Neighbour wall is too high

yourdeadwright

Dav010 wrote: »

Op: Hi, I’m your new neighbour, I think your wall could kill my kids, can you take it down please.

Neighbour: F**k off you idiot.

Believe it or not this happened to me,
The neighbour garden behind is higher so I had no problem with the height of the wall but whoever they got to do it was an absolute cowboy the wall was an absolute mess of a thing ,


I actually sent them a letter as said and even suggested they could take pictures of the wall and send it a number of websites to get opinions and eventually the agreed with me and we got it rebuilt

You'll also find if the realise the wall is built poorly and unsafe they will do something about it , given the times we live in the last thing you want is for it to fall and some f*cker looking for a pay out ,

derb12

As others have said, you don’t want your first interaction with the neighbours to be about this - either verbally or in writing.
I would like to know how well engineered it is. A long wall, 3m high, should have some sort of buttressing at intervals on their side.
I would think that it should also have substantial foundations that would reach into both sides. You could check out the foundations easy enough - maybe take some pics and post on the DIY/Construction board. You get fantastic advice over there.
Also, check out the planting on both sides as there could be plants that might undermine the foundations.
Other than that .... build a nice outdoor feature against it? Paint a mural?

hottea2019

awec wrote: »

Maybe an obvious question but is your neighbour’s garden the same elevation as yours?

Del2005 wrote: »

Plenty of 3m high walls in estates that aren't built on level ground, there's one below my apartment. A 1m difference it ground level isn't extreme and then a 2m wall on the high side.

Their land is a bit higher than mine (but definitely under 1m higher) so maybe it causes the differences.Thanks for mentioning it

jimmycrackcorm

Calahonda52 wrote: »

<= 2m requires no planning at rear

Did anyone even attempt to read the OP?

hottea2019 wrote: »

The wall is pretty high (approximately 3 metres)

mr c

hottea2019 wrote: »

Their land is a bit higher than mine (but definitely under 1m higher) so maybe it causes the differences.Thanks for mentioning it

Maybe your own garden has been dug out before
We got an extension last year going up the garden and the old garden was cleared out and the back wall is taller as a result so maybe your own garden was changed previously (just a suggestion incase it helps)

Ok OP so a few things here.

1. South facing rear garden? So that’s brilliant - looking out your back window, sun comes from your left in the morning then over your garden all day and departs to your right in the evening, correct?

If so, that means for all summer your garden will be filled with sunshine all day - but not all of your garden all of the day.
In the morning the left side of the garden will be in shade (assuming you’re in a semi detached and there’s a standard 6 foot fence between you and your other neighbour.
But from mid to late morning your entire garden will have sun. Then mid afternoon the right hand side will go into shade and the left hand side will be fully in sun- this will happen with a 6 foot wall no less a 9 foot wall

Eventually all the garden will be in shade towards evening - maybe between 6-7 pm depending on how true south you’re facing

So you’re going to have sun and a lot of sun- just not in the same spot for the entire day
And bamboo will also cast a shadow and that’s likely to be similar in size to the wall - I’d relax a bit for the moment- if you’re thinking of building a deck or something wait till summer- it will likely need to be 1/2 way down your garden to maximise evening sunshine from what you’ve described

Finally the sun will depart your garden starting from the left corner as you look out onto your back garden and will move down the garden on your left hand side- so around 7pm just outside your house on the left hand side will likely be in shade but the sun may still be shining half way down your garden also on the left hand side
A south facing rear garden is a great feature- if your neighbour had a standard ground floor extension out the back it still wouldn’t really impact the level of sunshine you’ll get in your south facing garden - enjoy it - it’s far nicer than a north or east facing garden

ted1

yourdeadwright wrote: »

Hey Op

Id give you some advice here if you want to talk about it with them i'd send a letter and post it in the letter box yourself, Obviously with a return address or email or phone details
,
It will seems less confrontational and take the awkwardness out of the situation

Do not do that. It’s extremely passive aggressive and would really alienate them.

#WorstAdviceEver

JamesM

We're facing south east. We have a neighbours shed all across the back. We have a neighbours shed at part of the west side. In the winter we get very little sun, except close to the house, but we're not out in the back. In the summer, when we want to be out, we have sun for most of the day, and we move around and sit in different corners. It is after 1800 before we lose the sun - and that's because of the houses. The most important thing is that we have wonderful neighbours.

badboyblast

any chance of a picture of the wall? for clarity

kravmaga

hottea2019 wrote: »

May I know where I can find that 2m regulation?

