Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'd suggest planting a laurel hedge between the properties. In a few years no one could see into the yards of anyone else.
You can plant larger trees, costs more, but will provide a screen faster. There are all sorts of lovely trees available, but do a little research as to how big they get, root systems, etc. If you are planning on living in your house a long time it's worth doing so you aren't wishing for more privacy in 10 or 20 years.
There's acres of forestland between me and my neighbors. I own it, so yay me! They would like the underbrush all cleared out and made to look like a park. I like it as is with the deer, coyotes, and bobcats.
Yay you is right! You own it, you do it your way. I would love to have that kind of acreage around me and I have wonderful neighbors
I think my issue is that they did not discuss removing the trees with us so why should we have discussed putting a shed in our driveway with them? It's odd as well because the shed is up on a hill, it does not go anywhere near where they would be in their yard. It's just weird.
My DH had told the guy that I was upset about the trees being cut down behind us.
the people on the other side of us told us they are getting a lawyer because they feel the house that is getting built behind them is too close to their house.
Feels like there is some drama going on for sure.
I guess I'm confused by some of these responses here..I admitted HERE that i was upset about the trees, I didn't say anything to them about it. MY DH mentioned i was upset about the trees cut down behind us so they assumed I'd be upset that more trees were cut down. If i dont have a right to upset about the trees, then they dont have a right to be upset about a damn shed. We did what was required, we didn't need to discuss it with them...just like they dont have to discuss home improvements they do with us. I was taken aback that they complained about a small shed that is not close to their house at all.
I also could understand why the wanted to cut down the trees to make their yard bigger. But to be honest yes I think cutting down about 30 trees is a bigger deal than a 5 by 10 shed. Especially because it has given both of us less privacy from the other. Can't imagine who would think otherwise.
OP - the solution to your angst is an easy fix, just put up a living privacy fence along your property line(s), one that will grow tall within one year. Fences make good neighbours.
You don't have to put in expensive, slow growing trees, you can plant inexpensive containered evergreen bamboos that grow up to 3 feet a day during the growing season and because they are evergreens you will have leafy privacy year round. There are many, many species of bamboos that are suitable for planters in landscape designs and bamboos grow faster than any other kind of plant.
Get some barrels that are cut in half, drill some drainage holes on the bottoms, place them in a row just on your side of the property line that divides your properties, fill them with soil and plant tall growing bamboo clumps in them. Do NOT plant the bamboos directly in the ground because they spread very rapidly underground and can become invasive everywhere (including on neighbours' properties too) so their roots MUST be kept confined in planters of some kind.
This way your neighbours won't be able to see your shed or anything else on your property, and you won't see anything of any of your neighbours' properties beyond the other side of your bamboo "fence". It's a lot less expensive than planting trees that may take years to grow taller, and you can move them to other locations if you wish. The only care they will need is to be watered as necessary and occasional fertilizer - just like all trees and plants need.
This is an interesting thread because the lot behind us was cleared and we also put up a shed in our yard (unrelated). So i understand about the trees.
As for the shed...my husband did talk to our neighbor about it because the location of the shed could potentially block natural light from their only window in that room. The neighbor said it would be fine and as long as the setback was met we were good. He actually liked the idea of some privacy on that side.
But my husband asked because having something dense like a shed wall obstructing ones view can block natural light and make one feel claustrophobic.
If the shed is only 5x10 perhaps it can be moved to a different spot?
I have a hard time envisioning a shed on a driveway. Does that mean the shed is in the front yard where most driveways are? Why not plant a few shrubs between the shed and the property line?
DH said something about the trees behind us...not THEIR trees.
sure we can plant more trees. However the ones that were already there had been there for years and were huge. It will be a while before the trees get that tall again.
It really sucks when people start taking out trees. I had a direct neighbor at the last house who left every seeded sapling live, so her whole yard was trees. Some were in the fence line next to our driveway, of course the roots started pushing up our driveway. It was too much of a good thing.
If you're interested in planting trees or flowering trees, drive around your neighborhood if trees are blooming now like where I am. You can always ask the homeowner what it is or you can install an app called PictureThis to take a pic of the tree, it should tell you what it is as long as it's in their database. If you install the app, you will get to a screen where it wants you to enter a credit card, just hit the X to close it or you will be charged for the app instead of using the free version. I installed it the other day but have not used it yet. The reviews were good except for people entering their credit card and being charged $20.
