room for a bed next to the new fence and still room for access from the front of the house. That water butt and anything else you keep there would also be out of sight.
Is that your garage I can see where the party fence ends nearly in the middle?
You could errect a pergola over the back of your house like ours. The wisteria provides the lounge with some shade as the house is south facing.
The front is supported by two posts 16 feet apart and it's as steady as a rock. You could incorporated the left hand post in the new fence which would help to stabilise it.
There's probably a limit to how high you can go with a party fence. Ours between the adjoining drives has the same sort of trellis I put on top of new six foot panels replacing the four foot ones. We grow Mayleen clematis and roses in pots up it.
It's added privacy for both ourselves and our neighbours (our side kitchen window faced their's in the downstairs toilet of their new side extension!)
I've mostly lived by the premise that if you ask if you can do something, you are often told "no."
But if you don't and just get on and do it, few will be brave enough to tell you, you shouldn't have.
Oh Doghouse that looks lovely! I absolutely love the pergola over the back of your house. If I had something similar, do you think it would look odd if the pergola didn't extend as far out as the end of the decking? If it were to cover the entire area it will be quite large! So that's wisteria over your pergola? I love the look of that - and it's fast growing? Is it planted in the ground behind your patio? I'd have to figure out where to plant mine.
Yes I definitely think trellis on top of the fence is the way to go - I would probably want it all the way down (I also like the idea of being able to have a living fence, as the way it currently is the fence dominates the garden visually).
Funny you mentioned about cutting the decking back as I was just standing out there thinking the same thing. As it is that space is really quite wasted - the gap you might be able to see right at the side was where a very large privet used to sit but my neighbour removed it when he fitted his new fence, so now the decking shapre looks even odder! I'm thinking if I cut away the decking up to the edge of the house then as you say I could plant something (eg jasmine) to grow against the the new trellis. I'm also quite keen on the idea of raised beds to grow veg in (after being caught by the veg growing bug this year) and as I don't have room really in the rest of the garden that could also be a good space.
The shed you can see is shared between myself and my neighbour - there's a wall half way between to separate the two parts off.
Some good ideas there from @Doghouse Riley. Do be aware though that if the fence belongs to the neighbour you shouldn't attach anything to it without permission. But there's nothing to stop you having a pergola that goes close to the fence, or freestanding trellis on its own posts just inside your garden. For shrubs/trees it's best to plant them far enough from the fenceline that they won't overhang the boundary (or not much at least) because neighbours can chop off anything that overhangs on to their side, and some might do that just out of spite.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
If you are thinking of doing the same here's a way to go about it.
I've a 9" X 2" board screwed to the back of the house above the French windows, from the edge of our property to the kitchen window, I had to "fettle" it a bit around that as the window goes up too far to accommodate it. Only room above it for some 4" X 2" to support the cross beams.
The front is double 9" boards with the posts bolted between them. The cross beams are 4"X2". It's that strong, it easily takes my weight when I put a ladder up between the cross beams so I can get up on the flat roof of the lounge extension to clear the gutter over the bedroom window.
The posts which are 4"X4" sit on concrete "elephant's feet" so they are clear of any rain water on the patio. They are strengthened by the triangular brackets made from 9" boards front and back. As are the four corners where the boards meet. The rondels hide the two heads of the coach bolts that secure each of them. The tops of the post are protected by plywood "caps" as that's where rain might get in. Lots of silicone where any two piaces of wood meet.
There's actually two wisterias on this pergola, this one growing up the right hand end post, which crosses with another from its root in the bed at the corner of the
garage (what was left of the wisteria on the garage pergola that died, we've a white one there now)
and along the top of the fence between the garage and the house.
Both pergolas the shed and our Japanese tea-house style summerhouse get regular coats of this every few years.
It's over fifty quid for 2.5ltrs but worth it, as most of the woodwork in our garden is over thirty years old and there's no rot.
I take your point about length and there's a limit to the length of tanilised board and posts available.
What you don't want is a post in front of the doors or the window.
For now, I'd put the right hand end post midway between the doors and the window.
Trust me, it'll look OK.
You could always make it full length by adding to it with one more post near the fence on the right at a later date should you choose.
