Can we fix it ? YES WE CAN :o)

Met Posts are a 'godsend' to us not so good DIYers. I'm afraid my planning when I take on such a job is not as maticulous as yours. I'm sure with Conker and Truffle's help, tou'll make a fine job. I think that wooden posts look much nicer in a garden than concrete, particularly with trellis! Good luck ,
Paul

Hi, Paul.
Yes, metposts are great, aren't they.
Thanks for your good wishes.
Conker and Truffle are a big help. :o)

A Great Idea TT & the Design will work as its the same 1 my sister had @ her old house 2 give privacy 2 the Kitchen Window & Garden from the Street :) I see uv plenty of help & they look2be enjoying it as always TT :)

Thanks, Jacque.
Encouraging to know your sister made a similar design.
Conker and Truffle are expert with their hammers. Lol. :o)

They do look the Part TT :) Maybe a Tool Belt will be needed soon as they are becomeing very Clever :) Summer Sends Love & Licks XXX

Tell Summer xxx from Conker and Truffle.
If my dogs use more tools, I try to take some new pics. Lol.

Thanx TT i look forward to seeing Your Photos :)

Excellent work TT Conker and Truffle are such good workers. Just the job !
I hope your neighbour has apologised for the distress you have been caused.

Hi Sueb.
Sadly, my neighbours don't seem to think they've caused any distress or expense....
Conker and Truffle will fix it ~ YES THEY CAN. :o)

I’m sorry to hear your neighbour has no respect for your property. It makes me feel sad when you take so much care and show so much love for you garden.Conker and Truffle to the rescue!!!

Your doing a great job there Terra, you are very lucky to have two very talented work men to give you a hand, but a pity you have had to go to all the trouble to retrieve your privacy., neighbours can be so inconsiderate ! We had a similar situation when we came back last year from holiday, next door had taken two beautiful trees down which bordered our gardens , leaving us looking onto their daily washing line and the houses across the road. We had to purchase conifers and bamboo as well as pots to give us back some privacy on our patio.
Keep up the Good Work!

Thanks, Sueb.
Your encouragement really means a lot to me.
The support from GoY members is giving me the courage to tackle the problem and fix it ~
with the assistance of my dynamic canine duo. Lol.

Sorry the replies are getting out of sequence. Lol.

Hello Pansypotter ~
That must have been a real shock when you found the trees gone. Seems like your neighbours planned for the work to happen while you were away :o(

I hope you've managed to restore your privacy.
I'm sure Polly gave you lots of help. :o)

I'm glad you found a solution TT, I feel very strongly about privacy and would hate to have people looking into my garden.

Thank you, Madmum ~
I hope the solution is going to work well.
It will be a tight fit putting the featherboards behind my trellis, so I hope they don't crack and split.

Yes, privacy is valuable and worth preserving...

Your design seems to be quite satisfactory, Terratoonie, and your work looks pretty neat so far. I am impressed with theproper tressels, I still use an old table. Has your neighbour used concrete posts, pity, if they had been wood you could have fixed onto them.

Hi Bulbaholic ~
Thanks for your opinions on this. Very welcome.
Those proper trestle tables have seen a lot of work... notice all the fence paint splashes. Lol.
But I'm sure you produce excellent results with tasks done on your old table. :o)

Yes a pity the posts are concrete....

It looks like my new fence TT except that it is ours and our trellis is on top of the fence ,the workmen next door to you leave a lot to be desired , have your neighbours seen your side ? i,m so pleased that they didn,t damage your lovely Clematis Frances Riva ...
Your work in progress looks absolutely fine to me ...with your two work mates helping you ,you can,t go wrong , mind your fingers and thumbs when they start wielding those hammers ... LOL..
Looks like me and you both now have the job of planning how to cover and disguise the fence .
So far I have three trees spaced out and sweet peas growing up canes oh , and some shrubs at the front , it,s going to take some time !
I hope your goes to plan ,
Good luck

My how nice kind of you to post such detail. Hug job very nicley done. Good luck. Have some fun looks like your pals are helping you.

