Your house is at the right in the aerial view?

It looks like there there is plenty of room for a hedge and that could take care of it. It should not be as crazy expensive as you speculate unless you are buying full grown material.

A hedge is not that expensive. I think your biggest challenge is the HOA approval. It sounds like the HOA doesn't want anyone to have privacy if they will not let anyone have a privacy fence in their back yards. We have a few Ryan HOA plans in our township and nobody has privacy. One yard is open to the next. They have the foundation shrubs, one tree in the front yard and one in the back yard. That is it.

If HOA demands view fences, I doubt they will approve any plans for a privacy hedge. I'm sorry to say this, but if I were in this situation, I'd sell.

My understanding is you can have one short run of fence? I think by combining the allowed fence and some small trees and shrubs you could get a good amount of screening. The plants don't have to be in the form of a hedge if it's not permitted. By strategically planting small groups you could block sight lines without creating a solid wall. You'll need to do some experiments with someone sitting or standing in various spots by your house and another person moving bamboo canes around the yard until they are in front of anything you want to block. I don't know why it would cost 1000s and 1000s of dollars. Small trees and shrubs establish better than large so they should be relatively economical.

I guess we need to know what the planting restrictions are.

But here is an idea we’ve used more than once: we planted a border of arborvitae then lilac, then arborvitae then lilac all along the property line. In summer, it’s a hedge, in winter, who cares? We’re inside. But it still blocks most of the neighbor’s area.

Thank you for the feedback everyone. I might just have to go with a landscaper who is not afraid to fight back a bit! The HOA rules are very vague about plantings - it just says that all plans need to be pre-approved. I've always rented and am afraid of getting taken advantage of. Do you think a landscaper would be willing to work with us on a solution with a budget of 3-5k max? Everything I've been reading seems to say that landscaping costs can easily run 10k minimum. Landscapers don't want to deal with small projects like this. I'm probably wrong - feel free to school me!

Depends on the company. I love little $3-5k projects because those one day jobs give everyone a break. You might want to check with local nurseries that do installations. I used to do the design work for a local nursery and they'd literally do just one tree, or a whole landscape.

Are you willing and able to do the planting work yourself? If so, you could hire someone to do the design for you and you handle the labor portion. I have several friends who have done this and some who even have paid for “staged” plans since their budgets didn’t allow for executing the whole plan at once. In that case they were given a plan for year 1, then what to add year 2 and year 3.

"The HOA rules are very vague about plantings." I think it is also common for homeowners, and often HOA officials to misunderstand them. Homeowners are often afraid to make improvements for fear of being told no or of running into obstacles. I would try to determine what I needed and find a way to accomplish it that didn't cause grief for neighbors, and likely it would be approved. I'm guessing and generalizing so cannot predict every outcome. Every instance is unique. But don't give up before giving it the ol' college try.

First, I would try to develop a concept with the help of this forum. It's risky to throw your problem at any available landscaper and expect that they will solve it in a way that's satisfactory all around. It's better to know how to solve your problem and get a landscaper who can achieve that solution. You don't have to know every last detail ... just the general concept.

I think I’m just coming to the conclusion that I have terrible neighbors. The father and son on the other side play catch in my yard. They have their own yard. It is the strangest and most violating thing. The neighbors with the patio on the right always have 10-15 people on their patio late - even on weeknights.. Their pool project is a total mess. No fence - just a gaping hole in their backyard. I could report it to the HOA, but I dont want enemies. This is creating a lot of stress on my relationship with my fiancé. I regret moving here. I want out. We don’t have money for the improvements right now so I guess I’ll just have to ignore it as best I can. I’m not a confrontational person, but this is ridiculous.

To the father, hi! I have to ask you something. I’ve noticed you like to play catch over there. when I bought, I was given to understand that area is my yard. am I mistaken? I’ll have a survey done if you think we need it.

Id report the unfinished pool to the hoa . THEY are not afraid of confrontation.

Then plat arborvitae along your property lines. Thickly.

Er, you wouldn't happen to have a dog, would you? Or maybe you could get a dog? Or a friend with several dogs who likes to bring them over and let them run around in your (only in your) backyard, right where Dad & Son like to play catch, but never to pick up all the poop the dogs leave behind?

And maybe your friend with the multiple poop-producing dogs has a teenaged kid who's starting their own punk-death-metal band, and would be delighted to use your garage as rehearsal space?

