Was the fence in place before you bought the house? It's possible that since you've never experienced a winter in that house until now, that the issue may have existed before the fence install and may still exist even if the fence were lowered to 6 feet. Depending on your climate, bamboo grows tall quickly and a lot of people use it as a barrier (or to hide a barrier). I'm not sure I'd pick a fight with the neighbor over this.

Although you hate looking at the fence, would your view be better if the fence were lower? Does the fence make you feel claustrophobic?

An "argument" would likely ensue if you contact the city. Within certain variables, I would embrace the extra privacy and concentrate on landscaping in the spring. We have a standard fence b/n our back and side neighbors who are wonderful people, but plan on going higher when we replace b/c we'd like a little more privacy and one never knows what likes of "neighbor" will move in later on and have you wishing you had the extra coverage.

Thanks. the fence is new. It's 9.5 ft tall. it's 300 ft long--the entire length of my backyard. It's taller than my first floor! It's going to be over $8000 to cover it with trees. If it were lower, I could purchase small trees. Really not sure what to do. Plus, the wind is crazy.

If this is a solid wood fence it means you have a nice backdrop for your own plantings and a free privacy feature, courtesy of the neighbor. Unlike the universally required 6 ft height cutoff which so often prevents wood fences from being completely effective sources of privacy.

Instead of rushing to hide the fence with large expensive instant screening plantings you can use it to display an assortment of kinds of plants you have taken an interest in, over the years.

Unless you think you won't be doing any hobby style gardening there.

The fence will compress winds that then rush along the surface of it but that is about it. Your place as a whole will not be more windy because there is a fence along one side.

Thanks. I don't garden. Just want the fence covered. They already told us not to bother contacting the city because they have "friends on the city council." They're just not neighborly--which is the worst part.

Ok that statement would do it for me...gloves off. City council meetings are public so bringing up that they have a 9 foot fence at a public meeting would do it. At least get it started.

On on the other hand, a new fence that completely blocks cruddy views may be a bonus. I would love a clean backdrop to work with.

What are they hiding? Peek from your 2nd floor windows. What do you see?

I'd be thrilled to have a 9 foot privacy fence between me and my neighbors.

The primary consideration for me is whether or not the fence is either hiding an unpleasant view or blocking your views. Also, is it an attractive fence? Without seeing it on site I can‘t address the wind factor. Whether or not they have “friends on the city council “ is irrelevant. Ordinances cannot be selectively enforced. I’ve been through this in my city ... you either enforce the height ordinance for EVERYONE or none at all. They sound like very pleasant neighbors :(

I'd consider myself fortunate if my neighbor paid for the fence and it provided more privacy than the 6ft. generally legal height / variety. If you share what part of the world you are in, the forum members could suggest plantings. What is the distance from your house to the fence?

With that sort of neighbor, the fence may be a very good thing. Sure,you could open up this issue in the council meeting, but why? If they have to tear it down,then what? You could end up with no fence or being expected to pay half for the replacement. I'd put my energy and $$$ into the trees & plants on my side. That will reap the biggest rewards.

If they told you to not bother contacting the city, then contact the city and tell them that your neighbors advised (threatened) you to stay quiet because of "friends on the city council". Raise a stink. That's not cool.

Also plant desctructive climbing vines like ivy on your side of the fence. Provide lattices to help them get started. It will be pretty for you and eventually very bad for the fence. If I were in your shoes I would definitely plant a row of spite trees as well, Poplars are great because they grow fast and grow straight up, so they're far less likely to hang over the property line and get sabotaged.

Personally, I’m not fond of overly tall fences, unless they’re surrounding a prison ... but I’m also not a big privacy freak.

Queenvic, i could not disagree more. The situational information is incomplete here. And, if you are planting spite trees, then you have become the bad neighbor. You do not want to plant huge trees that would overhang the fence ... the message here is to be a good neighbor, irrelevant of the other's comment / attitude.