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2001/si/600/made/en/print#sched2

2 metre max allowed at rear of house, see class 5

Oscar Bravo

1850 715 815 "what color was de wall caller"

Darc19

Op should measure it. It may seem high, but possibly is not much more than 2m.

It would be hard not to notice a 3m wall even in winter. You are talking 10 ft. - height of the living room ceiling and two ft more. It would stand out like a sore thumb.

bertsmom

I'm thinking though that its not that high in their garden. Their garden may perhaps be a bit lower down than the ops.
To be honest I'd be very reluctant to have new neighbours lower the wall as I think I must be a bit cynical but I'd just be thinking no in my head incase it starts off a list if requests and also from a security point of view I'd never allow a neighbour lower a garden wall.

coolbeans

kravmaga wrote: »

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2001/si/600/made/en/print#sched2

2 metre max allowed at rear of house, see class 5

...without planning permission.

mrslancaster

Some gardens have hedging that are 8/9 feet high. Our last house had a 2 storey extension built right up to the boundary wall so our patio area was in shade all day. The previous owners were elderly & didn't object to the planning. Then when we sold the EA said the buyers loved the privacy they got with the 2 storey height wall so everyone is different.
new neighbours asking for an existing garden wall to be knocked/lowered would be a bit cheeky imo.
Maybe OP could put up a trellis, plant something that will cover the concrete or build a pergola against the wall. A high wall could be useful rather than a problem.

Piehead

yourdeadwright wrote: »

Hey Op

Id give you some advice here if you want to talk about it with them i'd send a letter and post it in the letter box yourself, Obviously with a return address or email or phone details
,
It will seems less confrontational and take the awkwardness out of the situation

Most importantly it give them time to think about there response ,
People can be awfully protective of there own home and rights , If you catch them off guard and they responded with a "feck off" they may be stubborn and not want to back down and friends and family will tell them "no you where right , there just blow in & so on"

A letter gives them space to breath and think about a reply and not feel backed into a corner,






Just arriving on someone door step to discuss something like that and catching them off guard will not go down well,

Id take this approach even pre covid

What an insane idea ! Yourdeadwrong !

headtheball14

I'm trying to work out are the height limits measured from the base of the structure. Or the surrounding level. My neighbour just built and are claiming exemption. The thing is ttheynever dug out foundations. They just put hardcore and then cement . This is raising the structure up quite a bit before the structure itself was built. It's cast most of my whole garden in shadow from the afternoon on.

awec

headtheball14 wrote: »

I'm trying to work out are the height limits measured from the base of the structure. Or the surrounding level. My neighbour just built and are claiming exemption. The thing is ttheynever dug out foundations. They just put hardcore and then cement . This is raising the structure up quite a bit before the structure itself was built. It's cast most of my whole garden in shadow from the afternoon on.

Your neighbours built a wall with no foundations?

riclad

The amount of sun you get depends on the other 2 walls ,the house,s around you , how close they are , the height of the houses around the garden .the height of the other 2 walls.
i,m surrounded by 10-11 ft walls ,i think i get plenty of sunlight ,
but i might be outside 1 day a week in the summertime .

i think the chances of someone reducing the size of a wall is low, unless you pay the cost , and your neighbour is very easy going.
thev wall could have been built 40 years ago, before the neighbour bought the house.
reducing the wall by 1 metre would probably make very little difference
to the amount of sunlight you get in the garden.wait 2 months and see what your neighbour is like,
you,ll know the amount of sunlight you get during the day.

TheW1zard

Is there a level difference between the two properties?

riclad

If your neighbour built a wall over 2m he, would need to apply for
planning permission from the council, if he did not get permission the council might ask him to reduce the height of the wall if someone were to inform the council of the existance of the wall.

Sharpyshoot

What’s the problem, who wants to be able to see your neighbour having coitus on the lounge chair.

mrslancaster

mrslancaster wrote: »

A high wall could be useful rather than a problem.

Yeah this would be my thinking. They gifted you one wall of your new shed.

Zebrag

Hi OP

If you don't ask, you don't get! There's no harm in asking politly what the story is with the wall. They could have put it up for a reason themselves, or it was there already or they had issues with your previous homeowner. No one knows.

The worst they could say no and then you can get yourself riled up about it. I'm sure it's something you could probably look into legally if it really was bothering you that much. If they say yes to remove it, happy days. But there's no point in stressing until you ask and then come back to boards and we'll figure it all out haha!

