Jeffrey, please post photos so we can see the tree and the offending porch light.

Have you considered window film?

Please tell us exactly how their light affects you so we can offer useful suggestions. Is it shining into your home through one of your windows or doors?

Yes, it shines through my living room window as well as my kitchen windows. However, the tree does not block the light coming through the kitchen windows so this is mainly regarding my large living room window.

The photos below show the view through my living room window and shows how my tree is blocking their house as you can't hardly even see their house because it's behind the tree. But the second photo shows their house with the light on. It doesn't look that bright during the day but at night it's very bright and shines on my living room and kitchen walls.

To the comment about window film. I may do that in our kitchen but I don't want it on my living room picture window. Because at night it works in reverse and allows outside to view in but on the inside you cant see out.

This is a hard one. They're entitled to put a bulb on their porch light, but it goes right into your house. Do you think they would read a handwritten note, asking them to change their bulb and you will buy it for them?

So annoying, I feel for you.

Just curious why you don’t get black out curtains or shades for the living room?

Can you show the whole window from inside, looking out? It might help for more ideas.

Good luck, hope you find a good solution!

Seems like a well placed pendulos conifer would do the trick. Maybe to the left of the sidewalk if I’m seeing things right or replacing one of yews.

tj

They certainly are entitled to have their porch light on. And I asked them politely if they could put a dimmer bulb in and they responded by installing an even brighter light bulb.

There is no talking to these people. They have had words with my next-door neighbor and as it stands right now they don't talk to us and we don't talk to them, which is fine.

I can't put bushes like a conifer or arborvitae along my driveway or sidewalk. The city won't allow it. That's why I was trying to think of something to hang in our tree when the leaves fall off. Something decorative that looks nice, of course.

Here's another view from inside our living room.

Don't you have drapes or shades that you use at night?

How about just pulling your curtains closed? You already have a curtain rod, fill it up, problem solved. It’s no different from opening and closing windows to let fresh air in. You have no control over your neighbors but you have complete control over yourself. You need better curtains anyway.

who in MIchigan doesnt close the drape when they get home in winter... when its 10 below out there??? .. besides the fact that its dark by 5 pm when you get home anyway... and the neighbors dont want to see you walking around inside your house anyway..

close the drapes...

i might gaze out my windows during the lunch green months of the year.. but i have found i spend little or no time looking outside in winter... its usually just to bleak .. somewhat suicidal ...

close the drapes.. turn up the heat.. and sit down to a good book or the idiot box.. and who cares about the neighbors light..

i grew up under a livonia street light ... we didnt really notice if the neighbors had a porchlight on ...

ken

ps: actually .. its more like who even bothers to heat the glass windows in winter.. leaving the drape closed all the time anyway... especially if you arent home... and i pains me to turn on all the lights to offset SAD.. seasonal affective disorder.. but that cost is less than the furnace running to heat the windows... its like hearing yourself spend money.. when the furnace is running....

btw.. if you want an ID of the tree.. show us the leaves..

i suspect a maroon norway maple .. though i suppose there could be a purple red maple...

here or in the NAME THAT PLANT FORUM..

ken

We have a similar situation with a street light. When we moved here about 12 years ago, we bought a Nuttal Oak and carefully positioned it between the street light and our bedroom window.

Today it blocks the street light during the summer months, but like you, when the leaves fall it shines into out window.

We have Venetian blinds that we close when we go to bed, In some of the coldest days they stay closed all day.

If the light is low-down enough, some kind of shrub/small tree-size evergreen placed strategically could block the light all year.

Thanks for the pictures!

Now we can see that the issue can easily be solved by you. As ShadyWillow said above, get better window coverings. Drapes, semi-sheers, shutters, shades, etc. The possibilities are endless. Leave everything pulled wide open during the day but as soon as their light comes on, pull them closed.

Yes, it will cost you a bit of money but isn’t your peace of mind worth it? Stop worrying about what your neighbor is doing and do what’s in your power to make yourself comfortable.

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions about closing the drapes and/or installing blinds. That's the simple solution and it makes sense.

I'm in my 60s and I worry a lot and let things bother and annoy me much more than when I was young.

I guess I was just hoping that someone here might have an idea I haven't thought of. But I guess y'all are right. I need to stop worrying about what the neighbors are doing and get on with life.

Regarding winters here, It's certainly not 10 below in SE Michigan very often. The last few winters have been relatively mild but it can get quite cold at times.

Just wanted to say that we're all different, and while I get that most folks would just close the drapes, I am one of those that likes my drapes open, the room dimly lit with music playing in the evening. I like seeing the snow fall at night as I look out my picture window. It's peaceful around here and I use to be able to enjoy the night. The neighbors intrusive light took that away.

Here's the only other solution I thought of. The location of my driveway would allow me to block their light if I bough a van with an extended roof and parked it in my driveway.

I’m in my 60s too and the thought of sitting in a lit room with the windows uncovered, at night, in town, would be a LOT more worrisome to me than closing my drapes.

Well, it's peaceful around here. Folks rarely walk by, just occasional dog-walkers.

In the summer the room is dimly lit at night, or no lights at all. It's nice that way. Sit back, lights low, enjoy a couple beverages, listen to some jazz - relaxing.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate your suggestions.

Try a bird house. You can even put reflective metal on the back of it. You can put it on a pole.