Some good ideas there from @Doghouse Riley. Do be aware though that if the fence belongs to the neighbour you shouldn't attach anything to it without permission. But there's nothing to stop you having a pergola that goes close to the fence, or freestanding trellis on its own posts just inside your garden. For shrubs/trees it's best to plant them far enough from the fenceline that they won't overhang the boundary (or not much at least) because neighbours can chop off anything that overhangs on to their side, and some might do that just out of spite.
Thanks for that, but as long as you apply a bit of common sense and what you want to do will enhance, and be beneficial for both you and your neighbour then they are unlikely to object.
As far as I can remember I think the height restriction to shared fences is six foot and that is the highest one "everybody" puts up.
Jenny thank you re trellis - yes I think I was imagining it would be on posts sat just in front of the fence. My neighbour probably wouldn't mind if I attached it but best not!! Jenny how far away from the fence would you recommend planting trees? For example a row of photinia with the crowns lifted and/or I quite fancy an evergreen magnolia.
Doghouse thanks for the info, that's really helpful and yes good point I could always add to it. Do you think aesthetically the pergola would need to go to the end of the decking in depth (as in, to the end of the decking next to where the lawn starts) or could it finish before the end?
Posts
There was a situation in our area where people had their front gardens paved and then drove across a footpath and grass area to park. The local council warned them to remove their vehicles before bollards were installed to stop them crossing. The residents weren't happy, but hadn't even attempted to get drop kerbs. Had they asked they wouldn't have got permission.
I think the situation is now that councils do not want any more gardens paved over as it's not considered good for the environment. Less water is soaking away to add to the water table as more is ending up in the drains.
It has also noticeably improved in terms of the neighbours noise as soon as the weather turned, so perhaps being able to make the most of an autumn/winter garden would be nice.
I thought I'd share some pics of the garden to help get opinions.
When I moved in the garden was literally just barren and full of brambles. I built the wildlife pond (still a bit rough about the edges but the frogs don't care) and created the existing beds which are still a WIP, the bed on the left will eventually be tidied up and a greenhouse fitted on the bottom left.
The noisy neighbours are to the right of me as you look from the house so that's the initial side I want to focus getting privacy from.
My initial thoughts are:
- Plant a row of mature trees (maybe 5 or 6? something evergreen like photinia or a japanese privet?) going from the flower bed behind the pond (there is nothing there that can't be moved) towards the house
- Then either (a) two separate wooden pergolas - one running from the start of the new trees I plant up to the decking (the other side of the decking is where the man next door likes to stand and peer into my house and garden) and then a second pergola over the living room window area (plant stuff growing up them) to offer some shade and protection from the sun / neighbours or (b) one very large wooden pergola running from the start of the new trees I plant in an L shape across the whole decking area round to the living room.
- Attach trellis to my fence all the way around and grow fast growing things up (how high can the trellis legally go above the fence??) as well as trees and shrubs which will take time to mature
- A water feature near the living room window on the decking to help with the noise. Maybe another in the pond. I do love a water feature.
Would love any other suggestions or comments on my initial thoughts - I'm really not very good with this stuff!
Yes I definitely think trellis on top of the fence is the way to go - I would probably want it all the way down (I also like the idea of being able to have a living fence, as the way it currently is the fence dominates the garden visually).
Funny you mentioned about cutting the decking back as I was just standing out there thinking the same thing. As it is that space is really quite wasted - the gap you might be able to see right at the side was where a very large privet used to sit but my neighbour removed it when he fitted his new fence, so now the decking shapre looks even odder! I'm thinking if I cut away the decking up to the edge of the house then as you say I could plant something (eg jasmine) to grow against the the new trellis. I'm also quite keen on the idea of raised beds to grow veg in (after being caught by the veg growing bug this year) and as I don't have room really in the rest of the garden that could also be a good space.
The shed you can see is shared between myself and my neighbour - there's a wall half way between to separate the two parts off.
Thanks ever so much for your suggestions!
Doghouse thanks for the info, that's really helpful and yes good point I could always add to it. Do you think aesthetically the pergola would need to go to the end of the decking in depth (as in, to the end of the decking next to where the lawn starts) or could it finish before the end?