Neighbors taking out our fence - tomorrow

mildredalien

HelenRachel wrote: »

This is my note that I've drafted to them

'Just a quick note so there is no confusion about the fence/boundary. Thank you for letting me know today that the bushes are being taken down tomorrow (13th April). As we are going away next week (18th April) it will not be possible for me to organise the new fence being put up before you tarmac your drive. Therefore can you please ensure that the drive is laid in such a way that if we replace our fence, a new fence can be placed along the current fence line without damage to your driveway, thus addressing your concerns about damage to your tarmac.

Moving forward when you/your contractor removes the bushes every care needs to be taken to ensure that in doing so the fence and supporting posts and plants in our boarders are not undermined or damaged. This may result in you having to put in temporary supports until you have made good the ground adjacent to the fence and laid the tarmac. Also if any tarmac spills past the boundary please could you clear this off so that it doesn’t have to be disturbed once it is set and doesn’t run into our garden damaging plants and the soil.

Kind regards'

I'd update it to something like this - it's important to be very clear!

greensalad

Also it's border, not boarder.

MortgageMamma

I might be misreading this so correct me if I am

The builder wants you to replace your fence before the tarmacking is done to prevent damage to the tarmac afterwards. But how can you do that before work starts if they are going to be removing the roots of the bushes? or is he asking you to put the fence down after the roots are dealt with but before tarmacking?

The bushes roots will be on both sides so is he taking up the roots on both sides or just his? taking up the roots on just his side could cause problems with the soundness of the soil and if its softer on his side than yours then he will end up with cracked tarmac eventually, and if he's not taking the roots up on your side how can you renew the fence and panels as per his request as you would have to deal with the roots yourselves first. More expense.

I think you need to clarify what he's doing about the roots on your side. If he is proposing to make changes that affect your property he should bear the cost of removing the roots on your side as a courtesy, and perhaps some costs towards the fencing too.

As has been said previously, its unrealistic to expect him to do this work without damaging any of your plants and shrubs, I would remove as many as you can safely before your holiday, and those that he cannot avoid damaging such as climbers perhaps cut down and remove the roots and a smaller part of the plant so you can protect it for now and let it re-establish itself once the work is done

xylophone

State that you do not want tarmac on your boarders

I should think not! She won't want them feathered either....:eek:

With regard to damage to borders in her garden, and removing her fence without permission, this would surely be illegal?

AdrianC

It's entirely possible that what's left of the old fence is utterly rotten, and the hedge is all that's holding it together.

It is eminently possible to tarmac up to a firm line in the ground just on his side of the existing hedge line - he simply lays some edging or kerb stones before the tarmac, which will define a good, clean edge - which is basic good workmanship anyway, and will stop the edge of the tarmac breaking up over time. There is no need whatsoever to cross those to lay the tarmac.

freeisgood

I would second the suggestion of taking loads of photos the fence/hedge from as many angles as you can prior to work starting.

jbainbridge

+1 take photos before anything happens. Plus some from a high up windows if you can - so it's clear where the boundary is.

kiddy_guy

The message is unclear.

Simply it needs to say - We've not decided how or if we plan to replace the fence. That being the case, can you please trim your bushes as you see fit, but the fence needs to stay in situ until we make further plans.

kiddy_guy

I'd also be getting a string line put in to keep the boundary clearly defined.

pinkshoes

We have something very similar. We have a long boundary which is ours. The fence is 25 years old and needs replacing, but it is not something we can afford at the moment.

The neighbour wanted to tidy up their garden to sell, and unfortunately our fence was resting on a few of their bushes, and held up by their thick ivy which they were taking out.

We actually ended up taking the ivy out ourselves (neighbour was fine with this) and at the same time braced our fence with new concrete posts on our side to hold it up. It will now be fine for another 5 years.

If the fence had fallen, then we would never have got it back up.

It is actually quite easy to cheaply brace an old fence rather than replace to extend its life.