‘I picked the HOA bylaws apart’ : Resident plants bamboo to overrun Neighbor’s bright LED security light

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    Font - Posted by u/HotPocket_Consumed 9 hours ago I planted Bamboo that overrun my neighbors property over a security light
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    Font - About 4yrs ago I used to live in a nice HOA in a small town in TX and enjoyed having only one neighbor over my backyard fence. The plot was about 2 acres and the other side of the backyard butted up to a hay field. The stars were beautiful at night because of virtually no light pollution...
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    Font - Until the neighbor decided to install an incredibly bright security light over their back porch aimed right at my back patio and bedroom windows. I tried to ignore it at first and put shades in the bedroom, but out on the patio it was like having a bright LED headlight in your face all night. I consulted the HOA about adding a privacy addition to my fence to
  • 04
    Font - increase it's height, and they said no because it's already at the 8' max allowed height. The said there was nothing in the bylaws or whatever about bright lights so nothing they could do.
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    Font - Diplomacy: So I hated for this to be the thing where we finally had a formal greeting after 3yrs of back porch waves but I walked over and rang the doorbell with $20. I politely explained how the light was causing the aforementioned nuisance and asked if there was any way I could convince him to point the light down or in a different direction and even
  • 06
    Font - offered the to buy him a case of beer (the $20) out of good-will and even a new motion sensing light. He seemed nice and agreed to point it down...but after waiting a month, nothing changed. I went back to have another polite conversation and he said he had changed his mind and was going to leave it on every night and leave it pointed as-is.
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    Font - Petty Revenge: Needless to say I was a bit upset diplomacy failed and started figuring out how to win. If the military taught me anything there's always ways to adapt and overcome. So I started researching fast growing plants to create big privacy walls and reading through the HOA bylaws and city/state ordinances about what I could or
  • 08
    Font - couldn't plant and if there were any repercussions for encroachment across the property line. I quickly discovered running bamboo, despite being very invasive, would grow super fast to make the neighbor's house and light disappear from view and there was nothing on the HOA/state/city books to prevent me from
  • 09
    Font - planting it or cause legal recourse if it spread and grew on his side on the fence. Only thing he could do is cut anything that grew on his side of the line. So I pulled the trigger and planted a bunch of Golden Bamboo which grows and spreads crazy fast in TX and grows up to 20' tall...I didn't care if it took over
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    Font - the fence line because his house is 15' from the fence while mine was 50yds away so I planted a bunch right against the fence and only put root barrier on my side to prevent it spreading into my yard. Within 6mo his house and light were GONE from view, replaced by a pretty bamboo jungle row at the edge of
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    Font - my yard. Within 1yr he complained it was growing into his yard via mailed letters, they went right into the trash with no response. He rang my doorbell once and I looked at him through the window but just didn't answer the door. I unexpectedly sold the house and moved 2yrs after planting for a career
  • 12
    Font - opportunity...It's been 2yrs since I sold and I just checked the property on Google Earth and his entire backyard is bamboo.
  • 13
    Font - draeden11 6 hr. ago As someone who has dealt with bamboo, this is almost nuclear revenge. 1.5k Reply Share
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    Font - HotPocket_Consumed OP. 6 hr. ago I haven't planted any since and probably never will. ↑ 530 ↓ Reply Share
  • 15
    Font - oztikS · 3 hr. ago You should mail him a stuffed panda and a flashlight with a card that says, "Thinking of you" unsigned and with no return address. ↑ 570 Reply Share
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    Font - Glittering-Cellist34 +1. 8 hr. ago Root barrier was key. We were the recipients of bamboo runners in a rented house. It made the backyard unusable. Reply Share 337
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    Font - Endlessly Unfinished 6 hr. ago I pretty much did the same. Lol. HOA said I could only plant grass.. guess what is also a grass? Bamboo.. 119 Reply Share
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    Font - Knathra · 6 hr. ago Came here to call this out - a lot of HOAS have rules about the height of trees, and even of the grass in the front lawn, but few if any limit the height of grass on the sides of or behind your house. Make sure you're not in one of those, and that you get the root barrier plenty deep and long.
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    Font - We had to do something similar to this (we used clumping bamboo, because we didn't need to punish our neighbor) in a previous house because our second floor dining room window looked directly through the neighbor's first floor "privacy" window and into their living room. Planted the bamboo on our side because we didn't want to watch them at every meal. ;-)
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    Font - The-Wooden-Beard · 8 hr. ago marks down in phone notes for future revenge well done my friend. 4 209 + Reply Share
  • 21
    Font - Piddy3825 +2.8 hr. ago ah petty revenge - best served bamboozled... 283 Reply Share
  • 22
    Font - 7 hr. ago Saw the opportunity, did the math and boy did it pay off. Reply Share Cmd_Line_Commando 48
  • 23
    Font - Short-Classroom2559 8 hr. ago We're dealing with this right now. Someone bought the house behind us and clear cut everything on their side of the fence. Now there's not one, but two ridiculously bright lights over there that are left on all night.
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    Font - spngirlforever. 9 hr. ago I hope you were able to inform the new owners as to why the bamboo was there so they could continue the revenge lol 164 Reply Share
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    Font - HotPocket_Consumed OP 9 hr. ago They told the realtor they liked the privacy 278 Reply Share
  • 26
    Font - Da-Aliya 8 hr. ago Excellent way to deal with a neighbor who chooses not to be neighborly. 40 Reply Share
  • 27
    Font - Skoteleven 7 hr. ago I had a neighbor that treated me like a subhuman because I was a renter. When I moved I threw a pound of mint seeds and a pound of poppy seeds into his "perfect" front yard. 437 37 Reply Share
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    Font - Dark Ferret 8 hr. ago I bet he really regrets refusing that case of beer now Imao not much of a lawn to protect if literally no one can use it Imao 4 55 Reply Share

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