Jerk move to put up a privacy hedge between you and neighbor? (1 Viewer)

[Otis]

These are the facts:

Ofamily moves into a new house. On one side of our backyard there is no privacy hedge, just a short fence. Met the neighbors, they are really nice and have a beautiful yard. I would like more privacy, but it almost feels awkward putting up a hedge, like we are blocking them out and want to be left alone. Maybe a stupid consideration since it is our property sndt we can do as we please, and you would think everyone would want their privacy. But then again why didn't previous owners do it? Only thing I can come up with is that on neighbor's side of the fence they have a row of really nice trees, not privacy trees or shrubs, no idea what they are but they are only about 10 or 15 feet tall and provide just a little cover during 2 seasons. Maybe if we plant on or side of the fence they will be too close to and hurt his trees? Maybe we would have to dig into the roots?

Do you talk to them about it first? Just do it? Instead just hang out with the neighbors whenever we are in the yard? TIA

 

[Christo]

In!

 

[belljr]

6 ft privacy fence down?

 

[Otis]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

 

[belljr]

Really?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/80jtSWkWIUw5HzKtFpAXP0RozEV_WrJXqH0-f3Wb0UBkzbMCM1c3GUCLtzDutVYVe5W-UlloTU_RBQ4146PCzmSxUYFdVBEga0-2VnQo3qn6EYA1h5ZJ-ycy7At-Z4T0=w591-h443-nc

 

[Limp Ditka]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'

If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

 

[[icon]]

Good Fences make good neighbors... /thread

If your houses are close enough that you can look over during your cookout and watch them enjoying their cookout... fence/hedge goes up. If I want your company during my back yard activities, I'll invite you over IMO.

 

[xulf]

 

[Otis]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'

If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

Oh hell no on the dog.

 

[AcerFC]

I have lived in my house for 9 years. I have made it my business to not say one word to my neighbors. I would put up a 100 foot barrier if I could

** I do say hello to the elderly lady because she needs help sometimes with garbage. Im not a total ****

 

[The General]

I'd thank my neighbor for giving more privacy. Make sure you keep it maintained. I would mention it to them to be nice if you are friendly with them.

 

[jon_mx]

Is the wife hot?

 

[Abraham]

We have privacy fencing on both sides that is 6' tall. We will be planting hedges that grow to at least 8' in the next while. I am not asking anyone for input.

 

[Prinefan]

Seriously shouldn't be an issue at all. We did it years ago and love our privacy. We're still good friends with neighbors all around. No one should think any less of you.

 

[Limp Ditka]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

Oh hell no on the dog.

 

[pantagrapher]

Privacy dome.

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'

If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

Oh hell no on the dog.

I give it three years tops before Otispuppy arrives.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I have lived in my house for 9 years. I have made it my business to not say one word to my neighbors. I would put up a 100 foot barrier if I could

** I do say hello to the elderly lady because she needs help sometimes with garbage. Im not a total ****

Between this post and the other about no making eye contact with people so they don't fathom the idea of you wanting a conversation with you.... You may be my new favorite poster. (McGarnicle just hasn't been bringing it lately.)

 

[Al Czervik]

Not a jerk move at all. Using hedges for privacy is much more appealing and acceptable to neighbors than a tall privacy fence.

 

[Dentist]

I have lived in my house for 9 years. I have made it my business to not say one word to my neighbors. I would put up a 100 foot barrier if I could

** I do say hello to the elderly lady because she needs help sometimes with garbage. Im not a total ****

I guess the stat where something absurd like 47% of people have never talked to their neighbors might actually be true.. wow.

I'm not friends with my neighbors.. in fact I hate one of the two, but i at least know their names and am friendly with them.

 

[the moops]

O - you are getting dangerously close to woz level with all the life indecisiveness and coming here to ask for input.

 

[Brony]

Send them a fruit basket (not a cheap one... a GOOD one) and enclose a note. "We like you guys, just don't want to see your kid's ugly face and would like to talk about you without feeling like you're listening. We're still cool, right? "

 

[Buckychudd]

You just do it, it's your yard.

If it makes you feel any better, you don't just put in plants and wham you've got a privacy hedge. You plant bushes/plants that over the years will grow into a hedge.

 

[msommer]

What does McGarnicle brine?

And heck yes to the privacy

 

[belljr]

I have one neighbor to my left. Woods to the back and right. No pets and still have a privacy fence

 

[Buckychudd]

I have lived in my house for 9 years. I have made it my business to not say one word to my neighbors. I would put up a 100 foot barrier if I could

** I do say hello to the elderly lady because she needs help sometimes with garbage. Im not a total ****

You sound fun.

 

[Dentist]

Interestingly enough I'm about to consider the same issue.

My neighbors on one side are hoarders and their back yard is cluttered with crap.

They have a fence between my yard and theirs.. it's 4 ft tall with fairly open slats, and is falling apart (leaning into my yard) and looks like hell

I'm seriously considering throwing up a 6 ft privacy fence right next to their fence so I simply don't have to look over there anymore even though I know it's going to look like a dickish move

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

You just do it, it's your yard.

If it makes you feel any better, you don't just put in plants and wham you've got a privacy hedge. You plant bushes/plants that over the years will grow into a hedge.

Otis is not a patient man. He will spend top dollar to plant an already-big-enough privacy hedge.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

What does McGarnicle brine?

And heck yes to the privacy

Lol- thanks.

 

[jomar]

I put up a fence and a row of arbor vidae (sp?) trees along both sides of my yard. Good news is that now we have privacy and my neighbors on one side no longer speak to us. the downside is..........there is no down side.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Interestingly enough I'm about to consider the same issue.