Hi Amy ~
Covering the fence with climbers will be fun, after all the hassle of next door's poor fencing job which has left me with so many problems. Lol. Sounds like you've made a good start with your planting :o)

I'll be extra careful when my canine helpers start using the power tools. Lol.

I've been out in the garden this afternoon, and noticed even more work I need to do to finish off jobs not done by the fencing man ~ such as my back fence is waving about in the fresh air. ~ not attached to anything at one end !

Hello Lujean ~
I'm pleased you enjoyed the detail of this blog.
Glad you like the way I've made the extra fence piece. :o)

Hi TT,
How thoughtless neighbours can be. I can't believe they are not aware of all the stress they have given you.
I can see what you are doing, your plan is very good. That fencing man should be ashamed of himself, it pays to blunt the end of a nail to stop it splitting the wood. I never nail through those batons.
My heart bleeds for you.
Take care,
Doctor Bob.

Hi Doctor Bob ~
Thanks for your support on this.
It means a lot, and gives me the courage to go out there and carry on with my work. I couldn't believe it today when I found the fencing man had left my whole 6ft back fence flapping in the air. It's not fixed at all. Ridiculous. A good thing it's not where the dogs can get out....

The fence will be lovely when covered with climbers Terra. Arn't people strange - you'd think they might want some privacy themselves. I am very overlooked here, especially since the Australian family built a huge loft extension. They now wave to me a lot and (truely) call 'G'day mate'!

i think you are doing a great job TT, also with your very cute helpers truffle and conker what could possibly go wrong, good luck with it all and hope you can soon start to enjoy your privacy once again... san

Hi TT,so sorry to read about your fence problems.I take it the fence that was put up by your neighbours are on their boundry side?
If me and my hubby were going to do any type of work to the fencing in our garden we would have consulted the neighbours of our intentions to make sure that they were aware of what we wanted to do and if there were any problems we would have a rethink.
The stress you have been under must have been horrendous for you and my heart goes out to you.I do hope that you manage to get your fencing sorted out.It is a pity that we couldn't have come to help you out as my hubby is good at DIY work especially anything to do with wood and nails lol.
Keep your chin up and know that you have plenty of friends on here adding support to your plightxxxxx

oh TT you are doing a sterling job!! the fence man wants sacking!! not very considerate was he? glad to see you have helpers tho!

Thanks to everyone for comments and advice.

Hi Ginellie ~
A pity about that extension being built overlooking you.
We think of Australians as down-under, not up above.Lol.
Sounds like they are friendly, though. :o)

Thanks, San ~
I really value my privacy. Let's hope I get it back soon.

Hello Tina2 ~
My neighbours did tell me they were going to build a fence, and told me to move all my items away from the fence...... that was about it.... :o(
Your hubby sounds good at DIY !

Skilla ~
You're right. The fencing chap didn't care at all...
A good thing I have my helpers ready with their hammers. Lol.

TTwhat a brill job you are doing.

Thanks, Clarice.
Your recent photo of patio paving shows how well you've done with the DIY :o)

I hope eventually I'll be posting photos when I've completed the whole job...

What a nightmare for you, and what inconsiderate neighbours...didn't they consult you before removing your privacy?? Your remedy seems like a great one, and it is nice to see you have some canine help...that will make the job go alot faster...my boy always like to help when there is digging to be done, but does make himself scarce when anything more technical is needed.
Good luck and I hope all your plants thrive on the new trellis, :-)

Hi Maranddar ~

No mention was made by the neighbours that they were lowering the fence height with the new panels. :o(

Sounds like you get lots of help with the digging ! Lol.

I'm so pleased my clematis survived the new fencing fiasco. Yes, it will be great putting in more plants once the job is done. :o)

Glad you haven,t let it get you down Terra and soon you will have your privacy back, it was thoughtless of them not to talk to you but people dont always think the same way.Conker and Truffle are doing a grand job supporting and comforting you. Good luck with the work and new planting...........

Thanks for your good wishes, Lincslass.
I'm hoping the boards don't crack when I put them in place... fingers crossed :o)

Go for it TT. We're all behind you. Don't let the ......... grind you down.

