Hello everyone and happy Easter,
I hope I’m roughly in the right place here, and I would like to get some quick feedback on the following situation. We have the problem that after construction work near the property boundary with our neighbor, our land is about 10–20 cm (4–8 inches) higher than the neighbor’s land along a length of approximately 20 meters (65 feet). This neighbor has had a chain-link fence right at the boundary for a long time and now wants us to somehow retain the "slope."
We would be happy to accommodate this request. On top of that, we would also like to install a privacy screen (wood, larch or Douglas fir) with a minimum height of 180 cm (70 inches) measured from the neighbor’s side. In addition, there is a narrow spot due to an external staircase where only about 1.3 m (4 feet 3 inches) of space is available, and as much of that as possible should remain for a walkway that still needs to be built. The location is only accessible via an approximately 100 m (330 feet) long pedestrian path, so using an excavator is already challenging.
The following solutions have come to my mind so far:
a) Install the privacy screen at the neighbor’s height. Foundations 20 x 20 x 80 cm (8 x 8 x 31 inches). I will probably have to dig the holes by hand with a spade, since there is too little room for a drill because of the fence. Behind that, level out with small L-shaped retaining blocks. The combined width of posts (9 cm / 3.5 inches) plus the blocks (6 cm / 2.5 inches) would likely take up at least 15 cm (6 inches). The difficulty here is that the post foundations might make it harder to set the L-blocks, and visually it is not my favorite solution.
b) Like option a), but have the post foundations protrude up to our height and then place the L-shaped blocks between the post foundations. This is certainly not the easiest to implement. Also, the part of the post foundation that remains visible would have to be fairly thick to securely hold the H-anchor. Probably in the end no big space advantage, at least not for the posts.
c) Retaining wall made of shuttering blocks 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thick. Anchors for the posts would then be screwed onto the wall. I assume the foundation must be at least 80 cm (31 inches) deep from the neighbor’s height, which would require a lot of concrete. This would probably be my favorite option because it frees up the most space, but it also likely demands by far the most work. Moreover, that amount of concrete feels like a lot for a slope of only about 20 cm (8 inches), although the posts definitely must be solidly anchored so the fence will not fall over along with the wall in the next storm (Hamburg).
d) Heavy reinforced L-shaped blocks onto which, as in option c), the anchors are screwed. I would prefer to avoid this because of the difficult accessibility.
I would be very interested to hear other opinions here. Maybe all these ideas are rubbish and there are much better solutions. Any suggestions are much appreciated!
Best regards
I hope I’m roughly in the right place here, and I would like to get some quick feedback on the following situation. We have the problem that after construction work near the property boundary with our neighbor, our land is about 10–20 cm (4–8 inches) higher than the neighbor’s land along a length of approximately 20 meters (65 feet). This neighbor has had a chain-link fence right at the boundary for a long time and now wants us to somehow retain the "slope."
We would be happy to accommodate this request. On top of that, we would also like to install a privacy screen (wood, larch or Douglas fir) with a minimum height of 180 cm (70 inches) measured from the neighbor’s side. In addition, there is a narrow spot due to an external staircase where only about 1.3 m (4 feet 3 inches) of space is available, and as much of that as possible should remain for a walkway that still needs to be built. The location is only accessible via an approximately 100 m (330 feet) long pedestrian path, so using an excavator is already challenging.
The following solutions have come to my mind so far:
a) Install the privacy screen at the neighbor’s height. Foundations 20 x 20 x 80 cm (8 x 8 x 31 inches). I will probably have to dig the holes by hand with a spade, since there is too little room for a drill because of the fence. Behind that, level out with small L-shaped retaining blocks. The combined width of posts (9 cm / 3.5 inches) plus the blocks (6 cm / 2.5 inches) would likely take up at least 15 cm (6 inches). The difficulty here is that the post foundations might make it harder to set the L-blocks, and visually it is not my favorite solution.
b) Like option a), but have the post foundations protrude up to our height and then place the L-shaped blocks between the post foundations. This is certainly not the easiest to implement. Also, the part of the post foundation that remains visible would have to be fairly thick to securely hold the H-anchor. Probably in the end no big space advantage, at least not for the posts.
c) Retaining wall made of shuttering blocks 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) thick. Anchors for the posts would then be screwed onto the wall. I assume the foundation must be at least 80 cm (31 inches) deep from the neighbor’s height, which would require a lot of concrete. This would probably be my favorite option because it frees up the most space, but it also likely demands by far the most work. Moreover, that amount of concrete feels like a lot for a slope of only about 20 cm (8 inches), although the posts definitely must be solidly anchored so the fence will not fall over along with the wall in the next storm (Hamburg).
d) Heavy reinforced L-shaped blocks onto which, as in option c), the anchors are screwed. I would prefer to avoid this because of the difficult accessibility.
I would be very interested to hear other opinions here. Maybe all these ideas are rubbish and there are much better solutions. Any suggestions are much appreciated!
Best regards
hampshire schrieb:
It’s a pity when minor issues about a fence cannot be resolved. At least the prospect of a few more years of neighborly relations remains. Whether it’s worth cutting off communication, even if the other party shows their difficult side, is questionable. I wish you all the best. Thank you for the kind wishes. A brief update: his fence was at least 30 years old. Nevertheless, I was able to convince my builder to replace it. Unfortunately, the builder had to postpone the initial repair appointment, which was immediately followed by a registered letter from the lawyer. For me, this simply marks the end of a good relationship. Therefore, I am now fulfilling my obligations—and perhaps a bit more—and properly securing the dangerous 20cm (8 inches).
H
hampshire5 Apr 2021 08:24Yes, you have experienced an unpleasant side of your neighbor. I would have been annoyed and put off as well. Perhaps there are other issues too. I prefer to think pragmatically. My goal is to live in my own house with high quality for a long time. Therefore, I would rather manage the neighborhood relationship than leave its development to chance. After all, without contact, who knows what kind of new problems might build up with a neighbor? Even countries with less friendly relations benefit from maintaining diplomatic connections.
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