Jeffrey Allen, I am with you (I am 71). Many of my windows have no draperies at all. The others have linen curtains from France. I much prefer no draperies, but that may not be an option much longer. Development of three acres of old growth forest behind us has opened the space to lights that resemble Klieg light which illuminate every room in the back of our house. A newish neighbor has also put a very bright lightbulb in the lamp near the sidewalk at their house. That was in response to their home being egged by students from their daughter's school-guessing they were not fans of her, but all are in college now, so seems they could change that. I hope we both find a solution.

Stand at the street in front of your house. starting at your driveway, take the first photo. Moving across, take two to three more, moving only the camera, not your feet. This will let us see what is in front of your house. One of the landscaper's on here used to suggest that.

I would do both, adding evergreen landscaping and drapes. I, also like to sit in the dark listening to music.

I put a dogwood tree at the front door to block the summer sun. You do not have that problem, but maybe could have an evergreen Christmas tree to block the neighbors from h””l.

While annoying to you, your neighbor’s single doorway light looks reasonable so it seems like this is your issue to resolve. The light looks to be about 7 feet off the ground. You could plant a couple large evergreen bushes (between the maple and your house) that can provide a winter screen from the light.

After the maple leaves fall, have another person with a pole (to figure out bush height needed) move around the front yard while you look through the affected window(s) to flag the best placement/height for the bushes. Mark the spots and arrange for 4-6’ mature bushes from a nursery to be planted next spring. No more grass to mow in that lawn area! Andromedas, rhododendron or mt. laurels might be options. Be sure to check the cultivar before planting to be sure its mature height is sufficient.

Truly, pulling some curtains closed for the night is the only common sense solution. I can’t believe people are suggesting planting this or hanging that.

Before you spend $40,000 on a new van, maybe plot to change the bulb to a dimmer wattage when the neighbors leave town? They may not even notice. It would be a grand adventure!

Stand your ground, @Jeffrey Allen!

You have attempted to be civil, by asking those dim bulbs to change the brightness of their light. A better approach would be for them to "shield" their light/lamp, to direct the energy/brightness to where it is needed, rather than polluting the neighborhood where it serves no purpose than annoyance. Your community may even have laws pertaining to such.

I can't understand the suggestions that YOU should change your entire lifestyle and sense of enjoyment of your property, house, and landscape due to some rude neighbors. That's preposterous, in my never-to-be-humble opinion. Also a sexagenarian, I'll be darned if I'm going to turn August Lily-livered or Aralia spinosa-less when so pointlessly confronted.

As a for instance: suppose the neighbors amped it up, and started spraying herbicide on any plant they didn't like in Jeffrey's yard? Especially his HOSTAS...

I say fight this fire with fire. The word was used earlier here: purchase a Klieg light that is tall enough to screen their lamp, and park it along the driveway in the appropriate spot. Put it on a timer, and run it - aimed squarely at THEIR house - as frequently or infrequently as you like. You could even put a motion detector on it, so that it comes on every time (or only when) something moves within range of the detector.

I have many many more ideas to countermand those fools, but I'll refrain whilst others react to this simple solution.

Just chiming in to say the tree is almost certainly a Crimson King Norway Maple (Acer platanoides 'Crimson King' or similar), not the native Red Maple (Acer rubrum). A common misconception.

Norway Maples are considered invasive in much of Eastern North America. I'm mentioning this in case somebody reading sees this and chooses a more ecologically appropriate tree for their yard. Long term, you might consider replacing yours with a conifer that's native to your area (which would also solve the light issue), though it wouldn't be overnight.

I would not recommend advising the OP to stoop to the low level of the inconsiderate neighbor. The neighbor has already demonstrated willingness to escalate the nastiness just from the OP’s request to dim the light. Pulling curtains closed on nights the OP wants to be in the living room is hardly life changing, and not a task worth losing sleep over. This situation could be much, much worse. I pull curtains closed for about 6 - 7 months of the year on the south side of my house to help keep the house cool. And if we watch tv in the early evening, I have to pull them closed in the living room due to the sun setting. Opening and closing curtains is hardly anything to waste time thinking about. Be the better person and embrace the aspects of this situation that can be controlled, and let the neighbor stew in conflict all alone.

The neighbor is creating enough light pollution as it is, I wouldn’t add to it.

And as this neighbor sounds quite unreasonable and belligerent, no good could come from getting into a big neighborhood feud and light battle.

I agree with @jilly and @ShadyWillowFarm as I'm not the kind of person to escalate issues.

It is what it is. They don't talk to us and that's fine. Occasionally the woman that lives there waves to us when we drive by, and we wave back. But the guy is the type of person that would take it to the next level if I did something to retaliate. And that's just not my style.

This is a great forum with a lot of creative folks. And even though this is a tough one, I thought I'd take a chance and see if there was perhaps something I hadn't thought of with regards to the Autumn leaves falling.

I didn't think there was any simple solution and if pulling the curtains is the only option then I guess and I'm OK with that.

Thanks again for all the replies. I didn't expect such an extensive response. Much appreciated.

Use those fallen leaves... Halloween is coming up. Make yerself a 12 foot tall scarecrow stuffed with leaves. Or fill bags to make a giant tower of "jack o lantern" bags. Or skip the leaves, and get some of those big blow up yard decor?

Heh, kidding. But you could get a nice piece of yard art and position it to block the light.