Hi Toto ~
Thank you.
I'll provide photos for you, however my panels turn out. Lol.

Sorry about your fencing troubles, hope you and your boys get it sorted out soon.

I am fortunate with my immediate neighbour, we only have a three foot boundary fence, both back and front gardens.
We have lived here over 20 years, without any trouble, in spite of the fact she has four very active grandsons living with her, plus dogs. The only "awkward" bit is, her husband sunbathes in a posing pouch, I don't know where to look when I hang out the washing!

Love marge.

Evening, Terra, welcome to 'The Neighbours from Hell Club' - I've been a member for years. Looking at your plan and the panel you've done it will work really well - great job as they say. So glad your flf's are ready to help you - and I second Toto.

Well, Marge, you've given me a real giggle this evening.
I can imagine your hanging out the washing and trying to avert your gaze. Lol. Lol. Lol.

Thanks for your good wishes. Love, Terra. x

Evening Wagger ~
Sounds like you're a devoted member of that neighbour club....

I'm glad you approve of my plan and panel. :o)
It would have been easier putting the screws in this afternoon if my drill had been charged up with a bit more electricity ~
I know how it feels.. Lol.

I'll remember all your comments when I'm working out there...
... many thanks.

Budgie thinks featherboard is when you're tired of moulting ... LOL LOL LOL :o) :o) :o)

I feel for you as well - you must have seen my blog about THE FENCE that was erected?? I'm sorry you've got such problems - and glad that you are able to take some positive action to sort it out.

Sorry you have so much work to do TT due to the neighbours. Grrr, but you are determined to work around it and get the job done, I can feel it. Good luck. Pleased to see you have help from your boys :)

Sorry to hear of your fence problems, TT. Some neighbours can be so thoughtless and it looks as if they employed 'cowboys' to do the job anyway. Good job you've got your 'boys' to help, the photos of them are great. I'm sure your screening will work, you've obviously given it a great deal of thought. Good luck with it.

good luck - what you are doing looks fine I am sure it will work a treat...

Sorry to hear of your privacy problems TT. Some people are so inconsiderate. That fencing guy should be made to come back and fix what he did wrong. What an idiot.

I'm glad to see you have help. I'm sure both Conker and Truffle are extremely talented carpenters and will be able to do anything you need.

Hi Spritz ~
Yes I remember your blog ~
THE FENCE. Ingenious the way you placed plant troughs along the edge. I could tell the stress you were under, trying to deal with your boundary issues. Thanks for your support here :o)

Yes, Dawn and Gee ~ Grrrr exactly. Lol.
A good thing my boys are not cowboy builders and will help me fix it :o)

Hello Rkda ~
Thanks for your good wishes. Looks like the weather will be good over the next few days for those of us working outdoors. :o)

Hi Gilli ~
Conker the carpenter and Truffle the trainee are
doing a far better job than the fencing guy. Lol.

good luck with the fence tt hopefully it will all work out with the work you are doing , the dogs look to be good joiners , I once had a dog that was a good joiner , when i gave him into trouble he made a bolt for the door . . . .. . .

Lol. Good one, Maccrimmon...
Thanks for your good luck wishes....

What shoddy workmanship ! Terrible ! Well Your neighbour should make sure they pay you for the damage.
Conker and Truffle look ready to put it all right :o)

To be honest, Hywel, I especially resent all the time I could have been doing better things with the dogs, instead of trying to sort all this out... Puppyhood is such a few short weeks...

Neighbours just think they've put up a wonderful fence with no inconvenience or expense to me at all....

As you say, Conker and Truffle are ready to help.. :o)

My neighbour has put a nice fence for me. Mind it's only temporary until he puts a proper one. It isn't tall either. If there was a tall fence I would loose my view and my neighbour would loose a lot of sunshine ( when we get it ). I like my neighbours aswell, so I don't mind. They're friendly and they're English :o)

TT, looks like your have put a lot of thought into the fix. I am like you, "I like my privacy". Good luck with your project.