My neighbors on one side are hoarders and their back yard is cluttered with crap.

They have a fence between my yard and theirs.. it's 4 ft tall with fairly open slats, and is falling apart (leaning into my yard) and looks like hell

I'm seriously considering throwing up a 6 ft privacy fence right next to their fence so I simply don't have to look over there anymore even though I know it's going to look like a dickish move

I'm doing this too for some of the same reasons but I'm going 8 foot.

Also...... While paying for and maintaining the fence sucks, dictating the placement (with respect to your property lines) and fence design to your standards is a positive.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I put up a fence and a row of arbor vidae (sp?) trees along both sides of my yard. Good news is that now we have privacy and my neighbors on one side no longer speak to us. the downside is..........there is no down side.

[#10127] You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day

 

[Witz]

The obvious hawk move is not to spend time debating whether to put in a privacy hedge, but to just move to a new house that has one already.

 

[belljr]

The obvious hawk move is not to spend time debating whether to put in a privacy hedge, but to just move to a new house that has one already.

 

[glumpy]

Of course you plant the hedge imo, but it's how you go about it that makes it work. Do some decorating around that bare fence--maybe variety plantings, some flowery if that trips your trigger, different leaves and textures. NOT the blocky looking 7' high wall that needs constant shearing to look right. Think low maintenance.

You want to start small and let it grow by itself to privacy scale--that way they don't take offense since it doesn't look like you are deliberately cutting off communications. Check out your local garden shop for ideas, or some wishbook thinking like this one: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/trees-shrubs.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Not a jerk move at all.

 

[Fat Nick]

We love our neighbors. Totally awesome people. When we moved in, our house already had a 150' row of white pine trees to provide a privacy row. It's at least 15' tall now. Blocks our view of them completely. If they weren't there, I'd have no problem putting them up myself for privacy. It doesn't mean I don't like them. The shark move is to act odd and get them to put them up and pay for the maintenance. Lol.

A few points

- Not sure how long your border is, but this can get quite expensive. If I had tried to do our white pine "wall" myself, it would've cost at least $4K in trees and planting. The previous owner owned a nursery, so it was cheap for him.

-Keep in mind that hedges start small (ineffective as screens), and eventually can get quite large (intrude on your yard). I'll have to eventually start cutting down some of those pines as they'll get HUGE. White pines are a horrible screen tree.

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

If you see the guy often enough bring it up, but don't go out of your way. Hedges obviously. You doing this before it gets cold?

 

[jomar]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'

If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

Oh hell no on the dog.

you'll get a dog when the wife tells you you're getting a dog

 

[joffer]

6 ft privacy fence down?

Sounds hideous.

Sit down and ask yourself, 'Oats, are you going to be dumb enough to buy these kids a dog one day?'If the answer is yes, put up the hideous fence

Oh hell no on the dog.

I give it three years tops before Otispuppy arrives.

He'd have to refer to himself as "pet nerd"

 

[joffer]

The obvious hawk move is not to spend time debating whether to put in a privacy hedge, but to just move to a new house that has one already.

 

[chet]

I have lived in my house for 9 years. I have made it my business to not say one word to my neighbors. I would put up a 100 foot barrier if I could

** I do say hello to the elderly lady because she needs help sometimes with garbage. Im not a total ****

Your prerogative but this is very strange.

 

[Jaysus]

Do you have any photos for reference? Maybe you can break the hedge up with an arbor of some sort to make it appear as if you still want the kids to be able to play and stuff like that.

You know, or goalposts.

 

[James Daulton]

Have lived in my house for over 10 years. We have a good sized back yard that is side to side with our neighbors and the two combined make for an awesome, huge yard for football, frisbee, etc. These neighbors are elderly and the wife died about 4 years ago. The dude hung on as long as he could but his son has now moved in the dude's 30's granddaughter and her dip#### husband. Now their backyard is hardly cut, cluttered, and we generally do not like these people.

Privacy fence will be installed in the Spring.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

This is why my lot if 5 acres, don't have to deal with any of this BS

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Have lived in my house for over 10 years. We have a good sized back yard that is side to side with our neighbors and the two combined make for an awesome, huge yard for football, frisbee, etc. These neighbors are elderly and the wife died about 4 years ago. The dude hung on as long as he could but his son has now moved in the dude's 30's granddaughter and her dip#### husband. Now their backyard is hardly cut, cluttered, and we generally do not like these people.

Privacy fence will be installed in the Spring.

This happened to me too. Now the squatters have left and the house is on the market.... We'll see how the new neighbors are but the first sign of tomfoolery and the 8' fence goes up. 10' is a possibility.

 

[fantasycurse42]

This is why my lot if 5 acres, don't have to deal with any of this BS

A 5 acre lot within an hour door to door trip to Manhattan is going to set Oats back mid 7 figures.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

This is why my lot if 5 acres, don't have to deal with any of this BS

My next house will be built in the middle of nowhere, preferable western to pacific northwestern US. I'm currently in Maryland.

 

[Otis]

O - you are getting dangerously close to woz level with all the life indecisiveness and coming here to ask for input.

Really? I feel like I was sort of the pioneer in this shtick, but that I really haven't posted one of these in a while. Really did it more to keep up appearances than anything else.

 

[Otis]

This is why my lot if 5 acres, don't have to deal with any of this BS

A 5 acre lot within an hour door to door trip to Manhattan is going to set Oats back mid 7 figures.

Seriously. Potentially 8 figures.