I will have to build raised beds. What is to stop me from building the raised beds out of bricks and attaching them directly to the wall? If I made them 600mm high and 600mm deep would that be sufficient for the climbers to cover 90% of the wall and reach at least 5 meters high?
What climbers were you planning on? I am not sure, but I don't think you are allowed to attach anything to a party wall, without permission, which I don't think anyone sensible would agree to.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Does the Party Wall etc. Act apply to garden walls? (but yours is their house)
A typical
garden boundary wall would be classed as a certain type of party wall
called a “party fence wall” if it sits astride the boundary and
therefore is covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Can I drill into a party wall without consent?
Drilling into a
party wall, to fix shelves or pictures is normally considered minor
work that is not covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Drilling into
a party wall for other types of work, for instance, the fixing of resin
grouted anchors to support structural floors, would be covered by the
Act.
This is based on the legal principle ‘de minimis’ which means
it is too trivial or minor to merit consideration especially in law.
The law does not encourage parties to bring legal action for trivial or
minor matters.
There are also slightly more complicated rules for excavating within
six metres of an adjoining building or structure and further
professional advice should be taken in this scenario.
If you are not sure whether you need to serve notice, talk it through with a party wall surveyor.
I'm afraid no plant is maintenance free for decades. Most climbers need pruning at some stage, especially the more vigorous ones and even if you did plant into the ground next to the wall, they would still need regular watering because of the wall's rain shadow effect.
Sorry to be so negative but I really think your idea of climbers on that particular wall is a non-starter, as others have advised.
You might be better off if you ask permission from your neighbour to paint the wall a pale colour and have a couple of big planters with climbers on obelisks in them.
How about this for a proposed solution. I could build a long planter along the entire length of the party wall without touching it directly and in the middle of the raised planter fix wooden posts directly to the concrete via metal shoes. I would then string steel wires along the posts.
With this method, I am not touching any foundations or the wall itself. I guess though if I were to build my planter out of bricks it would need foundations itself as it would be load-bearing?
I have no idea what plants to plant. I would like evergreen plants which can survive in north-facing conditions.
It seems to me that anything you do to that wall is fraught with problems. Drill into it, fix battens to it, dig below it, attach a raised brick bed to it and I think it would potentially trouble the neighbours. They would be, whether justifiably or not, fearful of damp ingress and damage to their property. Relations between the two if your could sour very rapidly and, as so many people on this forum will testify, antagonised neighbours can be hell.
Then there is the issue that nobody has yet addressed: what will grow there? It is dry, shaded, North facing ... plants are likely to limp along to a slow death. Rather than having something pleasant to look at it could be a lingering daily reminder of advice you ignored.
Have you ascertained the level of the damp proof course? Anything affecting/breaching that will land you in expensive legal trouble plus liable for all reinstatement/repair costs.
Accept the limitations of your property for what they are, or you’ll end up very unhappy and financially worse off 😢
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The neighbour's climber that's already there looks pretty mature. I would imagine that it's already covering the area that gets enough light to support much in the way of climbers, and if it isn't, it will spread.
I think a nicer floor surface and some large pots with ferns or other shade lovers would do a lot to make it look better without affecting the neighbour's wall.
Outdoor mirrors on the wall of your house might help to reflect light into the space and brighten it up, or maybe on the wall of the neighbour's house, but best to discuss it with them before attaching anything (less potential for damage than digging into the foundations though).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Could I not dig a small part of concrete 300mm away from the wall to see if I do hit any foundations? If I do not hit any foundations start my hole for the soil from there.
I assume raised beds are going to be a nightmare to maintain? Also, there may be drainage issues to deal with?
Am I correct in thinking raised beds are constant work every few years whereas planting the climbers directly into the ground is maintenance free for decades?
Yes, you could try a test hole. Bear in mind if it's 300mm from the wall you can only dig down 300mm without your neighbours permission.
Raised beds and how much hassle they are is going to depend entirely on how you build them. We've just taken down a raised bed that we built 20 years ago. The bed itself has had zero maintenance, we've topped up the soil two or three times. It was brick and mortar, small drainage holes on the bottom layer. OTH we built a wooden raised bed five years ago, and we've had to dismantle it this year before it fell to bits.
If you want an above ground climbing framework that's maintenance free you'll be lucky. Repainting or replacing wires I figure you'll get maybe five years.
As long as water doesn't gather and refuse to drain there already you should be OK. There'll still be the same amount of rainfall, it will just be slowed down by going through soil.
Posts
I am not sure, but I don't think you are allowed to attach anything to a party wall, without permission, which I don't think anyone sensible would agree to.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Does the Party Wall etc. Act apply to garden walls? (but yours is their house)
A typical garden boundary wall would be classed as a certain type of party wall called a “party fence wall” if it sits astride the boundary and therefore is covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Can I drill into a party wall without consent?
Drilling into a party wall, to fix shelves or pictures is normally considered minor work that is not covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Drilling into a party wall for other types of work, for instance, the fixing of resin grouted anchors to support structural floors, would be covered by the Act.
This is based on the legal principle ‘de minimis’ which means it is too trivial or minor to merit consideration especially in law. The law does not encourage parties to bring legal action for trivial or minor matters.
There are also slightly more complicated rules for excavating within six metres of an adjoining building or structure and further professional advice should be taken in this scenario.
If you are not sure whether you need to serve notice, talk it through with a party wall surveyor.
Sorry to be so negative but I really think your idea of climbers on that particular wall is a non-starter, as others have advised.
You might be better off if you ask permission from your neighbour to paint the wall a pale colour and have a couple of big planters with climbers on obelisks in them.
With this method, I am not touching any foundations or the wall itself. I guess though if I were to build my planter out of bricks it would need foundations itself as it would be load-bearing?
I have no idea what plants to plant. I would like evergreen plants which can survive in north-facing conditions.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Then there is the issue that nobody has yet addressed: what will grow there? It is dry, shaded, North facing ... plants are likely to limp along to a slow death. Rather than having something pleasant to look at it could be a lingering daily reminder of advice you ignored.
Forget your plans. Plant pots.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Raised beds and how much hassle they are is going to depend entirely on how you build them. We've just taken down a raised bed that we built 20 years ago. The bed itself has had zero maintenance, we've topped up the soil two or three times. It was brick and mortar, small drainage holes on the bottom layer. OTH we built a wooden raised bed five years ago, and we've had to dismantle it this year before it fell to bits.
If you want an above ground climbing framework that's maintenance free you'll be lucky. Repainting or replacing wires I figure you'll get maybe five years.
As long as water doesn't gather and refuse to drain there already you should be OK. There'll still be the same amount of rainfall, it will just be slowed down by going through soil.