BTW...I think you have been watching too much of "Bob the Builder" LOL

TT, such a deal! My heart goes out to you. You need to find someone big and brawny to help you lift that screen into place.
I have a horror story about neighbors too. A few years ago the US government subsidized several thousand Russians and Ukranians to come to the US. When the farmer next door sold his wheat field, a family bought a part of it and built a huge house. They have 16 children and some grandchildren, and a vicious watch dog, (he bit the neighbor on the other side.) The parents don't speak English. One day I found my garden hoses snaked out across their driveway with concrete trucks driving over them. They didn't have their water hooked up yet... The father and oldest son haul wrecked cars for a living, at any given time, when I look out my kitchen window I see wrecked and inoperable cars and truck loads of crumpled cars, They mow the weeds but have not planted anything. The county ignores my letters. ARGH!

Good luck on your situation..Some people can be so inconsiderate..My neighbour has ran over my flowerbed in his truck (destroying many flowers) and let his 2 dogs dirt all over my yard in the past (before I constructed a fence). I must add that when I returned the "dirt" all over his truck it did stop. I knows it sounds extreme, but I can be when necessary. :)
He also has a loud speaker on his truck which he likes to play, and his sons have motorcycles which disrupt my precious shift worker sleep.
Even worse, he keeps all kinds of old vehicles in his yard, making it look like a dump!
His wife also told me she likes the color of my kitchen (they have never been in my house since I have lived here) making it obvious she has peaked into my house.
Hope I have made you feel better, thinking about how much worse it could be!
Once again good luck...I'm sure you'll figure something out.

Wow, thanks for all your comments.

Horror stories of neighbours !
Dumped old vehicles a definite problem for NN and Weeds...

Some neighbours are so inconsiderate playing loud music... I get that too from next door...

As with Skippy, I think most of us like our privacy. By having a higher fence, in my case, it is me who will lose sunshine on some of my garden, but a small price to pay for not being stared at...

And Skippy ~ It's good to know that Bob the Builder has reached all the way to Greenlee County :o)

Today I had a bit of help from my friend Mr Claptrap with fixing my back fence so that it was no longer waving about in the air, as left by the fencing man... [ Mr Claptrap is alias the liquorice allsorts man on my photos. Lol. ]

Mr. Hottie Blobby will hopefully be helping me on Monday by holding one end of that long featherboard section...
[ Mr Hottie not yet on my photos, but he is Helper Of Terra Toonie In Emergencies ] Lol.

These friends with amazing names make Bob the Builder seem quite everyday.... Lol.

I'll give further reports as work progresses :o)

TT, you'll get there xxx and you have plenty of help by the looks of it.
Coming from Yorkshire i alway liked to have a natter with my neighbours, but have an area of privacy, down here in Kent, It seems that no one wants to natter over the fence/wall, It's not that the people aren't friendly, I think it's that they're more reserved.
I'd be there to help if i were nearer, then i'd hope you'd invite me round for a cup of tea and a chat : )

Thanks, Daff.
I would make you a cup of tea, and Conker would wheel in a trolley with cakes. Lol.

I'm impressed with your handy work TT looks 'proper made'. Have you thought about painting the other side of your piece of fence some horrible colour like bright yellow or even black,so that your neighbour will have to look at it but you wont.A half decent neighbour would have told you what he was going to do with the fence and given you the chance to contribute towards the extra cost of installing a higher fence

Tee hee, Hameryllis ~ Bright colour paint ~
I'm very tempted.....

These neighbours have talked of moving away in a couple of years from now, so maybe I wouldn't want to inflict a gaudy colour scheme on the new people..... Lol.

Thanks for your compliments on my featherboard design. I've not made that kind of fence before. Really hoping it will stay in one piece and not crack when Mr Hottie helps me put it in place...

The neighbours told me they planned to replace the fence, but this was only to instruct me to move all my items about a metre away from the boundary..... The fence man had apparently asked that I move my complete shed which is not situated right up to the boundary anyway. I didn't do that....

No mention was made that the fence would be only 5ft.high....... I would have paid the difference to have 6 ft panels, even though I've not a lot of spare cash for garden projects right now...

I'm so sorry you've got this distress and anxiety over what should have been just a straight replacement. :-(

But it's so nice to see you have had lots of support, along with your furry stalwart friends.

