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April 22, 2009
twenty foot tall fence?
Seeking rear property line fence ideas tall enough to block view of newly constructed 7 story apartment building. There is a serious rear yard flood light problem that needs to be blocked. Currently there is a 6' tall cinderblock wall in place, but looking for something that offers us even more privacy during the day.
I understand that legally one and two family homes in residential areas can build a fence no higher than 6' and that no permit is necessary.
Two ideas I'm considering. Setting two 20' poles in the ground at each corner of the lot with air craft cable run between them so that some type of vine can grow up and across eventually filling in the space or..
Planting a fast growing hedge that can reach same height. What about bamboo or some evergreen that does not take up much of a foot print? Any planting ideas?
Comments
Not bamboo! It'll take over everywhere. The idea of wires for vines is good - virginia creeper will fill in by mid-summer. Downside is that it'll lose its leaves over the winter. Maybe start w/ it since it grows so quickly & then cultivate a slower growing, denser vine. You could dangle some wires from the cross piece - just not anchor them - so vines have something to grab.
Posted by: Arkady at April 22, 2009 11:18 AM
There have been some legal measures proposed to address the issue as well:
http://d1638756.sp68.skypanther.info/
Posted by: Karka at April 22, 2009 11:18 AM
Bamboo is fine as long as you "corral" it with a border that's set deep enough in the ground.
How many floodlights are there? Would one evergreen take care of it???
How about a neighbor kid with a slingshot and a good eye??? :)
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 22, 2009 11:24 AM
Euonymus vine is, I think, evergreen and grows fast, though 20' may be pushing it. I'd say it's not practical to have something up that high, so talk to them about blocking the light?
Posted by: cmu at April 22, 2009 11:30 AM
That border would have to be set about 15 feet into the ground to contain bamboo.
Posted by: Arkady at April 22, 2009 11:38 AM
NO, Arkady. You're crazy. About a foot and a half.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at April 22, 2009 12:01 PM
Friends of mine in Virginia had to have backhoes dig down over 12 feet to uproot bamboo there.
Posted by: Arkady at April 22, 2009 12:42 PM
We installed bamboo on a job once in planters all around the top of the walls of the terrace. That landed up giving a very nice high privacy screen. The planters have to be relatively wide/deep to allow sufficient insulation for overwintering of the plants -- I think ours were 2' wide. I think it looks great.
Posted by: 11216 at April 22, 2009 1:03 PM
You'll find some information about bamboo roots and barriers here
(scroll down the page): http://www.deeproot.com/template.php?sec=products&nav=geoMem&content=geo_app&lsel=1
I'm sure there are many other sources online. Note that if you do not perform annual maintenance the bamboo will spread through rhizome growth over the TOP of the barrier. Personally, I've never seen a northeast backyard bamboo stand that even barely resembles the beauty of a native bamboo grove. Consider the shade effect of any 20' or taller wall of growth on your own yard (if not your neighbors). If you're aiming to block primarily floodlight, rather than view of building, contact the building's management to see if they're willing to help with an arrangement to shield lights.
Posted by: vinca at April 22, 2009 1:57 PM
What about blackout shades for your windows? Might be the simplest solution, and they are having huge window treatment sales at JCPenney right now... jcp.com
Seems to me the floodlights are good for your home security as well, as long as you can prevent the light from bothering you at night.
Posted by: setancre at April 22, 2009 2:48 PM
Thanks for your feedback. We are not on speaking terms with the developers. The lights themselves, about 6 or so actually point down, but the light is reflected back up by their concrete patio, which greatly amplifies it. There's lots of white concrete in the rear yard!
We have double shades now but we have not gone as far as installing black out shades. We are used to leaving the windows blinds open to see the moon or watch a passing thunder storm. Right now the light entering the window is bright enough to leave severe shadow outlines on the room's opposing wall 12' away. Most likely just have to grin and bear it. The ironic thing is that the daylight sky you lose with living next to a tall building is returned back to you at night in the way of artificial sodium vapor lighting.
Thanks for the bamboo link. The barrier system looks easy enough to install. The key to growing bamboo seems to be performing simple maintenance regularly. Keeping it thinned out and to plant non invasive clumping varieties.
Posted by: IMBY at April 22, 2009 6:17 PM
Is there a height limit on fencing? I'd like to block out my neighbors who are actually on a raised level above me, so the fence might have to go 15-20ft.
They don't want me to block them out...because..they like staring at us in our backyard. That is their 'view' they claim
Posted by: oblinax at April 23, 2009 3:40 PM
oblinax: There is a 6' height limit on fencing in 1-2 family residential areas. Anything else would require a permit. I don't know the exact reason but that may be due to the fact that it would harder to escape your backyard in case of fire. And anything higher would infringe on the neighbor's light and air.
Running Bamboo can be contained in root barriers but must be maintained as it gets full and new shoots removed to prevent the jump over the barrier. The reason why it's more rampant in the south is that it likes the conditions much better-winter's less harsh and so it has more rapid growth and very little die back. Clumping bamboo varieties don't spread as much, but aren't as hardy and don't get as tall.
IMBY- I would seriously give some thought on the light and air flow issues involved with erecting a 20' "wall of vines", as others pointed out. You might end up with something unsightly, brownish and sparse in winter while blocking light and breezes of your non developer neighbors.
Most evergreens are notoriously slow growers and need full sun. With the nearby large building, do you have sun enough for that?
Diana
Fun City Design
Posted by: kensington gal at April 23, 2009 4:55 PM
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