ᐅ Terrace Wall Adjacent to Neighbor – What Should We Consider?

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

Am I allowed to build a 2m (6 ft 7 in) high, 4m (13 ft 1 in) long structure on my boundary with the neighbor?

No.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

Am I legally bound by anything?

Yes, see #7, 17... we’ve covered everything, the reader just needs to understand it.

ypg schrieb:

1.80m (5 ft 11 in) is probably the maximum height allowed on the property boundary, as is common in building regulations and neighbor boundary laws, so that should be sufficient!

nordanney schrieb:

Check the neighborhood law and legal regulations 😉. Or the zoning plan / building permit / planning permission. Or the city statutes.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

I can’t share anything with the neighbor.

You share a house wall with them, a garden boundary, and in that way, your life with them.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

We have tried everything, but the neighbor is antisocial.

What do you mean by that? Just because they don’t agree with what you want, does that make them antisocial?
To me, it’s the person who insists on having their own way while bending the rules who is antisocial—someone who can’t abide by established norms because they are not being social.

My personal opinion on this situation: I find it quite extreme and exaggerated to make such a fuss over a few centimeters, to the point where you can’t even write a proper sentence in a forum. Come on, just let your husband be 1.90m (6 ft 3 in) tall. That does not automatically mean the neighbor is spying over the fence or can do so. I assume they have their own life to manage rather than worrying about you. They want to do things properly, and that’s a good thing. A mid-terrace house always has somewhat more disadvantages outdoors compared to end-terrace houses. You don’t have to be excessively considerate towards the middle neighbor, but that doesn’t mean you should resort to childish “I want, I want” behavior.

My advice: maybe you should consider looking for a detached single-family house sooner or later. This probably won’t work out well for you otherwise.

ypg schrieb:

No.

Yes, see #7, 17... we’ve covered everything, the reader just needs to understand it.

You share a house wall, a garden boundary, and thus your life with him.

What do you mean by that? Just because he doesn’t want things your way, is he antisocial?
For me, the antisocial person here is the one who insists on having their way even if it means breaking the law—someone who can’t adapt to established rules because that wouldn’t be social.

My personal opinion about this situation: I find it quite crazy and exaggerated to get so worked up over a few centimeters that you can’t even write a proper sentence on a forum. Well then, just let your husband be 1.90m (6 ft 3 in) tall. That doesn’t automatically mean that Mr. Müller is staring over the fence or even can. I think he has his own life to handle rather than dealing with you. HE wants to do everything correctly, and that’s a good thing. A mid-terrace house always has a few more disadvantages outdoors compared to end-terrace houses. You don’t need to be overly considerate of the middle neighbor, but that doesn’t mean you should throw out a childish “I want, I want.”
My advice: Maybe you should consider looking for a detached house sooner or later.
This can’t end well for you.

So I googled myself:

If someone wants a boundary fence, I can put it up fully on my property. I’m allowed to build a fence up to 180cm (6 ft) high at the boundary (not on the boundary) with no setback.
Then I’m allowed to build a wall up to 180cm (6 ft) high on the boundary; above 2m (6 ft 7 in), I need the neighbor’s permission—sorry, actually from 181cm (6 ft) if I want to build on or at the boundary. I could build 2m (6 ft 7 in) high but must keep 50cm (20 inches) distance. I just looked it up, and that applies to Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP).

Where have I said “I want, I want”? I’m making the wall thinner even though I wanted it wider, shorter—3m (10 ft) instead of 4m (13 ft)—because Müller wanted it that way, shallower because Müller wanted it that way, on the foundation I wanted to renew, but Müller wanted it that way. The only compromise I insisted on was a 5cm (2 inch) gap, which is my right and healthy to set boundaries when it gets too much for me. Müller has a lift-and-slide door for the mid-terrace house and is now complaining because it can’t be bricked up—but that’s not my problem. I also paid considerably more because I have the end house. Besides, they grill and smoke by the boundary, and all the smoke comes to me; I want peace. He’s already built his terrace and basically has little or no space on his property but insists on placing it in the middle so he doesn’t feel cramped. I’m compromising. I have a huge plot, and I would have completely paid for the wall and built it on my property, but he already laid down a foundation on our land earlier without consent, as his terrace. So I won’t respond to these accusations any further. I’m trying to find the relevant legal paragraphs to post here, based on the info I found above.

