So the chap to the back of me has recently extended his house. What I’ve not picked up on is he’s also extended his raised patio another third and into the dividing wall. I’ve mentioned that in not extatic about this as I was intending on building a bit in that corner for seating to enjoy the odd tipple with the missus.

Any suggestions as to what I can do? Please ignore the absolute state of the garden it’s under going a long term project atm.

https://goo.gl/photos/QyidbwhmZFii5vjs9

Did he have planning for it?

Does he cone off spaces outside his house?

I’d plant some leylandi

From the photo i can see why he has extended, but as you say you are now compromised with your plans.

I would be asking what his plans are for finishing the boundary as it is open, messy and a selfish build.

Get planting a nice big hedge there, unless you like being watched.

Is he going to put a rail around that patio ? Quite a drop if someone went over.

Plant a hedge. I would for the sake of your own privacy, and not having to look at that.

Have you seen anything of his wife recently?

Yup wife and 4 kids still there. I’d like to plant a hedge but we’ve got peony trees along that back edge that are nice. We’ve cut everything back as it was all getting out of hand and this happens 🙁
No planning permission for the patio. Kirklees not interested.

So these Leylandi….

No planning permission for the patio. Kirklees not interested.

Does it need planning? If it does, and it hasn’t got it, how can they be “not interested”

How did you contact them? Kirklees planning enforcement is all online now I think.

What are we actually looking at here? Is that his house? And do the steps up to the patio lead up from you garden? Where is the boundary?

is the hedge on the right yours?
if so, just extend it to the fencing on the left.

That’s his house. Patio is approx 4ft high and over looks us now. Steps have been built into the wall. (have built the wall by being in our garden (without permission) and also concreted in some of our plants)

concreting in your plants is not on. I’d be telling him I will remove all the concrete / building stuff on my land but be very sure where the boundary is

Build a pergola over your bench/seating area

Fancy keeping chickens? Maybe a goat? Looks a good spot far from your house.

Don’t know the time of day, but looks like trees along the hedge would shade him more than you. Leylandii is the traditional choice, but Sycamore grow faster, are hard to kill, spread, will drop sticky gunk and shed a ton of leaves. Also good firewood for any bits that get cut off, because as a STW member you most likely have a woodburner.

You’re both planning on building on the same bit of land, or have I missed something?? Who owns the land?

It is a similar set up to my street the difference being that all the houses have the raised patio area so the fences are the same height on both sides and then slope down from patio height to garden height.

Trouble is with current set up is that even if you fork out for the largest fence permissable ( +/- 2.4 M ) He is gonna be completley overlooking you.

Your best outcome would be for him to build the max allowed fence hieght using his patio as the ground level, even then you will be left with a huge 3+ meter fence at the back of your seating area.

also I would be expecting him to pay for the fencing in this area.

Maybe massive hedge is your best option.

That patio is taking the piss.

No planning permission for the patio. Kirklees not interested.

Talk to somebody in building control, you can’t just change the height of a patio if you feel like it. You’ve got a reasonable expectation of privacy in your own home and that doesn’t look reasonable to me(depending where your house actually is in relation to the picture).

Or you could build an enormous scaffold “viewing platform” next to the fence, and hold BBQs/cocktail parties on it?

Compost heap in that corner i reckon 😉

Compost Bee hive heap in that corner i reckon

Angry bees poked daily 🙂

I’d be peeved about that too.I’ll wager he’ll step the fence as rig hog suggests. Surely he’s obligated to rectify the damage to your land/plants?
Bee hive and compost bin combo ftw.

Are you sure that doesn’t need planning permissions? I built a raised balcony on a project for work a couple of years ago and had to apply for planning as the new deck was over 300mm above external ground level. I can’t see how this is any different.

I think it’s 300mm from the highest point of land. I.e. If you build it on a sloping garden you can be considerably more at the highest point.

Everyone who builds an extension round here seems to end up with a raised patio – cheapest way of getting rid of the stuff you dig out for the foundations.

What jambo said. That said it does look like its raised all around. Problem is that even if it did need planning the council are highly unlikely to enforce for a minor breach. I think a hedge would be my preferred solution. A nice beech one if you can wait a while. I wouldn’t want to get into a row with the neighbours over it.

From the planning portal.

Elsewhere around your house there are no restrictions on the area of land which you can cover with hard surfaces at, or near, ground level.

However, significant works of embanking or terracing to support a hard surface might need a planning application.

Go to the planners and show them that picture.

Budlia (sp?) are great at growing quick to provide a visual barrier (from March onwards, really) – good for attracting insects too – and if you keep them trimmed they don;t look like a straggly mess.

Assuming the dividing wall is the now staggered wall on your side of the steps down from their patio he hasn’t infringed on your land, just changed the diving wall to a point you have no privacy in that corner of the garden? If so then I’d probably just put a 6ft+ fence panel or two in at that corner, it’s probably not worth the hassle of trying to get mutual agreement on redoing the dividing wall (but yes I’d be annoyed if they hadn’t discussed the change with me beforehand).
Some replies above seem to imply he’s built on your land but unless the steps down were your land I don’t see that? If the steps are on your land then I’d be telling him to remove them before you involve a solicitor.

interesting, ive always fancied keeping bees but am unsure with a 20month old.

Anyways im in two minds what to do. On one hand im thinking just ignore it, plant some trees (weve just taken 6 ashes out of that area as they self seed from the local wood) and forget about it. Half of me thinks its unfair that hes done that. If it was to be left as is (without a balustrade (sp?)) then i woudlnt mind. But i can see whats going to happen. Hows going to remove the conservatory and put a door in the new extension and then ive got a main thoroughfare past my garden. One of the reasons we liked this was that it had a nice private rear garden.

To clear a few bits up. Hows not built on my land. However when i purchased the house the seller said that the wall was my responsibility. Although ive got no issue with him changing it etc.

The steps are in hos harden but they are now built into the wall.

I’m asking because I’m not sure, but does the party wall act come into it at all?

If you’re going to build a wall along the boundary, I think you have to have a Party Wall agreement, or be prepared to get shafted.

Did your neighbour inform you of the works and show you plans to approve? That wall is a party wall and as such he he’s contravened the party wall act. I’d be speaking to him pretty quickly about him appointing a surveyor.

Eight foot fence on the boundary or just inside it should take care of that. Looks like a nice sunny corner of the garden, maybe grow something nice up against it.

Stick it up and get on with your life.

“Your best outcome would be for him to build the max allowed fence hieght using his patio as the ground level,”

Surely that’s going to happen, since Patio-neighbour won’t want to be overlooked, either?

Chickens ftw – you’ll need a couple of cockerels too, just in case one goes on cock-strike – have them in adjoining cages so they don’t get lonely.