The fence is likely built on the property owners side of the property line, so planting things should be done with care so as to stay on the correct side. Again, don't plant things that would get too big. In my areas, redwoods are the issue - totally out of scale, far too tall with roots further laterally than they are tall. (Sorry for the rant, but i have experienced this situation from both sides of the fence so to speak).

There are situations where tall fences are desirable.... and should be ok as long as the structure was built properly to handle the wind load.

If you install an $8000 tree planting then you are going to be gardening. Unless you pay a maintenance service to look after it, for as long as attention is required. There will be an establishment phase that has a specific term but since trees are still plants at least some assistance or upkeep will be required indefinitely. Depending on the details of the situation including how good of a match the kinds chosen are for the site conditions.

If you can think of the fence of an asset rather than a liabilty, you could go forward with design ideas in which the fence is the perfect height.

Molewacker - the neighbors became the bad neighbors first when they built the obnoxious illegal fence and blew off the OP's concerns and told her to not bother complaining about it because they had friends on the council. Did everyone else not catch that part or something?

I specified poplars (should have specified further - I meant Lombardy poplars, which are the tall skinny kind, not the puffy hybrids) because they grow up and NOT out, as you DO want to avoid overhanging branches. Poplar rows also make excellent wind breaks, so there's your alibi.

And here's an illegal fence story that kinda frames where I'm coming from: My grandma lived up a hill in the same small town as my family. There was a hairpin turn to get up to her house. Some nasty folks lived in the house inside the hairpin, so they had a weird triangular lot. They decided they wanted a bigger yard, so they built a new privacy fence around the inside of the turn, pretty much on the edge of the asphalt, emcompassing town property and trees. It was unapproved and broke all sorts of rules. It also made the turn extremely dangerous because it was now totally blind. Did my grandma and parents let it lie because they didn't want to be the bad neighbors? Nope, they took it to the town, and the town made them take it down. And then my parents got protection from the police for a few days (that's how nasty these folks were). So I guess I'm conditioned to not let illegal fences stand, ESPECIALLY when the builders of such fences are nasty people.

You asked, "Is it possible the high fence is making the winds worse?" That's hard to say without knowing more about your local conditions and knowing what type of fence it is. Are you in a rural, open area? Does the elevation in your yards change significantly? Is the fence wood, or metal; open, or closed?

It's possible that the fence is providing protection from the wind and creating sheltered spots. We won't know the answer till you provide pictures.

Thanks for all of your responses. The fence is not blocking any poor view. I don't want to look at the fence. I live in New York if anyone has suggestions for planting something low maintenance along the fence line. The fence is on their side of the property by 9 inches. I know because I had to hire someone to resurvey my property since my neighbor refused to show me his survey to ensure he was on his side.

A picture would be helpful.

I'm so sorry you have such nasty neighbours. The fence does not block a horrible view and your neighbours have already started an argument by threatening you, so your only option is to complain to the city and ensure they enforce the rules. Don't choose to live with a 9 foot fence that bothers you. City rules are there for a reason.

regarding the advice of planting bamboo: DONT! it's super invasive, grows / spreads fast, and is nearly impossible to kill. plus it could creep under the fence to your neighbors side, causing further disagreements I'm sure.

How about climbing roses? Once they are established, they really enhance a yard.

Another idea - honeysuckle. They climb, smell good and attract butterflies and humming birds.

Bottom line…the city regulates 6 feet for a fence. That applies to everyone. Go down to the appropriate office at town hall and file your complaint. Most ordinances are fair and reasonable and are there to protect property owners from all sorts of issues, including those which spoil landscapes. A 9.5’ x 300’ fence qualifies, IMO.

Come spring, plant anyway. Talk to your local garden center, but bamboo works if you plant the right species.

"Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world, so it can create a lush and exotic privacy screen very quickly. Some varieties of bamboo are invasive, so choose a slow-spreading, clumping variety, or consider planting it in large raised planters to keep it under control”…Bob Vila

Maybe they wanted to block the view of your property for some reason. Or maybe they want to keep deer out of their gardens, or block noise coming from your direction (not necessarily from you, but maybe from a rail line or freeway?) A fence that tall and long would be very expensive so I have to think there is some underlying reason for the height.

Would a 6' fence bother you? if not, why does the extra height do so? How close is it to your house? Ten feet, twenty, fifty? If it is very close I can see it being unpleasant, but if it is farther away not so much. At 300' it sounds like a very large yard.

A fence at the back of your property (assuming some distance from your house) is not going to make the wind howl around your house. The placement of your side neighbor's homes, or even the design of yours, is more likely to do that.

Of course nurseries can identify bamboo species.

Actually, a beautiful running bamboo can be easily controlled with a barrier and mowing the lawn because bamboo roots are shallow and easy to prune.

Our town passed an ordinance forbidding bamboo because it is not easy to control without persistent attention from the homeowner -- and forcing the same onto the neighbors. If there are species that do not spread, then nurseries are not doing a good job of educating their customers -- and why even stock such a noxious plant?

Where I live a homeowner can ask for an exception and have a hearing to build higher than six feet. The neighbors are notified and asked if they object. If they do they go to a hearing but in my parents case they did not object so they replied in writing and did not have to go to the hearing. What puzzled us is we lived across the street from the fence in question. I think that even with an exception that eight feet is about as high as they allow. Not sure. Is it possible that they got permission and former homeowner did not object? 9.5 is an odd height as fence boards come in standard heights. I am rather curious to see the fence.

Easiest way to cover it is with a quick growing vine. Find one that grows in your area.

Does it block sun or does the sun shine on the fence most of the day, hell if your side gets sun, I would put in a raised bed up against the fence and use the fence as part of the garden. I used to have arborvitaes here and they got gnarly, the neighbors in the back have fences and sheds, I wanted to hide the back a bit. I am growing vegetables and fruits on the fence.

November 25th, 2018

this side of the yard used to slope into the neihghbors, I put in a retaining wall, leveld the area, built a semi-private fence then later on put in some Hugelkultur raised beds. BTW I love my neighbor on this side.

Listen, arguing with a neighbor just makes life miserable. It consumes your life and dominates the conversation in your life. I would next time you see them make it clear not to threaten you in any way and that you don't care about who they think they know.

First off you cant just put up any type fence at any height. They had to also get approval from the adjoining property which is yours. They also have to give you the better visual side.

I doubt its effecting the wind. I would leave it but alone depending on how it effects the look of your property. I also would have zero problem contacting the City and having them take it down if needed. They have already threatened you so unfortunately you are already in a neighbor argument. Is the change worth the escalation? The best solution is to offer financial assistance to remedy the problem.

Have you thought about blue spruce trees? they grow relatively fast about 18inches per year. They are evergreen-- no leaf clean up. Plant them 10ft apart and they will block the fence in a few years.

In the meantime schedule a visit to city hall. Forget all the being nice crap; I am pretty sure you would never want a friendship with those obnoxious people. Your end game should be a 6ft fence at the property line, no fence, or maybe they will move when they don't get their way. Best of luck.

Is it possible that the previous owners of your home consented to the tall fence? Are permits required for your township for erecting fences? If so, is there an amount of time that the permit allows for it to be constructed? For instance, could you pull a permit today and have six months to build it? If so, I'm wondering if the previous owners obliged in signing off on it because they knew they wouldn't be there to witness it?!? Did you "confront" the neighbors before or after the fence went up about the size of it? I suspect that even if the neighbor had built a 6' tall fence, you'd still not want to look at it and you'd still have to do something to camouflage it on your side of the fence.

