Came home last Wednesday in Austin and saw this dude putting up a new privacy fence. Walked over to check it out and he had already set posts a good 2 feet past the property marker. I got the survey from when I bought the place 3 years ago so I showed him. He just shrugged and said "well the old fence was there for 20 years" like that gives him rights or something. Anyone else deal with a neighbor who thinks squatters rights apply to fences?
It's exactly 47 minutes. Every single week, starting at 7:13 AM. I sat on my porch with my phone timer last weekend. He does the driveway, the sidewalk, then the gutters. No idea why gutters need leaf blower treatment. Has anyone else actually clocked their neighbor's noise?
I used to think loud music was the worst neighbor problem. But then the Smiths moved in last August and installed this above ground pool with a pump that sounds like a semi truck idling. It runs from 7am to 10pm every single day, even when nobody is swimming. I finally walked over last Tuesday and asked if they could at least shut it off after 8pm, but they just said "it needs to cycle for the chemicals" and closed the door. Has anyone else dealt with constant mechanical noise from a neighbor instead of just parties or barking dogs?
My neighbor Bob spent every Saturday for a month blowing leaves from his lawn into a pile, then just left them there. He was gone for work, so after 3 weeks the pile turned into a muddy, rotting mess that smelled awful. Then on week 4 he came out with a tarp and a shovel, hauled it all to the curb, and laid down fresh pine straw in one afternoon. The difference was like night and day, but I still can't figure out why he let it sit that long. Has anyone else had a neighbor do something weird like that with yard work?
After 3 straight mornings of his subwoofer rattling my kitchen cabinets, I set up my old boombox on the shared wall and played Vivaldi's Four Seasons at max volume for 45 minutes, and the property manager actually called me saying he got a noise complaint about "aggressive orchestral sounds" - has anyone else fought fire with fire and just ended up more frustrated?
For like two years my neighbor across the street, Dave, has been blowing his leaves into the gutter every single weekend. I mean every Saturday morning at 8 AM without fail. I kept complaining to the HOA but they said it wasn't against the rules since the leaves end up on the street not my lawn. Then last month I noticed the city storm drain right in front of my house was completely clogged with his oak leaves and some trash. I took a picture and sent it to the city public works department with a note about the drainage issues and the exact date and time he does it. A guy came out two weeks later and put up a no leaf blowing into storm drains sign and actually fined Dave $75. He hasn't touched a blower since. Has anyone else had luck using the city against a repeat offender like that?
I dropped $150 on those foam soundproofing fence panels to block out my neighbor's husky that howls at 6 AM every day. They barely cut the noise, and now the dog just barks louder like it's a game. Has anyone actually found a cheap fix for a yappy neighbor's animal, or am I stuck with earplugs forever?
For like 8 years I kept my side of the neighbor's hedge trimmed to exactly 3 feet from the property line. Felt like the right thing to do, you know, keep things neat. But after Mr. Harrison moved out and a younger couple moved in, they went ballistic when I trimmed their overhang. Said I was killing their privacy screen. So I stopped touching their side completely, let it go wild. Now my fence is getting pushed over by branches and I can't even walk along that side of the yard. Who's in the wrong here - me for trimming without asking, or them for letting it grow into my space? Has anyone found a middle ground with hedge-happy neighbors?
My neighbor's kid kept throwing parties every weekend. Music blasting until 3am. I tried talking to them, nothing changed. Finally bit the bullet and got a solid 6 foot cedar fence installed. Best money I ever spent. Now I can actually sit on my patio without hearing their bass. Anyone else found that spending money on barriers actually solved the problem?
I overheard someone at the hardware store say the city noise ordinance only applies after 10 PM, so I guess I'm stuck with Amazing Grace blasting through my walls every weekend until I figure out a different approach, anyone else have a legal-but-annoying noise situation that isn't covered by the rules?
So this new guy moved in two doors down on Maple Street about a month ago, and his husky starts howling at like 2 AM every single night. I work the lunch shift so I gotta be up by 5, and after three days of zero sleep I finally snapped and walked over there at 3 AM. Told him straight up his dog was keeping the whole block awake, and he got all defensive, but the next night it was quiet. Has anyone else had to do the midnight confrontation thing and did it actually stick?