Hi Craftnutter ~
Thanks....
The support and advice of GoY members has made this task easier to cope with, and given me the confidence to tackle it all.
Yes, I'm lucky to have Conker and Truffle helping me.
Crocus the budgie is supervisor. He knows all about feathers, and featherboards. Lol. :o)

I would be very surprised if anything untoward happened to the fence whilst you were putting it up,that type of wood bends a lot before it breaks. You've fixed enough support pieces as well.Good luck with it TT and do it on a windless day. I've just been told by she who must be obeyed that I should be getting on with my stream instead of playing on the computer.Its a lovely day here

Thanks for your confidence in me, Hamerylllis. Useful advice to not work with it on a windy day. I'm hoping I might be able to put up the first featherboards section tomorrow..... I'll report back here on how it goes..... fingers crossed...

I hope you made progress on the stream today. FourSeasons wrote an interesting blog about creating their artificial stream. I hope you'll make a blog about yours, with she-who-is-also-a-GoY-member taking lots of fantastic photos. Lol.

great plans and ideas,i want to do somthing similar in my back garden so i will watch and learn from an expert!

Good luck TT. Know exactly what you mean about privacy and basically 'ignorance' of neighbours. I've had to resort to a concrete block wall, and there will be something going on top of that to keep their cats from using my garden as a litter tray. Not my dog who hates cats, I was thinking more along the lines of some trellis and rapidly growing shrubs. Yes, it will block sunlight from my garden, not theirs, but worth it for the privacy. I'll sit in the front garden for late afternoon sunshine.

Hi Linda ~
I'll try to take more photos as my work progresses. Thank you for your kind comments ~ when you write "expert" you are, of course, referring to Conker and Truffle ? Lol.

Hello Ruralbliss ~
I've already started on ideas for shrubs and climbers to add to that side of my garden once my featherboard sections and more trellis is in place. Maybe we can exchange ideas on planting ? :o)

Oooooooooh...... Exciting...
I've put up the first set of featherboards ....
... and the idea seems to have worked WELL !!!

...I fixed them in place with some help from Mr Hottie, holding the other end of the long boards.......
...more later..... back out in the sunshine to do more work....

Well done you TT, enjoy the buzz of a job gone right. Its a pity you had to do it in the first place, but at least you had the satisfaction of resolving the problem yourself. Up to my eyes in muck from the pond at the moment.

i errected 220 odd feet of fencing around our garden and used concrete posts, 1 foot gravel boards and 6 x 5 fencing.
it was all hard work especially humping the corner posts which were bigger and heavier.
you remember those ads for the garden claw???????? i used one for digging the holes 2 feet deep. bit like using a drill! as was my luck i hit a stone layer 18" down and used a metal spike to break up the stones.
still the holes were nice, round and even.
the trouble with metaposts is that the spike tends to drift off-line.
the alternative to that is to make a hole and fill it with a motar mix, when set screw in the flat metaposts and not the ones with a spike. that way they will stay pointing in a straight line as it were. hope this helps. dave

I'm really impressed with your solution and hard work TT but like you say it is something you could have well done without. Is there a "law" regarding fences? I mean what exactly can be and not be done on neighbouring land without mutual consent? Why should you have to incur extra expense for the mess they've made - it doesn't seem fair ....

I'm just back indoors after hours in the garden, mostly trying to repair damage etc. from next door's fencing fiasco. The first set of featherboards are in place. I need to fix them more firmly to the uprights with bolts because so far they are only screwed and I had to do this from the neighbour's side by leaning over up a ladder and drilling... not easy ! The screws would probably hold, but to be certain, I'm going to add the bolts.

Then I need to put an extra thin upright post at the end of the featherboard section where it extends behind my shed. After that I can start on the work of putting up two new posts into metposts and then fixing the second batch of featherboards, and finally adding new trellis so that I can get to the very exciting part of planting new climbers. I've explained what I'm doing in some detail, because I realise some members reading this may be facing similar privacy challenges in their own gardens. When I've done more work on this task, and I'm less exhausted, I'll provide photos to explain the progress, and I'll be able to answer further questions.

