Cutting a boundary conifer

Hi - I'm new and had a look around, seems like a good place to be! I am a beginner gardener and looking for constant advice! Here I go. I want to build my garden shed, big metal thing, but the shed company say I need to have room between the shed and foliage. Now, my neighbours conifer sticks out onto my patch - the roots and trunk on his side, the branches on mine. I'm pretty sure I can nip back to the trunk from my side to the boundary and thus allow my new shed to breathe! I just want to be armed before I ask (hes a miserable so and so) and will say no for sure.
Thanks j

 

I believe that any branches that overhang your property can be cut lawfully but the cut branches still belong to your neighbour if they want them back.

 

#tbh I was just going to go for it - right to the trunk and see what happens! its a pain the shed needs breathing space tbh - i need to put a concrete base down also, which is the next question - i will almost certainly hack through roots on my side - which may damage the tree anyway.

 

I know you say your neighbour is miserable but something like you are going to do I would try and have a friendly word before I started.

 

Yes, always ask first, even though you do not have to, you can make out you are doing your best by asking him if he is happy to let you take to cuttings away for him, they are his property and must legally be returned to him in a proper manner.

Roots always a bit more complicated because you do not want to remove that much it kills the tree ( unlikely) or could make it unstable because you have removed too many.

Another tack is to suggest replacing it with someting more mutually managable and if he is eldery saying you are happy to at least match half the cost or all if its a good option for you.

Try not to force him into a situation where he just has to say No, keep the options and conversation open and friendly.

As always a photo helps us see your problem better.

 

I have cut some of the branches this weekend - I have a pic though can;t seem to upload? it requires an image URL? if anyone can help i show you my pic! the roots concern me a little. Like most people I have a bit of enforced time this week, so would like to tackle the job Thanks

 

Do you have a wider image showing yours and your neighbours gardens ? If your garden is to the right of the trellis fence then I would say that these are your trees

 

That's what I thought too.

 

We would assume trees and the picture are on your neigbours side , yes ?

If so -

Thats clearly shows you have cut back branches pointing towards his land , so thats really an invasion of his property.
Also errecting new fences is always likely to be met with suspicion and border disputes.

Think it would have been much easier to approach him before you started such work.

Perhaps rethink things and try and have a friendly chat with him before doing any more damage to his property and before things escallate.

Would you like someone just coming along and doing the same to your garden without any friendly chat or permission ? agreed it might seem a general improvement for both and it might not seem much to you as a younger person, but older folk can take such things as a deep personal attack.

 

I'm confused as to what side of the fence the picture was taken
If its the neighbours, you are out of order.

 

As I have vast experience with horrendous neighbours I highly suggest, as others have, to be careful and have a friendly chat with your neighbour. Believe me, developing a feud with neighbours can be really stressful and make your home life situation become unbearable.

 

If your other photos will not upload, display it on your PC with Windows Photos and then RightClick on the image and you will see this menu, just Select the S option which should then upload ok .

Please do come on back, we are trying to help, though it may not seem so.

 

There is another possiblity, that the conifer hedge was planted on the boundary, whatever boundary fencing that was originally there no longer exists, and the owner of the land on which the conifer hedge is sited has constructed a new fence set back from the boundary because those pre-existing multi-branching conifers prevented it from being on the boundary line.

That happens all the time, it's the boundary line that matters, not the new fence line. Clarification of where the boundary lies is essential.