If and when you get out of this house and buy another stay as far away from HOAs as possible . I have never heard of a pool being installed without a fence all around it so my first step would be to see how the HOA feels about that. I live in Canada and have never encountered the whole HOA thing and never will. I think in the town I live in now there are some communities that have HOAs since in one of them no one has a fence, that would make me nuts. As for plantings I would plant some small trees that unknown to you grow big and then deal with the issue if it arises. You know better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Wait a minute - a pool without a fence??? Almost everywhere in the US, it's illegal to have a pool that is not surrounded by a fence at least 48" high.

That's to prevent children from wandering in, falling in the pool, and drowning.

Maybe it is a blessing the OPs neighbors pool isn't finished. If neighbors sitting on their own patio bothers her then people splashing and playing in a pool is defently going to bother her. You can't expect to move into a community where houses are close together and expect privacy.

Our next door neighbor has a in ground pool that is only about 50 ft from our sun room. It hasn't been operational since we moved in 5 years ago . It is illegal to have a non operational pool in our township, but I sure ain't going to report it. We can sit in the sun room with out the noise that comes with a pool.

Good fences make good neighbors. Start with that. All the rest is icing on the cake.

People sitting on a patio doesn’t bother me. It’s the openness of my yard to everyone else’s that is causing privacy and boundary issues. For example, this weekend I was watching tv and heard a ball hit my house hard at least 6 times. I go out and the father and son are playing football on the property line and hitting my house. I am non confrontational so I didn’t say anything but I know I need to next time.

They popped an electrical covering open on the side of my house and didn’t bother to close it back up.

The advice here is good. I’m going to get a fence, plant some large hedges and try to be nice to my neighbors. I am not the problem here.

Check Facebook market and craigslist etc. for materials and stuff! Free or cheap find can help with cost! If you can't afford a fence maybe just some cheaper landscaping or raised garden beds with some taller things like tomatoes, (squash will climb too) (from free materials!) Down your property line. Hopefully they'll take a hint and stop playing catch in your yard!

At the very least record this, it's trespassing. Maybe the HOA can step in for you. It'd be different if you guys were friendly and they asked for permission.

Also maybe those cloth sun screens could help? They aren't terribly expensive (I'm looking at some to block the creepy camera the neighbor installed to watch us, and they'd told us they are watching us. The kids see them watching through the windows! Now they have a camera too) but if you angle them right (low on the neighbors side, he'll who to say you can't put one of those vertically between some post? It's not a fence) between that and any plants you put in could help create near full privacy! You can find so many DIY projects on youtube and online now and days, if you are really struggling to keep this low budget try to do it yourself, and keep it simple, you can always build off of it.

Also guess I'm lost on the plants allowed...but what if you installed like a wire climbing wall (wood frame) for plants...maybe you could build it higher too?

The best cheap solution I have that is easily reversible for something more permanent is you could make a small garden along the property line, cherry tomatoes grow quick, some quite tall (I've grown some over 10ft high with wood post and chicken wire as a climbing wall) and offer pretty good coverage. Bonus is you can grown them from seeds so they're very cheap, and Tomatoes! Yum! Sunflowers would be a good choice too (especially down the property so they can't use it for catch). Wouldn't be year round but it'd help you most in the seasons they are out there the most.

Maybe a "wall" of bird houses on post, grow some viney plants around and between them? Bonus you can face them towards the neighbors so the birds coming in and out will poop all over their yard and pool.

Could you build a wall with wood frames and glass? Maybe in small sections broken up by hedges or some bushy plant? You can treat it so it let light in but blocks their view...that with a sun screen cover until you can build something more permanent might work.

Last resort might be a shed or something, but that'll probably ruin your space.

Hope some that helped, if not, seriously, check out youtube and pinterest etc, you'll find some ideas!

You are not the problem, but you aren’t being the solution either. Asking a neighbor not to use your yard to play isn’t unfriendly, it is setting expectations that you have with those around you. Just like a neighbor building a pool in their yard without consulting you first isn’t unneighborly.

First find out from your city what the ordinances are for an in-ground pool. If the city requires fencing for safety that will override the HOA. I would guess a permit needs to be pulled for a pool.

Next go to a decent nursery and get some ideas about what shrubs grow in your planting zone. Research those plants. There are evergreen and deciduous shrubs, different watering needs, etc. I liked the idea of finding a designer that doesn't mind tweaking authority. Plans can be drawn up and executed in stages. Just be upfront with the designer. I used eleangus as a screen once. I also used Climbing Pinkie roses. That rose is a monster and hardy. A row of those mixed with an evergreen slightly in front would make a great barrier. Pay for the design once you're comfortable with it and submit it to the HOA . Be particular with the time frame. If it is going to be a staggered installation be up front in case they 'drop by' .