Yes, Hameryllis ~ I did get a buzz when the first section of featherboards were up. So difficult this morning, feeding it all between the new fence and my existing trellis. I hope you got an equally ecstatic buzz when you scooped all that muck out of your pond. Lol.

Dave ~ thanks for your input on this. Very useful info, for instance about using THE CLAW in that way ! You're right that putting in metposts is tricky, but over recent years I've put in quite a number of those around my garden to hold posts and trellis, so I know to keep check to make sure they are in straight. The flat metposts certainly have the advantage that you can keep them more upright... Yes, your comments have helped... thank you.

Hi Terry60 ~ Thanks for dropping in on this blog. You're right that there are probably laws about fencing "do's and don'ts." I just do not have the confidence, time or energy to deal with the neighbours ~ easier to find my own answer with the featherboards.
It isn't fair that it is costing me time and money to fix all this. I'm really cream-crackered right now, but I promise to give reports right up until the whole work is completed, as it may help others in the future.

Think of the huge self-satisfaction you will feel when it's finished, TT - and you can figuratively thumb your nose at the neighbours! Well done, my friend.

Yes, Wagger, you're right...

Even the improvement today, where I have so far fixed the featherboards means there is no neighbour view into my kitchen Lol. and this already gives more privacy to the garden, so I'm going to love it when the work is all done :o)

Thanks for your encouragement. The support of GoY members is giving me the assuredness and determination to see this through. :o)

Hi tt

Just been reading through your blog. I too have a problem with being over looked. Like a twit when I moved into our new house we had a row of conifers at the back of the garden about 15ft high. Because the bottom of them had gone brown I cut them down. BIG MISTAKE. I didn't realize how over looked i've become. So I have now planted a row of cherry laurel to replace the trees. Just wish it would hurry up and bloody grow.

Terry 60 is right about certain laws regarding fencing. Basically nothing over 6ft, but you can add on top of the fence panels with trellis. I pretty sure you can go to a maximum height of 7ft this way.

But keep going with the feather board your doing great : - )

Thanks Mark 73 for your support and interest over this.
Yes, let's hope your cherry laurel trees grow FAST !!!

I reckon you're right on the fencing rules. In my back garden, there is fencing on the opposite side to that discussed on this thread, for which I'm officially responsible. Several years ago I put in new 6ft fencing, and then trellis on posts (not attached to my fence) in front of it. I have my Garrya elliptica "James Roof" growing up there, and other evergreens such as Ceanothus.

I'll try to put a pic. on GoY of that area of my back garden this week. When I do so, I'll put a mention here. :o)

Do you know what - when we moved into our house our neighbour had no intention whatsoever in replacing the many many year old wire thread of a broken down fence. It was his boundary and he sat on his back step having a fag. Beth used to run over to him. I was aghast.

Shortly after moving in and asking politely when he would replace it, he made his position clear. So, I paid and relaced it all myself. All 7 panels.

You know when you are in a no win situation. Like you I value privacy and security especially with children and animals.

More money than sense? Well it was worth it to me and the result is priceless.

I like your determination to overcome the replacement fencing. All good wishes with your project and your work looks brill xx

Thanks, Janie. I can see that it was a good idea for you to pay for that fencing with excellent results.... but...

I've put new fencing and trellis in my garden at the front, and new 6 ft fencing and trellis all down my back garden on my side, and fixed lots of new trellis on the far back fence. I've spent so much money on new fencing.....

When I first moved in I did replace a couple of panels (6ft) of the neighbours side of the back fence discussed on this thread, but somewhere you have to call a halt. They spend pounds and pounds on beer ... holidays to the USA, etc, so they could afford 6 ft. fencing....

Ah, well the guy next to me lives alone since his mum died. The only washing on his line is fishing net stuff and tea towels.

I mentioned that it would be safer for Beth to have fencing she couldn't get through and he said he had a greyhound once (now dead) who was an "indoor" dog?

We're fine and say hello though. My other neighbours are fantastic, we have a low fence at the very back of the garden where they grow rhubarb and runner beans and we often chat and visit each other in the kitchen.

