where to post? blocking neighbors view
eagle100
12 years ago
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rjinga
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Screen ideas to block neighbor's new second story
Comments (25)Ken's advice is the best here so far. Or the best in some kind of Zen way...LOL. As we've discussed elsewhere in GW, there really is no perfect screener plant. The fast growing ones grow too fast and get too big or get diseased. (Leylandii) The slow growing ones are slow but, are likely to be better plants in the long run. I thank my lucky stars I have a couple mature American hollies to protect myself from some neighbors I'd rather not see. They don't form a full screen so I'm filling in the gaps with desirable plants like Fargesia 'Green Screen' and other, rarer hollies. If you are in NJ you can't be too far from Rarefind. I'm not associated with them but they are one of the best resources for horticulture in your state. Satyr Hill is a fast growing one if you want to go the native route: http://www.rarefindnursery.com/index.cfm/action/productdetail/product_id/1622.htm If you plan to be in your house > 15 years, go with the holly. If you don't plan to be, go with the Green Giants (or Leylands if you must, I think they are unlikely to have serious problems in zn 7 NJ) and let someone else deal with their issues when they get too big....See MoreSuggestions for narrow tree to block neighbors.
Comments (15)'Smaragd' 12' tall and bay laurels 10' wide are a long way from full development. South Seattle Community College had 'Smaragd' 17' tall some years ago; I've seen much larger examples in older plantings that looked like they could be this same cultivar - which otherwise didn't become common here until the late 1980s. So probably many, if not most examples encountered here aren't going to be very old. In a nursery field near Portland both this and 'Fastigiata' were seen in intermixed rows - both cultivars were about the same height. Seattle has multiple 'Fastigiata' 31'-35' tall (ca 2005). The University of Washington has a bay laurel over 48' tall; most such larger, older examples here have numerous stems coming from near the base - perhaps this dates from the notorious November 1955 freeze. With a clump habit a tree this tall is even farther beyond 10' wide than it would be with a single trunk....See MoreHelp - Neighbor's addition (cross-post w/ Building a Home forum)
Comments (25)This is very similar to the situation that I had last summer. Same era and type of houses. My neighbors (whose garage was only 1 foot from the shared property line, and only 12 feet from my house) wanted to build a 2nd story onto the garage, and extend the structure both in front and in back (which would have brought the rear corner to within just a few inches of the line since their house did not sit square on the property). I had also had some difficulty with them because of trash issues but tried not to let that influence my feelings about the addition. So, I also was concerned about the loss of light and having a view of only the side of their house rom the dining, living and 2 bedrooms (they are close now, but with the garage placement I do get light and see sky and trees). I wasn't sure it would be putting that side of the house in constant shade, but it seemed like it would and I was concerned. This neighbor told me that I shouldn't care because in another, newer suburb, the houses were all constructed like that (which could be why I don't live in that suburb). . I wrote a letter to the board in charge of the zoning variance permit and simply told them why I was concerned. I did not come out and say that I was opposed but had these concerns. The board did take that as an objection and had quite a discussion at the meeting (I read the minutes later). One board member pointed out that although they may think that they will be there a long time, they possibly won't but the changes would affect my house forever and perhaps my home's marketability. They did not approve the variance, the neighbor blamed me, but he chose to sell in order to get the bigger house that they needed. Turns out though, that the addition would have violated state fire code (too close to the property line) and could not have been approved anyway. I have very nice neighbors now, very glad that I didn't have to find out if my fears were founded or not. You have more room between your houses; I wonder if there is a way to figure out if the proposed addition would block much light?...See MoreWhich is better? Fireplace or an unobstructed view?Chimney blocks view
Comments (69)This post not dead, ha ha. We changed the design a lot. Please comment. Changed almost all roof types to be gable and made all pitches the same (except tower), moved tower toward center of house, moved garage away from house & separated by hallway. Divided the windows into into smaller sections - not so many large panes. We're concluding that our architect is good on technical parts but maybe not so great on aesthetics...hopefully, slowly and surely the visual appeal is improved. The chimney will not be so tall, I'm hoping (code requirement). Main idea is to still have house be pretty tall and most living to take place on 2nd floor & in tower - this is to maximize views. @cpartist One accesses kitchen through LR or other public space, not through MB. We are building an open space to accomodate an elevator later if it's needed. Spiral staircase has been replaced with standard stairs....See Moreyogacat
12 years ago
Fori
12 years agojakabedy
12 years agodianalo
12 years ago
Jodi_SoCal
12 years ago
fnmroberts
12 years agosweeby
12 years agomclarke
12 years agoSo if I understand you... you already have a six-foot fence, but you need two more feet to block his view.
An inexpensive and decorative solution might be to add a two-foot-tall "curtain" to the top of your fence. Perhaps a series of hanging panels. Like this -- without the writing, of course -- which you could hang, strung on a cord. Easy to make, easy to hang, and could have a faintly Asian look.
User
12 years agojejvtr
12 years ago
annac54
12 years agoeagle100
12 years ago
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