And honestly, none of us are getting the full story from either side. Photos would help immensely but none have been provided. It appears from the thread that you have already made a stink about it with the neighbors so any goodwill that could have been there is likely gone. I guess it now depends on how far you want this "fence feud" to go. If you don't want to look at their tall fence, you could build your own 6' fence on your property and plant a row of trees, bushes, etc. on the backside of your fence that will camouflage their additional 3' of fence. I'm thinking maybe a trellis with ivy or climbing roses. But again, you have to really determine if it's the additional 3' that bothers you or the fence in general. If it's the fence in general, I wouldn't escalate the feud and just embrace your extra privacy. I've been in line disputes, boundary fence disputes, and right of way disputes one too many times in my life, though. They aren't pretty and you have to mentally prepare yourself that this will sever whatever relationship/goodwill there is between you and the neighbors.

In our neighborhood all the fences are 8'. We love the privacy!

What a strange and judgmental response to a thread over a year old. Why do you name-call like that?

If it were my home, I would plant a mixed border of shrubs for flowers in spring and berries in fall, maybe with a few small flowering trees mixed in. Choose shrubs that will reach 10' and will touch each other in a few years. In the meantime, have fun with the nice neighbors. Don't fight with the nasty neighbors...a no win.

This thread is over 2 years old! Who knows what the OP ended up doing.

"Also, many people pay an additional fee to the city to legally have a privacy fence higher than 6 feet. You get free privacy out of the deal."

A city or local ordinance is just that - you cannot pay to override the requirements!! They are what they are and any exceptions - paid for or not - is favoritism and against code/illegal. This is definitely worth a call to code enforcement or the city council. HU and a bunch of numbers got the issue completely backwards. The OP is the victimized party here, not the law breaking, fence building neighbor!!

HU etc. is also brand new here so likely not familiar with the proper polite decorum usually observed on these forum, which includes NO name calling of any kind!!

Call me judgemental, but certain people who like to stir up conflict in a neighborhood, especially one they just moved into, sometimes need the hard truth.

Well, now, isn't that exactly what you're doing? Coming onto a website where you don't understand the culture (of not name-calling, of not replying to years-old threads) is similar to moving into a new neighborhood in some ways, yes?

So, gardengal is telling YOU the hard truth.

One responder below smugly quipped; "I'm not a privacy freak," not so gently inferring people that prefer much greater privacy are somehow psychologically lesser beings. Well, obviously I have a bit of a problem with such a haughty attitude, but I certainly prefer a world where people are free to speak their mind openly - even if I greatly dislike their opinion. A short time ago, my built a small extension to his home to increase the space of their master bedroom. A weekend job (zero permitting). He is a very skilled contractor in several trades, so I have zero concerns of myself being affected whatsoever. As far as the permitting part, this was an unsolicited disclosure from my neighbor, as he well knows I truly don't give a damn about that. The problem is, he installed two 3x5 foot Windows on a side of his home that directly face my FORMERLY p-r-i-v-a-t-e back yard. No windows existed on this end of his home had previously existed whatsoever. Said wall is roughly 6 feet from our shared property/fence line. AND his property is on the high side of a gentle upward sloping part of our neighborhood (they now look down on us - much like prison guards). It is extremely uncomfortable for my wife and . I perfectly appreciate (assumption my own) he and his wife's desire to get more light into that part of their home. I get that. However, they can see straight into our once very private back yard, straight into the many windows on our home that are adjacent to his new windows, and literally straight into our master bedroom door clear to the opposite side of my home. Did they think to consult us beforehand? Don't know. I do know, , they DID NOT consult me first - that is all. The ONLY solution I have is to build a 9.5 foot fence with horizontal varied slats to at least allow some light toward their new windows. They are very nice neighbors and I have no desire to throw a monkey wrench into a fine relationship. neither do I detest myself so much as to believe I must "turn the other cheek" and just let it slide. I will not simply lay down and take gut kicks - even if they were somewhat unconsciously administered!