It takes all sorts! Have a nice day it's looking sunny here:)

Sterling work you're doing, TT! Together with your "crew" you'll soon have it looking fantastic.

Living in a block of flats does have some advantages - like not having nosey neighbours looking over your garden & watching your every move.

The piece of "lawn" , the council so lovingly cuts for us once a week, keeps the passers-by at bay! I don't mind them "overlooking" my balcony, while they look at the plants they can't see the interior of the flat as we have some big windows looking onto the street. Lol!

Good luck with your work! :)

Yes, Janie, there's a lot of luck in who you get as neighbours. In the past I've lived next door to some really helpful people, ranging from a weightlifter/club bouncer, who was the kindest guy in the world, to a farmworker and his wife... lovely folk.

Balcony, I bet a lot of people stop to admire your balcony display of lovely flowers. As you say, the plants act as a screen to keep your interior rooms more private.

Back to measuring now, for where to place the next set of metposts.... :o)

I've just put a picture on my GoY photos, showing some other parts of my back garden, and you can see that I've grown climbers up trellises.

Fence Law, sorry I didn't get involved with this sooner.
It is your neighbours boundary TT, so unfortunately they can erect whatever they like (within reason) providing it does not damage or offend. They are responsible for maintaining the fence, even on your side. You are not allowed to attach anything from nails, wood, trellis or plants (climbers) to the fence unless you have sought their permission. This also includes paint or wood stain, you must ask before altering their property. If they want to stain the fence on your side or repair any damage to it, you will legally need to provide them with access. The point of using concrete rather than wood is probably more cost effective in the long run as wood will rot eventually and the posts will need to be replaced in a number of years. Unfortunately the concrete isn't that attractive and that is certainly a downside. The panels must not exceed 6ft or 2m, I think that includes gravel boards, however it is allowed to put trellis on top of the panels to increase the height. It would have been polite for them to consult you earlier, but some people aren't able to communicate at any level and that is a shame. Make a list of any damage or concerns you have and take it to the neighbours saying you would like the paving replaced and your fence which has been left hanging around repaired. It is not your responsibility to do this as you did not damage it, it was the ham fisted fool that erected the fence. I hope your plan for the feather boards goes well.

Hi TT...sorry late to this.Seems like an age since you first posed that question.! My you have made sterling progress in such a short time.Imagine that the more you "stewed" on it the more determined you were to crack on. Very shoddy workmanship on the part of the fence mann,but glad you have had help from others ! Will be great to see it all planted up ! ( That will be the fun part of all this ! )

Hi Andrea ~
Thanks for so much useful information.

I'm managing to put up the trellis and featherboard on my own property, not on the boundary line and without fixing it in any way to the new fencing or posts. It also leaves full access to the new fence, should the neighbours need it.

To be honest, approaching the neighbours with any of my concerns would cause me so much stress, that I would rather just get on with putting up my boards and planting my climbers, but I really do appreciate the advice you've written here.

The fence man is a friend of the neighbours, so that doesn't make things any easier.

My repair work is coming along nicely, and I'll take photos when it is done, in case it's of use to other members.

Thanks again, Andrea, for your input here.

Hello BB ~

Replies getting out of sequence as so often happens....
I appreciated your response on my original question, and yes, thanks, the work is going ahead nicely, but I've had to slow down a bit today, as got rather over exhausted... trying to do too much too soon.. Lol.

I reckon a couple of weeks, weather permitting, will see the rest of the uprights, featherboards and trellis completed. :o)

Well do take your time TT....believe a stretch of settled weather is on the way ( dont quote me ! )... ....and dont forget May day bank holiday approaching !

Well I think you're doing a cracking job with that, Terra. It looks super so far.

I'm sorry you've had stress from it all and although I realise that fighting your corner would cause more stress, I'm damned if I'd let them get away with not paying for the damage. How inconsiderate of them.

Still, as long as you are soon stress free and are happy to do the repairs, then good on you. :o)

BB ~
I had to slow down. Had been totally overdoing it ~ probably as a way of compensating for the stress caused by loss of privacy...
I'm making best use of this lovely sunny weather...
Hoping to make more progress on the fencing tomorrow...
Today was for mowing and moving bird feeders. :o)

Llew ~ Thanks for your good wishes. Can't say I'm happy to do the repairs, but I'm doing them. Lol.