My neighbor's lab mix would bark at shadows from 11pm to 5am every night. I tried talking to him three times, he said 'dogs bark, deal with it'. So I mounted a $35 Wyze cam on my garage facing his yard and put up a sign that said '24/7 recording'. The barking stopped same day. Now he keeps his dog inside after 10pm. Did I get lucky or did that dude just not want evidence of neglect?
For like 2 years this guy would put his bins right in the middle of our shared alley access. I tried talking to him about it, leaving notes, even called the city once. Nothing worked. Then one day I got fed up and just started rolling them onto his front lawn super early when I left for my shift. Did it for a week straight and guess what? He started putting them against his garage wall instead. Has anyone else had a petty solution actually work better than being nice about it?
Everyone on this sub always complains about loud late night parties. I get it. But my next door neighbor in Portland starts up his gas leaf blower at 7am every Saturday without fail. The parties end by midnight. The blower goes for 45 minutes straight and echoes off every house on the block. I would take a dozen drunk people singing over that high pitched whine any day. Anyone else think morning noise is actually the bigger problem?
My new neighbor, a quiet guy named Mark, left a note on my door last Tuesday. It simply said, 'Your 7 AM power tool routine is my alarm clock.' I always thought my work noise was just part of living in a neighborhood, but seeing it written down hit different. I guess my old table saw is louder than I realized, especially before coffee. Has anyone else had a moment where they realized they were the problem?
I mean, my neighbor's deck looks right into my yard, so I paid a ton for a 6-foot privacy fence last fall. They just built a taller deck two months later. Now they can see over it again, and I'm out all that cash. Has anyone else had a neighbor just one-up them like that? What did you do next?
He kept saying his windows rattled every time my truck started. I figured he was just sensitive until I saw a picture he took with a glass of water on his sill, sloshing over the edge. Anyone else had a neighbor prove you wrong with solid proof?
I always thought their dog was calm because it was silent when they were home. Then I had to work from home with a bad cold. From 9 AM to noon, that dog barked non-stop. I timed it. I checked our town's noise ordinance online, and it says continuous noise over 30 minutes from a single source is a violation. I never would have known if I wasn't stuck here. Now I have to figure out if I say something or just start logging the times. Has anyone else had a neighbor's pet turn into a noise machine only when the owners are gone?
Everyone on here says to get a survey and sue, but the legal fees would be over $5k and I'd have to see him in court for years. I just planted a row of arborvitae on my side and called it a day. Has anyone else just let a small encroachment go to keep the peace?
This happened last Tuesday when I got home from work. I saw a fresh hole right under my new rose bush, and his big lab was still over on my side of the fence. I walked over and pointed it out, and he just shrugged and said, 'Oh, that's just Baxter. He's aerating your lawn for you, it's good for the soil.' I was so stunned I didn't even know what to say back. He didn't apologize or offer to fix it, just went back inside. It's the third time this month his dog has gotten into my yard. Has anyone else had a neighbor give a totally wild excuse for their pet's damage?
I was in my backyard in Denver last Saturday when I saw the whole row of carrots and beets completely uprooted. I had to talk to him about it, and he said he'd pay for the plants but didn't think he needed to fix the fence. Has anyone else had to deal with damage from a pet that wasn't theirs?
My neighbor in Austin refused to split the cost for a new fence. The old one was leaning into my yard. I bought a pack of 12-inch ground anchors from the hardware store and drove them in at an angle on my side, then used heavy-duty zip ties to pull the posts straight. It's been solid for 8 months now. Has anyone else found a cheap fix when the other owner won't help?
They installed a motion sensor floodlight on their garage two weeks ago. It points right at my bedroom window and my patio. Every time a cat walks by, my whole house lights up like noon. I tried talking to them, but they said it's for safety. I'm thinking about putting up a tall fence just to block it. Has anyone dealt with a light like this before? What did you do?