Take a look at the brochure on neighbor law from the responsible ministry. It also includes a section on dispute resolution and regulations at the regional level.

For walls and similar structures, as mentioned above, local regulations apply, which are referenced in the brochure.

Good luck and all the best to you and your neighbors.

May I, as a resident of a mid-terrace house, quickly point something out?

I find the whole attitude a bit off:

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

Furthermore, they grill and smoke right on the boundary,

Yes. Where else would you do it in a terraced house? We and all 5 neighbors do the same (two of them smokers). In the summer, there is at least one grill on every evening, and everyone notices it.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

I want peace and quiet.

Then why did you choose a terraced house? Whether an end-terrace or a mid-terrace, “peace and quiet” in the form of complete isolation from neighbors simply does not exist here. But you would have known that beforehand, right?

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

It is also my rightful and healthy choice to set boundaries when it becomes too much for me.

Actually, it is not your right. If the law requires 1.80m (6 feet), then your right is 1.80m (6 feet) – not 1.85m (6 feet 1 inch) or especially not 2m (6 feet 7 inches).

We also have 1.80m (6 feet) – the developer placed this between the terraces from the start, along 3.2m (10.5 feet) length. If the neighbors on the left and right wanted 2m (6 feet 7 inches) high and 4m (13 feet) long, they could wish for it but would not be allowed to have it.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

I have a huge plot; they could have fully paid for the wall and built it on my property, but earlier they already laid the foundation on our property without consent, which was used as their terrace.

Which indeed is cheeky and not allowed. But one misunderstanding is this:

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

Müller sliding lift door installed in the mid-terrace house is now complaining that it can’t be sealed off with brickwork, but that’s not my problem.

It is your problem as well. Because as a terraced house resident, you simply share some problems. He will insist on every legally registered centimeter, and clearly THAT is also your problem, since you want more.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

I have a huge plot; they could have fully paid for the wall and built it on my property,

And that would still be possible, as long as you don’t want to build higher than allowed. That’s what I understand from the discussion so far.

Otherwise, I read a lot that points to you simply not being the terraced house type, yet you bought a terraced house anyway.

Here is a picture from the neighborhood showing a wall beneath the floor level that clearly exceeds 180cm (70.9 inches). I need to check again—my husband just sent it to me—whether it is 2m (6.6 feet) or 220cm (7.2 feet), I’m not sure. And what exactly is the problem here with a mid-terrace house?

This is common practice in this area! Furthermore, I grew up in a mid-terrace house, but as I said, I will not justify myself regarding the neighbors, as I make enough compromises. 2m (6.6 feet) is the local standard, and the development plan / building permit also specifies this—I just checked.

Bauherrin123 schrieb:

What should I do?

intellectually: Put yourself in the position of a middle townhouse resident, where just a few centimeters of wall height influence the lighting conditions in the living room. It’s true. We lived for 18 years in a mid-terrace house. These are already quite dark because there are no side windows and the layout is usually narrow and deep.

situationally: Understand that living in a townhouse community means closer coexistence, even if you have your own front door.

logically: Accept that if you want peace and quiet, at some point you also have to give it.

constructively: Build your own terrace not higher, but slightly lower than your neighbor’s. Then the boundary wall on your side will also be higher.

and listen to this song:

"Ah, you can't always get what you want, no, no, baby
You can't always get what you want, you can't now, now
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find that you
You get what you need, oh yeah
Ah yeah, do that"