Is it sensible to have a fence running down the narrow gap between two extensions?

alexanderalexander

The house nextdoor has a rear extension with the boundary fence (belonging to them) running down the side of it.

I'm about to build a very similar extension on my property. As the boundary line is (unusually) not at 90 degrees to the house (it gently splays out in my neighbour's favour), there will be about a foot or more's gap between it and my extension right by the end of my existing house, but the end corner of my extension will come within a half an inch of touching the boundary.

I suggested to my neighbour that my builder should make good a new end to her fence at the corner of my extension, as it seemed silly to have the fence running down the narrow gap, but she has said that she is not willing for me to remove any part of her fence.


Is it really sensible to have a fence running down this narrow gap? Is it likely to cause me, or my neighbour, problems in the future? My initial concern is that future maintenance of the fence would be rendered impossible (although presumably that's my neighbour's concern more than mine, given it's her fence), and also that detritus (and possibly even cats etc.) could get stuck irretrievably in the inaccessible gap. Also will my builder even be able to build the extension without at least temporarily removing this segment of fence?

Aylesbury_Duck

It's probably not sensible because when it inevitably rots, breaks or collapses, you will have a pile of damp wood in contact with your wall. However, if she does own the fence, there's not much you can do about it other than point out the possible consequences of leaving it there and hope that she reconsiders.

I wonder whether you could put something down there to ensure that if it does blow over, break or collapse, that it can't come into contact with your wall?

Doozergirl

Not sensible.

Sensible is a party wall agreement to share their existing wall and recompense them for half the cost of building it, rather than creating a space that will ultimately undermine both extensions in the future.

Most unsensible is trying to boundary mark the inches between two extensions. Pointless.

Norman_Castle

The neighbour might be worried you are trying to move the boundary rather than the fence. Explain the potential problems this fence could cause and suggest after removing the fence the boundary can be marked in another way.
Take photographs for you and her before removing the fence to show its position in case they are needed for future disputes.

Davesnave

However you look at it, this is destined to be a nasty, damp, little space, no use to anyone and a pain when it comes to maintenance.

While Doozergirl is right, I can't see this neighbour agreeing to lose her piffling bit of ground through making her extension wall a party one, but money sometimes talks.

Failing that, I'd sacrifice some extension space, but then I'm not you and I didn't design it!

AnotherJoe

alexanderalexander wrote: »

Is it really sensible to have a fence running down this narrow gap? Is it likely to cause me, or my neighbour, problems in the future? My initial concern is that future maintenance of the fence would be rendered impossible (although presumably that's my neighbour's concern more than mine, given it's her fence), and also that detritus (and possibly even cats etc.) could get stuck irretrievably in the inaccessible gap. Also will my builder even be able to build the extension without at least temporarily removing this segment of fence?

Sorry, but I'm not seeing the problem ?

You'll have to ask the builder if the fence will be a problem when building, if they build from inside out maybe not except when it comes to tidying the mortar.

alexanderalexander

Thank you for all the replies.

In short, the replies confirm the conclusion I've already come to -- it won't be disastrous to have a fence running down that gap, but it's pointless and it is storing up maintenance difficulties for the future. As the fence belongs to my neighbour, presumably it will be her responsibility to sort out its maintenance, so it's odd she's cutting off her nose to spite her face like this.

As the neighbouring owner doesn't live there (she lets out the property) we don't know her very well, but she has always been very uncooperative, obstructive and even hostile to us whenever we've needed to talk to her about anything. To give an indication, I directly sent her a polite friendly email on this fence issue, but she then replied via her surveyor (!) with a straight unexplained "no". I'll go back to the surveyor to see if she'll budge.

On the subject of sharing my neighbour's extension wall, that'd involve encroaching over the boundary and given how difficult she's been about everything else it's not even worth mentioning that.