Good luck :-)

Melzea

Without applying for planning permission you can have and maintain a back garden fence or walling of no more than 2m in height, 1.2m for the front garden.

timeToLive

irelandrover wrote: »

If my new neighbours posted a letter through my letterbox about taking down my wall it would never be coming down.

If my neighbour knocked on the door, introduced themselves, and asked the reason why i had such a high wall id give answers.

Why would their communication preference cause such a hostile response? While you might have certain opinions about posting a letter (such as it being rude) they might see it as less confrontational and a chance for it to be thought over before talking about it. Neither is "wrong". Keep an open mind.


OP, I would second the comment on the position of the sun at this time of the year. The way it falls in your garden could change throughout the year,

GreeBo

Of course the sun will get higher, but 3m is a hell of a wall and will impact sunlight no matter what. Once you figure out what part is always in shade you might want to look at alternatives to grass.

Eric Cartman

A 3 meter wall would be a blessing rather than a bad thing, good security and privacy

hottea2019

Deleted User wrote: »

Ok OP so a few things here.

1. South facing rear garden? So that’s brilliant - looking out your back window, sun comes from your left in the morning then over your garden all day and departs to your right in the evening, correct?

If so, that means for all summer your garden will be filled with sunshine all day - but not all of your garden all of the day.
In the morning the left side of the garden will be in shade (assuming you’re in a semi detached and there’s a standard 6 foot fence between you and your other neighbour.
But from mid to late morning your entire garden will have sun. Then mid afternoon the right hand side will go into shade and the left hand side will be fully in sun- this will happen with a 6 foot wall no less a 9 foot wall

Eventually all the garden will be in shade towards evening - maybe between 6-7 pm depending on how true south you’re facing

So you’re going to have sun and a lot of sun- just not in the same spot for the entire day
And bamboo will also cast a shadow and that’s likely to be similar in size to the wall - I’d relax a bit for the moment- if you’re thinking of building a deck or something wait till summer- it will likely need to be 1/2 way down your garden to maximise evening sunshine from what you’ve described

Finally the sun will depart your garden starting from the left corner as you look out onto your back garden and will move down the garden on your left hand side- so around 7pm just outside your house on the left hand side will likely be in shade but the sun may still be shining half way down your garden also on the left hand side
A south facing rear garden is a great feature- if your neighbour had a standard ground floor extension out the back it still wouldn’t really impact the level of sunshine you’ll get in your south facing garden - enjoy it - it’s far nicer than a north or east facing garden

Thank you for the analysis . We will see how our first summer in this house goes. The weather is still a bit cold now, which is not the best time for sunbathing. We were just too worried when seeing the wall blocks almost all the sun moves to the west.

JamesM wrote: »

We're facing south east. We have a neighbours shed all across the back. We have a neighbours shed at part of the west side. In the winter we get very little sun, except close to the house, but we're not out in the back. In the summer, when we want to be out, we have sun for most of the day, and we move around and sit in different corners. It is after 1800 before we lose the sun - and that's because of the houses. The most important thing is that we have wonderful neighbours.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I feel like your layout may look similar like ours, except the neighbour shed all across the back. We are not going to sit the whole day in the garden and we just need a small corner to enjoy sunny days. As long as that corner is full of sunlight, we should be ok

hottea2019

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah this would be my thinking. They gifted you one wall of your new shed.

Zebrag wrote: »

Hi OP

If you don't ask, you don't get! There's no harm in asking politly what the story is with the wall. They could have put it up for a reason themselves, or it was there already or they had issues with your previous homeowner. No one knows.

The worst they could say no and then you can get yourself riled up about it. I'm sure it's something you could probably look into legally if it really was bothering you that much. If they say yes to remove it, happy days. But there's no point in stressing until you ask and then come back to boards and we'll figure it all out haha!

Good luck :-)

timeToLive wrote: »

Why would their communication preference cause such a hostile response? While you might have certain opinions about posting a letter (such as it being rude) they might see it as less confrontational and a chance for it to be thought over before talking about it. Neither is "wrong". Keep an open mind.


OP, I would second the comment on the position of the sun at this time of the year. The way it falls in your garden could change throughout the year,

Eric Cartman wrote: »

A 3 meter wall would be a blessing rather than a bad thing, good security and privacy

Thank you for all of your responses. When walking around the area, we noticed that the high-wall-neighbour seems to enjoy privacy: their house is the only one having code secure gate and even their front garden's wall is higher than other's houses. Looks like we would have very small chance to negotiate with them regarding the high wall in their back garden. We will see how the upcoming summer is in our back garden. Hope it will be sunny enough for us to enjoy the heat. :cool: