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I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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Posted by kthrnmllr21 Texas (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 17:11
| I have a one story house, the people behind me of course have a two story. They always have their blinds open, day and night. It drives me crazy that I have no privacy and I always feel like they are watching me.(Not to mention they like to talk to each other from window to window.)
I want to plant something along the fence that will get tall FAST! The problem is that my back Neighbor put up a new fence and stole one foot of my Property ( I don't even want to go there). Therefore, whatever I plant can not extend outward much.
Any Suggestions? Only thing I could come up with is an Ivy? I could extend the fence and let it grow nice and thick?
What do you think? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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- Posted by laag z6CapeCod (My Page) on
Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 19:32
| What can you do to make them want privacy from you? |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| I would look into the infringement of your neighbour's fence onto your own property. It's a pretty serious issue that won't get easier to deal with with age. The distance between the houses and also the fence is important to know. Could you estimate how much height you would need to add to the fence to sufficiently block out the neighbours? Are they towering over you? or barely peeping over the fence? - Audric |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 22:05
| If your part of Texas is conducive to growing any of the taller growing Timber Bamboos, you can get instant screening from large plants on an almost instant basis if cost is not an issue, or pretty effective screening within just 3 years time with 15 gallon sized bamboo plants. Of course, for best/fastest growth of bamboo, they want lots of irrigation and fertile soil or regular fertilizing. If you don't have a problem with creating more shade in your own backyard, there are plenty of fast growing trees that might fit the bill, Acacias, Eucalyptus, Gleditzia species are a few that would be useful here in California, as on the Texas Gardening Forum for best candidates in your part of Texas. I agree that you should press your case against the neighbor's trespassing fence if in fact you know it is on your property, and force them to relocate it or compensate you for the property taken by having to purchase it from you, especially if you can't amicably resolve it. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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- Posted by rhodium New England Z6 (My Page) on
Wed, Jan 20, 10 at 10:43
| How much room do you have between your house and the next to allow for plantings? Many plants are columnar in shape and form. I am surprised that you have not challenged placement of the fence on your property more aggresively, but then again it would seem that a fence is a good idea for your privacy. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| The best approaches will depend on the actual layout of your yard and house in relation to neighbors, and the heights/distances as noted. Meaning, in some cases a "hedge" is the solution, versus a few correctly placed trees that will have other attributes for your landscape, versus some screening near one of your own windows--all depends on where stuff is in relation to other stuff. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| One time I used a pergola with fast growing vines placed between the neighbor's upstairs widows and my client's ground floor sunroom. The neighbors could no longer look down into the client's house. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| So it's the same neighbour that has put up the fence and is overlooking your yard? A tree is likely your best option, depending, as Frankie says, on where stuff is in relation to other stuff. A photo would help us recommend. And it depends too on whether you want to use your tree placement to motivate them to move the fence. Weeping willows sometimes speak louder than words. A pergola might also work well, as per EBeth. However, skip ivy. Maybe hops, maybe an evergreen clematis, but don't plant ivy - doing that should be a crime. KarinL |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| I agree about the fence placment it's your property that the fence is on. If it truly is on your property you probably own the fence. A fast growing tree could fix this but do realise that it will canopy into the neighbors yard and oh gee they might not like this. I do like the idea of a pergola with a vine. Wistirea is one kind of vine if the pergola is sturdy enough. And who knows you may beable to have a very nice entertaing, relaxing, private area there. If you are looking for privacy from the nieghborhood comming into your home some well placed window treatments may be what you should be investing in. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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- Posted by laag z6CapeCod (My Page) on
Tue, Jan 26, 10 at 7:09
| Legally, they own the fence whether it is on her property or not. Umfortunately, it is up to her to prove that the fence is in fact on her property rather than for the neighbor to prove that it is not. It sounds like the OP knows that and neither wants the expense or the hassle. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| laag is right unless you are going to sell the property in the next few years and a future owner will make a stink (and you and they would have a point) the problem of privacy is what is at issue. How to screen: I would plant a fast growing tree, maybe two with under planted shrubs. They should be easy to maintain and to get the job done. Can you give some spacifics such as how large is the area on your side of the fence and how much space of your yard you are willing to give up. Without knowing how you use your yard it is kind of hard to know what you are going to need to acomplish your goal of privacy. Another thing you can do is take measurments and pictures of the area and take them and your concerns to a nursery and let them help you decide. They can guide you about plant placement, spacing etc... |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Sun, Jan 31, 10 at 12:08
| To determine property boundaries, it is usually necessary to get a professional surveyor in and have the property corners staked. These boundary markers may already be in place, it is worth checking for them, because a professional survey is usually going to cost close to $1000. It may be worth the original OP's while to pay for a professional survey, especially if there are other things to be surveyed at the same time; or if there are plans to remodel/expand the house and plan submittals would require a professional survey. Topographic information and existing tree locations might be other information that would be useful to have, and can be included as part of the survey to get more bang for the buck. Only the OP can decide if the price to get a professional survey is worth the expense, but if the fence is on her property, they would have leverage to make the neighbor either remove it or compensate them. |
RE: I Need Privacy!!! Any Suggestions?
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| What is wrong with these freaking OPs who never come back to acknowledge responses or clarify uncertainties? Are manners dead? Or do they think we are functionaries paid to sit here and answer queries? Honestly, it's enough to make one find better ways to spend one's leisure time. Sorry to THIS OP for making this remark on THIS thread; perhaps you are unavoidably away from the computer or otherwise incapacitated. It's the general trend that is driving me into withdrawal. KarinL |
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