I personally like to plant trees that no one has. I have a lavender twist weeping redbud. There is a new one out called Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud that's a really wow tree for putting on a show. They are short trees, about 10 feet high. If I needed a hedge, I'd probably do lilacs or crepe myrtle, both put on a nice show.
As for your kids and the neighbor kid, it was bound to happen that he would find older kids to play with. The way kids are these days, he will probably fight with the same age kids and be back to your kids then leave them flat again so be careful.
My daughter and 8 year old grandson recently moved out. There's a new neighbor across from me with a 10 year old girl that was coming over to play with him a lot while they were here. He was visiting me last week, she was outside with her cousins who are similar ages to her and my grandson. Eventually my grandson came inside, grabbed his play ax, next thing I know he's back here. Apparently the cousin boy threw the basketball at my grandson. I asked my grandson if he did or said something to the kid, he claimed to not know what happened. I didn't walk over there. Her cousins left, she went out to get the mail the next time my grandson was here. She was looking at us like she wanted to come over but finally went inside. My grandson didn't say hi to her. I'm sure the next time he's here, playing with his scooter or bubble gun that she will be over because she doesn't have her own bubble gun. She uses my 4 year old granddaughters bubble gun.
I adore trees, and that woodsy natural way about them. I hate it when people cut down healthy trees.
But that being said....you can't really do anything about it, when someone decides to cut down the trees on their own property/yard. But then again, I can't imagine telling my neighbors that I don't like the placement of their shed!
I wouldn't want to continue on this way with your neighbors though....you don't want to have to live next door to people you can't stand. I would go out of my way to avoid them if I were you.
Have you considered putting up a privacy fence or decorative fence with trees planted around it?
The neighbor said that he had heard you were upset about the trees that were cut. How did he hear about that? I'm just wondering if you were discussing it with other neighbors and it got back to them. People gossip/complain in neighborhoods and you really don't know if what you say to one neighbor will get back to another neighbor.
I had to remove a large tree on my property months ago. It didn't border anyone's property but I sure did get a lot of opinions about it. They rolled off my back and I don't harbor any ill feelings to the people who made their opinions known. It wasn't anything terrible, just people sharing their thoughts. I'm okay with that.
Probably from her husband. The OP needs to get those trees and shrubs planted... and soon. She should also put up a fence if there it’s one there; fences make good neighbors.
As for the shed, I’m sure it is an eyesore.. who puts a lawn shed in the driveway? But, it’s their property and as long as it’s not in violation of anything, it can stay.
You have a great opportunity to make things less awkward. Bring over a plate of cookies and say something about "getting off to an awkward start" and hope that they forget about all of it. Swallow any anger or resentment you have and you might be surprised at their reaction.
I'm not trying to be a Pollyanna here - just being realistic about how things can spiral out of control with perceived slights.
How about putting up a fence in your back yard? Then plant some nice bushes and trees around it and you've got yourself a lovely view of your own.
Why should the OP coming bearing gifts as a peace offering? She didn't say or do anything to the neighbor that she has to apologize for. The OP has vented here - she has not vented to the neighbor. It sounds like the neighbor was even teasing her about cutting down more trees. But I guess its okay for them to be rude to the OP because they just "heard" that she didn't like the trees being cut down. She never confronted the neighbors about anything - the trees or even the situation with the kids.
Sounds like it's time for a "time out" with your neighbor. Just leave them be, no play dates, no contact.
I'd get rid of that shed... and replace it with a larger one. It's your dang property and you can do what you want, just like your neighbors obviously do.
Too bad about the development out back. Not much to be done, though, right? The land is sold, the construction is beginning, the trees were already taken down.
We have the mellowest neighbors. There's a large maple tree straddling our back yards. I asked her the other day: "Whose tree is that?" and she said "I think it's yours." Who cares. It's just a tree. Actually, we'd kind of like to take it down because it blocks the sunlight from our garden and our solar panels, but on the other hand, it's a tree.
I guess the lesson here is, understand the neighborhood before you move in. Do your due diligence and understand who owns the lots adjoining the property and what is the likely disposition, i.e. sold and developed, or just kept as is.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
