It would be good to see a photo of the fence with more of your property showing.

I agree with they should have consulted with you about any fencing.

Well that is not cool. You can try small claims court if you can't resolve anything through talking. Damages will be difficult to prove though.

cheapest solution: plant something interesting on your side, pretend it's their fence.

Maybe you could take this issue to the town? Where I am, fencing issues are not just the property owners decision.

Is the issue the added bricks? You said you shared the fence?

I would call the city and ask if a building permit was issued. Ask them to come and inspect the fence. If there is no permit ask that he be forced to tear it down.

Looks like they are building something on the lot line and attaching it to your fence/wall. I am not sure where you are located. In the United States there are usually building codes against doing this kind of thing. You may be able to call the township and check on ordinances.

Can't believe he did this without consulting you if it is a jointly owned fence. What is your relationship with the neighbor? Not that it is likely to do any good, but have you discussed it with him? Contacting the local municipality is a good idea. Please let us know what you find out.

Robert Frost may have been wrong about this one.

Kim k- You're right. It is a wall, and a rather impenetrable one at that. But good walls "don't make good neighbors" would have been less catchy.

You can contact the bar association in your state . You can usually have a free or low fee consultion with an attorney. Second Option you can look up fencing regulations and law etc. For your county and write a letter to your neighbor.

Good glad I'm not going crazy :) if think your neighbor can't legally construct a wall in place of a fence without permits. I remember my parents doing an addition and they couldn't build within 10 feet of a property line. I'd be researching local codes and get the town involved.

Lol Kim K you gave me the first smile of the day. It is indeed a block wall that separates our yards.

I've tried to grow vines on this wall but I've never had any success. There is only about 8 inches between the concrete parking pad and the wall. I'd appreciate more ideas. A friend suggested adding more rebar to make a trellis design and hanging metal sculptural elements from it.

I have no relationship with the owner he moved in recently. I've gone by several times and never gotten an answer at the door. I left cookies and a note but that didn't get a response either. Since he's raising the wall. to 8 feet I'm guessing he wants his privacy.

I called the city and he didn't get a building permit. The guys laying the block are just two guys with a truck. No licensed contractor involved.

What Planting Zone are you in? You could try Creeping Fig Here are vines growing on the wall at a hotel in Austin Texas.

That's lovely I would love that much green.

I'm in USDA zone 9. My side of the wall faces Northwest. It gets no shade at all. On my side is a sea of concrete driveway on his gravel and a pool deck. It's like a frying pan most of the year.

If he has no permit, can the city make him take it down?

ruthev, the Creeping Fig Beverly mentioned will definitely turn that block wall green. We had it growing at our previous home here in Southern CA on a block wall. It's pretty aggressive and will take over in all directions but can be kept trimmed. I simply loved how it turned something so unsightly into a green, lush wall. We preferred it more untrimmed and wispy, but we kept it trimmed on top due to some neighbors behind us who preferred cement and starkness to trees and green. SO GLAD we moved!

Neighbors...you just have to wonder about the ones who have jello for brains.

I agree the first, easiest, and cheapest course of action would be to check with your municipality to see if the fence/wall is legal. I can't imagine it would be a legal alteration without a permit, besides it may exceed height restrictions, etc. If that fails, I'd get a stake survey to see whose wall that really is. Any attorney is going to need a survey anyway before they take your case. If you are in a platted neighborhood in town, a survey shouldn't be terribly expensive.

Ok I think quite a few people have made the exact recommendation that I would which is to call your local building dept. You can't just construct a 10' wall on a property line.

They would have had to file for a permit and even possibly get a variance that would require your approval. You don't even know if it is on your property line? The whole reason to have a permit and inspection.

Call the Police and tell the someone is illegally building a wall on your property. They will demand a building permit and the wall will be determined to be legal or taken down.

Odd why you would be asking for decorating advise on a wall still being constructed illegal.

The original wall was legal. It is on the property line and is jointly owned. It's the addition he is making that is not OK. He didn't apply for a permit but if he had it would not have been approved. The wall will be taller than code when he is finished. The city is going to send him a letter about working without a permit. If they make him take it down there will still need to be a wall/fence because we both have pools. So I still have a landscape design dilemma no matter what happens.

