We've planted a tree that is going to pretty much block them from looking down on our yard in a year or two. It should look quite pretty from their side too (no I'm not being sarcastic).
LOVED the Christmas/NY break and the peace and quiet. This week all the tradies are back with all the associated noise and hassle.
lythande1,
Jan 16, 6:56pm
+1. I doubt they'll spend all their time staring at you from these windows anyway.
tygertung,
Jan 16, 7:11pm
It isn't really possible to assure complete privacy if one is living in an area with hills.
oh_hunnihunni,
Jan 16, 7:49pm
Provide a view they would rather not see?
nzmax,
Jan 16, 8:58pm
In what way has the window size changed. height, width or both? If there were windows there before, would that not mean that they overlooked your house and garden already?
hazelnut2,
Jan 19, 1:58am
Our second storey living area looks down over our neighbour's yard. To keep their patio privacy they built a solid wall 1m inside their boundary line, 2.5M high and planted tall skinny trees between the wall and the boundary which are quite dense and can be trimmed by standing on the wall. BUT further along the bounday there is no wall, so they planted beech trees right next to the fence! These things grow to 20 Metres high and need constant trimming! The original neighbours only needed a hedge which which would grow to 3m and we would see nothing, but these nuisance beeches grow into our yard and when they get trimmed back to the fenceline, the trunk is bare and gives no privacy to either of us! Dumb really. Plus they cost a fortune to have trimmed as our property is 1.5m lower than theirs and the branches are difficult to access.
OP I would plant pitosporums which grow fast and can be trimmed with a hedge trimmer. Check their height as they grow from your deck and as soon as they hide the neighbours window, keep them trimmed at that level, as they could shade your yard unneccessarily.
blueviking,
Jan 26, 5:38pm
Are there people that troll this MB looking for certain words. My message was deleted by trademe after complaints. (using the word.a s i a n)
oh_hunnihunni,
Jan 26, 6:44pm
It might be what you said rather than who you mentioned. Ascribing certain behaviours to a specific group of people for instance.
androth2,
Jan 27, 8:14am
My friend planted a swamp Cyprus on my back boundary to block a car park spotlight 1 km away in a complex.Now its grown 40-50 metres high and is very large
funkydunky,
Jan 29, 2:06am
Four words: Canary Island Date Palm
4pc,
Aug 18, 6:58am
We're in a Residential Mixed House Suburban Zone.
The neighbours directly to the north of us are renovating their house.
Today windowframes were installed upstairs on the south wall of their house. They're much larger than the previous windows and face directly towards our house and look straight down on our backyard. I can't say I'm happy about it, and I'm puzzled as to why they want large south facing windows when these rooms have plenty of east and west facing wall space.
They can't change the dimensions of the perimeter of their house, because it is already within the height to boundary ratio.
So, what does "Overlooking and privacy (d) The extent to which direct overlooking of a neighbour’s habitable room windows and outdoor living space is minimised to maintain a reasonable standard of privacy, including through the design and location of habitable room windows, balconies or terraces, setbacks, or screening " actually mean?
The only way to get privacy in Auckland is to move to the countryside or stay inside with all your windows and curtains closed. 2 doors up from us, they've just built a behemoth of a house on a 300m2 section. 3 stories high, a metre from their southern neighbours boundary. Don't know what happened to the height to boundary ratio. Seems some can build what they like, where they like and others can't fart without council appoval.
gabbysnana,
Aug 18, 5:49pm
ring council and find out, they may not have consent for what they are doing.
oh_hunnihunni,
Aug 20, 4:33am
Three storied units next to us.
msigg,
Aug 21, 3:55am
Well nothing you can do, this is going to happen everywhere in the older areas of auckland when the economy picks up and population rises again, only thing you can do is grow pencil willows to block them, or if they are looking into your deck then framed trellis and some growing vines to obscure. Otherwise just stare back at them and they will soon go away, if its only bedrooms then no problem.
angelay,
Aug 24, 8:52pm
Very true. our Council seems quite arbitrary in deciding when they can bend (or break!) their own bylaws. Seems to be a case of who you know. My cousin wouldn't sign off on a neighbour's new build being too close to the property line so neighbour got it pushed through Council without cousin even being told it was happening (so he couldn't present his arguement, key of which would have been that it breached the bylaw!).
rbd,
Aug 26, 4:19am
Consent for replacing windows?
rbd,
Aug 26, 4:21am
I see, larger windows.
We are becoming a dob in nation, aren't we? Intensive housing reduces privacy.
I live on 1500 m2 and it isn't enough privacy for me.
tony9,
Aug 26, 5:06am
OP, the info you presented in your posting suggests that their changes won't comply with the district plan, this would normally need a resource consent that you would be expected to comment on. Either ask your neighbours if they have a resource consent or talk to the planning section of your council.
tony9,
Aug 26, 5:08am
Replacing windows would not need a building or resource consent if the size was not changed. If the new windows are wider then they would need at least a building consent.
mazalinas,
Aug 26, 7:27am
Start planning a huge pergola. It'll look gorgeous and you could grow grapes along it so that when you're lounging about under the pergola you can reach up for a snack. Don't worry about the neighbours - plant lovely trees and climbing plants and hanging fruit and you won't even notice they're there.
ksam,
Oct 16, 8:07pm
Rage against the machine, eat beans and fart at will, the rest of us will stand by you. at a little distance of course
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