This week has been raiding piggy bank time, to buy more metposts, trellis and bolts.... getting there gradually....:o)

Take care :)

Thanks, BB :o)

Today with the help of Mr. C., I now have bolts holding the first set of featherboard strips to the uprights of the original trellis.

That area is secure and completed, so I'll be drawing a new blueprint tomorrow for the second section of featherboards.

I'll make sure there are photos to show the completed work. :o)

Well done TT,at this rate you will be ready for planting up next bank holiday ! ( Or thereabouts ) !!

Lol. BB
I'm thinking of planting cuttings of some of my evergreen climbers which are in my current photo of my back garden.

Would be interesting to see how they fare when north facing, rather than south facing, such as Garrya elliptica, "James Roof". I planted JR in full sun, and though he is growing strongly, I think that is officially the wrong location... too much sun...
He could wave his tassels at his babies on the opposite fence. Lol.

What an absolute nightmare, poor you. My neighbours are very nice, although one of them is a devil for bonfire, even on the very rare sunny days we have in England. On the other she plant Ivy to grow up the fences which wrecks the fences and takes over other plants. But at least I have my privacy. Good luck with the trellis. ;D

Hi Sue ~
By coincidence I have a neighbour the other side, similar to yours, in that she is busy growing ivy up the new fences I put in. It does a lot of damage. The ivy pushes through to my side and wraps itself around my plants. :o(

No trouble with bonfires here, just smelly barbecues... :o(

I'm pleased to have the first featherboard section in place, and hope the second one will be made by the end of next week, weather permitting ! :o)

Today I've uploaded to GoY photos a picture of my first section of feathboards.
I've bolted these onto the uprights of my trellis which has Clematis Frances Rivis in bloom right now.

You know you can get her to take it off as the fence is your property on both sides and she should have asked your permission before growing any ivy up your fence, or any type of climber. If you poison the ivy th`t comes on to your side, if it damages her plant you could be in trouble so you need to tell her to keep it under control or remove it completely.

Thanks, Andrea...
I had just been cutting off the ivy where it comes through and strangles my plants....
Not very satisfactory...
Reassuring to know that the ivy should not be attached to my fence, damaging it...

This morning I fixed in two more metposts, and two tall posts and a section of trellis, on the left of the clematis which is on my latest GoY photo, so the work is progressing well !

Good luck with it TT. I wont try and advise you on DIY stuff - your fence would end up leaning to one side like my arch lol

Lol Sid ~
Could be a lot of right shoes for sale on ebay :o)

x-)

Hey TT what a great job you are doing and your woof workers are helping a lot too but I would get just a little worried if you have to start asking them for woodworking tips :o)
As for DIY training who has had it? You are like me its called 'flying by the seat of your pants DIY' if it looks good, doe's the job and stays up then job's a good 'un, I was very impressed with the plan too and the featherboards neatness. Well done. Have you got Truffle and Conker to use a trowel yet to fix the paving? :o))))

Hi Bobg ~
Seems we have the same attitude to DIY ~
like that saying ~ necessity is the mother of invention ~ Lol.

Hoping to press on with the work today, with advice from my canine helpers..

Oh! What to say? Some neighbours simply exist to cause grief. Think you have got the better of them though.

Calls himself a fence man? Personally, I wouldn't even let him cut firewood,

P.S. If the Tall Man looked over the fence and saw me he would put up a 20' fence. Lol :-)

At least your friends offer to help, Bella just lays on her blanket and grins.... : )

Hi Simplylyn ~
Yes, you are right. I agree the fence man would have got it wrong even cutting firewood. Lol.

Hello Wohlibuli ~
Your Bella's blanket role is very important. Bella is supervisor, which carries great responsibilities... knowing when to grin, and when to take lunch breaks, tea breaks, Lol...:o)

I've taken an up-to-date photo of my completed fence work. I'll have to see if I can find it and put it on GoY...