I don't think I'd call the police. I think I'd inform the city that the wall is being constructed without permits, and ask them to send out an inspector. At least, that's the way it would be done where I live. If the wall's illegal, then the guy will have to take it down, at his expense. He will at least have to get a permit for it.

PUHLEEZ...I'm going to assume you are located in the Valley of the Sun. Permits? Licensed contractors? Non co-operative neighbors? Par for the course in Phoenix and surrounding suburbs. Any plant that will survive in that small an area has thorns. I'd suggest asking the Art teacher at the local high school to pass your contact info to three of his / her best students. A mural of some sort (I'm thinking a desert scene) would make the wall less of an eyesore. BTW, most people have their walls stuccoed instead of just leaving the block unfinished.

I am not sure where you live but I know the codes in municipality states that block walls have to be reinforced with rebar because of the earth quakes.

Are there covenants in your neighborhood or home owner association? If so, there may be standards or a aproval that was required . If not, small claims .

I don't suppose he plans to do anything that would cause the new blocks to match the color of your original blocks? Then unless you want to have a two toned wall, you will be stuck painting your side of it. Bummer.
BTW, you would be surprised at what you can plant in 8" of dirt . . .

Oh! I meant to mention that the mortar job looks like an amateur did it. I would not be at all happy with that.

Agree with marywhanson - very poor job and quite a mess. People can be so inconsiderate. English Ivy or Jasmine vine will cover that up in a year and crawl over too! I would caution going to the city authorities, before you try to discuss with homeowner or landlord of this property. Since they didn't bother to consult with you, the chances of this being anything but bad are very high. Just plant your ivy or jasmine and some other plantings on your side and forget about it. Very unfortunate, but not surprising in today's self oriented world.

Wouldn't be so bad if the blocks matched what was there already and the mortar job is crap ! you could paint your side and plant some sort of creeper

Glad to hear the city is taking steps regarding the addition. How sure are you that the wall is jointly owned? Have you had a survey to verify that the wall is indeed smack dab on the property line or has an agreement or encroachment been filed of record?

I think I would just wait and see what happens. Could you see over the fence into the neighbors yard before he installed the extra blocks - maybe it was just done for privacy? If your neighbor doesn't wish to speak to you than I would just leave it at that. You could just stir up a hornets nest and make the situation worse particularly if you have never met this person and have no idea what he is like (could be a nutter). I would just worry about fixing your side of the fence. Maybe you could have it rendered and painted, or as suggested plant a creeper. Have you tried planting desert roses (Adenium) in the area between your driveway and fence - they are very hardy and flower beautifully. I know it is probably a bit of a stressful situation but look at the positive - your neighbor might be saving you trouble by blocking himself out. He could be someone who likes sun baking naked!

tall grass design - thanks for asking. We had a survey done when we bought the property. I'm hoping we can work something out to everyone's satisfaction. I really appreciate that my neighbor wants to improve his yard it's just sad that he started without researching and talking with others. It always pays to talk to your neighbors and consult a designer and or licensed contractor even if you plan to diy.

You've done the right thing by calling the city. I don't know how fast things move in your town, but where I live, an inspection would take place within a few days, and the owner would soon thereafter receive a letter stating the date by which the problem had to be remedied. I think you should leave your worries to them. But yes, once this has been handled, I'd seriously consider the suggestion for planting creeping fig. It does very, very well here in Zone 9 when planted against sun-drenched concrete-block walls. And I'd probably paint the wall in hunter green first, just to get that immediate effect while the plant is growing in.

It's my understanding that un-permitted building can result in the homeowner being forced to take it down. Naturally, you will have the burden of working with the city or county to have this enforced.

Do you have any homeowner's association or CC&Rs that oversee such matters? If you live in a planned development and pay HOA dues? They will likely be on your side and not only would your neighbor have needed permits, he would have also needed association approval and impacted neighbor sign offs. Keeping my fingers crossed you have an HOA!

It doesn't look to code. You could call a city inspector...or hire to have it removed and done properly.

You could hand pallets on the wall. You line the back and bottom with garden fabric (use staples). Then you can fill with succulent soil and plant them. Cover dirt with decorative moss. They will require some watering but less then other things.