My fence was too short to stop my neighbours peeping in – I found a gorgeous solution that’s cheaper than replacing it
CARVING out a slice of personal space has never been more important.
Especially when it comes to enjoying nature in the comfort of your own home.
If you find you can’t have this as you have peeping neighbours looking into your garden, then a privacy fence is what you need.
But with the average UK fence installation cost being between £1500 and £2000 excluding materials, getting one added to your garden may be out of the window due to the cost.
However, one DIY fan has revealed how you don’t have to break the bank to try and get some privacy in your garden.
Instead, she found a gorgeous solution which helps to stop peering neighbours and is cheaper than investing in a wooden one.
The DIY fan, who is known as @locationhouseofbeau on TikTok, shared a before and after video of her garden showing how much a small tweak can make such a big difference.
The video showed that her garden originally had low wood fences, which clearly allowed her neighbours to look over the top of them.
But, to prevent this from happening she decided to plant Japanese privet trees.
She said: “They were tiny when I planted them two years ago but now they provide the perfect privacy screening.”
The DIY fan revealed that she spent £150 each per plant and she found five were enough to cover her entire garden.
However, if you hunt around for them – the trees can be sold for as little as £60.
Her video gained lots of attention with many rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts and ask questions.
“How are the roots with this tree?” asked one intrigued gardening fan.
“I was looking into ficus but heard a lot of bad things about how invasive the roots are.”
And the Location House of Beau account replied: “These tree roots aren’t invasive so they are fine near structures etc.”
Another wrote: “Love these! What size gap do you have between each tree?”
And the DIY TikTok account replied: “Mine are 1.8m apart. I planted them right in the middle of each fence panel.”
A third added: “I love this! It annoys me so much when people hate on gardens because neighbours can see in… errr plant trees then?
“It just takes time, that’s all.”
A fourth asked: “Do you know how often you’ll need to cut them back?”
To which Location House of Beau replied: “An annual pruning is recommended so they don’t become too woody no later than early July I think.”
What are your rights over a fence row?
IT'S very important to know your rights if you are embroiled in a fence row with a neighbour.
How do I know which side I own?
A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway.
The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry.
In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing.
Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules
People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this.
You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for.
Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic.
Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are.
Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side.
“This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden.
“This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.”
Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit.
While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give you a hint, it’s not foolproof – so you can’t be certain.
Fines and punishment
It is recommended to always check legal documents before making changes to avoid hefty fines.
There is no law that the neighbour has to get the good side of the fence, so it’s completely up to whoever owns the fence.
Fencing pros have suggested: “It may be worth selecting a double-sided panel with no ‘bad’ side as both sides look the same and rails are concealed within the fence panel.”
If one boundary backs onto a road or footpath you can install the panels with the rails on the inside
But if it’s installed on the outside, it can provide an “easy ladder for burglars to enter your garden”.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Property Litigation Association have created a mediation service to help neighbours resolve disputes over their property boundaries without resorting to court action.
RICS also provides a list of surveyors who could assist in boundary disputes.
If a dispute continues, it is ultimately a court that makes decisions, but they do not like such disputes being put before them.
Changing a boundary
If you want to change an existing boundary, such as replacing an old fence with a new one, we always recommend discussing with your neighbour first and making sure it is all agreed.
The registered titles can help you to reach an agreement, but only if this information has been added.
In terms of decorations on a fence legal advisers recommended asking around over who actually first installed it.
But they also urged caution before getting to work on amending the fence without getting more certainty yourself – since there is a danger of actually being prosecuted for criminal damage.
How high can a garden fence be?
The height of the fence is measured from your ground level, this can have an impact when, due to slopes in the ground, your garden may be at a higher level than your neighbours‘.
A garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission if it’s over than 2m.
However, there are some complications to this.
If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.
You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.
But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.