Privacy screen in garden

Blasie

Hi, I've got a very abusive neighbour and now summers coming i want to go outside without getting shouted at.  There is already a 5 foot wooden fence on the boundary line, but it is too low.  I want to have  some sort of panel on my side to raise the height. Is it possible to buy a lightweight screen that I can staple to the existing fence  ?
Thank you 

Ajmason42

Google Reed screening rolls. Be warned 2m is legal height of a fence plus that this could annoy your neighbour more. 

Belenus

Have you reported the abuse to the local authority and/or the police?

Nobody should have to tolerate being abused in their own garden or home.

Is the abuser the home owner or a tenant?

George_Michael

Blasie said:

Hi, I've got a very abusive neighbour and now summers coming i want to go outside without getting shouted at.  There is already a 5 foot wooden fence on the boundary line, but it is too low.  

Who put up and paid for the fence? and are you sure that it's exactly on the boundary?
If it belongs to your neighbour then unless you are given permission, you can't legally attach anything to it.

Emmia

Do you have the option to screen with tall plants instead? Or to erect a second fence yourself (not secured on the other fence) of an appropriate height?

Doozergirl

It might be easier to screen the areas that you use rather than trying to screen off the whole garden.   

A 6ft screen next to a 6ft person sitting down covers them very well.  

Jeepers_Creepers

Hi Blasie.

As said above, first thing is to work out whose fence it is. Do you know? Or, do you have a copy of your title deeds? Or, how old are the properties, and which side is this fence on when looking at it from the front?

Anyhoo, one nice solution can apply to both, but if it's not your fence then you're best adding this solution to your own new posts.

Buy, or have made up, strong trellis that'll span, self-supporting, between posts 6' apart. I made mine (for mil) using 2x1 roofing battens. Stick the posts along the boundary line - ie in between the existing ones - and fit the trellis between them along the top at the max 6' height. Plant climbers at regular intervals and trail them up the posts and along the trellis - you can now allow this to become as 'bushy' as you like. This will not only quickly give you a higher-than-6' screen if you need it, but will also be attractive to look at and be surrounded by. You can even speed it up - as mil did - by planting the climbers (eg clematis) in large pots, raised up closer to the trellis.

And the other thing you need is a recorder, ideally with video. And a determination to sort out this neighb. You build up a record of incidences - date, time, what said, and with what manner - along with as much evidence as possible. Don't be afraid to tell him/her that their behaviour is upsetting and unacceptable, but don't get drawn in to an 'argument'. Stay utterly calm, utterly reasonable, and that'll have two effects - (1) it'll wind them up, and (2) it'll highlight the contrast between the two of you.

Blasie

The fence was a joint purchase,  I paid half my neighbour paid half about 10 years ago. 
He is a home owner. Thank you for your replies I've got some food for thought now .

Jeepers_Creepers

In that case it should be ok to extend the posts up a further foot, but that's assuming a neighb who isn't nuts.

To extend, you just need similar-sized posts, and cut them into 1.5 foot sections, making that cut at 45o or so. Two 5" screws through the 6" part into the top 6" section of the old posts, thereby adding a foot extra height. 45o slope at the bottom, going towards the old post - looks better. This will be on 'your' side, so no potential for argument there.

Then fit the 6' trellis sections in between.

kdotdotdotdot

A word of advice from personal experience: don't let anyone talk you into buying bamboo plants to screen the fence.  Yes, they grow quickly and very tall, but they're a disaster as they spread their roots underground really quickly (think in terms of inches a day in good weather) and you just can't kill the stuff.  My neighbour had bamboo planted along his fence, which backs onto my garden and between us we've spent over £1,000 and counting on getting it out of the ground.  It's spread so far that it's pushing up cement, pulling down walls and popping up all over the place.  I've currently dug up over 100m of roots from my garden so far.  That's not a typo: it's really about 300ft of roots.

It's a beautiful plant (when it's in the right place) and does work brilliantly for fencing (easily 2m tall) so if you do get it, buy the 'clumping' type, not the 'spreading' type, and even then plant it in a pot not in earth and keep an eye on the roots.  It will burst its way out of the pot at some point and any bit of root left in the soil will start a new plant.

Moss5

https://www.screwfix.com/p/apollo-willow-roll-up-screening-4-x-2m/277jg

https://www.screwfix.com/p/forest-deck-board-19mm-x-2-4m-x-0-12m-10-pack/4557x

https://www.primrose.co.uk/split-bamboo-cane-artificial-fencing-screening-40m-20m-13ft-1in-6ft-7in-papillon-p-23902.html?cPath=318_2315_12370

https://www.screwfix.com/p/easyfix-steel-large-flat-washers-m6-x-1-6mm-100-pack/413ft

I am doing a similar thing myself. First I intend to screw decking planks across the fence posts.
That provides a firm base to screw my Willow Roll to using penny washers and screws.
Do not use Reed or Brushwood, it's flimsy and does not offer screening.
The Artificial bamboo has good screening and a long life, but it is plastic.
The Willow is the most robust screening available.