'They were landscaping half my yard': Frustrated homeowner installs 8-inch privacy fence to reclaim his yard, after new neighbors keep using his driveway for family gatherings, and shovel part of his yard to build a deck

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Aug 13, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

What's the one thing worse than entitled neighbors…entitled neighbors who are always hosting their whole entitled extended family! Hooray! 

This homeowner is fed up with having his neighbors treat his property as if they are contributing to his monthly mortgage. They don't respect his space: in fact, they have physically claimed his space as their own by digging it up in an attempt to build a new, lavish wooden deck for their big Sunday brunches and noisy Wednesday game nights. So in response to their lack of boundaries, he has no other choice but to build his own (literally!) 

Sometimes, the only way to stop people from crossing the line is by blocking it off. All you need to do is smile and wave, and let the 8-inch fence do the talking…because telling your neighbors that you would like their 16-member family to stop encroaching on the land you paid for, even if it's just a few square feet, may come off a bit strong…

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  • The homeowner's logic is as follows: They forgot to mention they were landscaping half his yard, and he forgot to tell them about building a fence to block access to it. Seems fair, right? There's no common set of rules when it comes to dealing with neighbors, but sometimes the only way to teach them a lesson is by beating them at their own game, often referred to as ‘Whoops, I'm sorry I thought this was part of my yard, according to my very accurate stick property line marker!’

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    Family garden gathering
    via halfpoint

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    AITAH for putting up a fence after my new neighbors dug up part of my yard?

    Got new neighbors. Our backyards were totally open with no fences, no clear boundary, except my driveway. Their 700 sq ft house is crammed with family
    via Louie-XVI
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    like parents, grandparents, uncles, etc. Whatever, not my business. One day some uncles were unloading wood and I asked if they were building a deck. They
    via Louie-XVI
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    said, “No, a garden!" Cool. But a few weeks later, they bring in a mini excavator and start digging. Their "property line marker" was literally a stick in the ground. No
    via Louie-XVI
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    survey, no clue where the real line was. I didn't know either, so I ordered a plot survey while they were still working. Tried talking to
    via Louie-XVI
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    the foreman uncle he'd straight- up walk away whenever I approached. Survey came back after their project was done. Surprise: they'd
    via Louie-XVI
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    dug into my yard. They ended up with a ground-level deck and garden beds. Not on my property, but they didn't bother leveling
    via Louie-XVI
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    the ground they tore up while the machine was there. Now they're outside all the time. Not a problem on its own, but I hate feeling like I have to wave or
    via Louie-XVI
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    chat every time I'm out there. Then they started having big family gatherings. People park all over the front lawn and use my driveway/yard as a cut-through.
    via Louie-XVI
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    Their kids (5-16) play in my driveway, run on my rock wall, and generally treat my property like it's theirs. No one has told them not to.
    via Louie-XVI
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    So... I put up a privacy fence. It's about 7-8 inches inside my property line so I can still mow/maintain outside it and
    via Louie-XVI
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    fence separating two gardens
    via gettyimages

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    keep them from putting stuff against it. I didn't tell them ahead of time sort of like they didn't tell me they were landscaping half
    via Louie-XVI
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    my yard, so I figured we were even. But next I'm also going to put up a stone wall in the front part of
    via Louie-XVI
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    the yard to make it a little harder for them to drive in and park using my land as a cut-through... AITAH?
    via Louie-XVI
  • 16
    Caspian4136 ΝΤΑ There's truth to the saying "good fences make good neighbors".
    via Caspian4136
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    Status-Asparagus-646 Why would you be an AH for putting up a fence on your property? Sounds like you're doing exactly the right thing to set a boundary with them, but when you say no one told them not to, well, that would have been your job as well.
    via Status-Asparagus-646
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    CatoftheSaints23 It's called property rights. Methinks you were a touch too nice. Now you have to correct things, but correct them you must. Yay to the rock wall. C
    via CatoftheSaints23
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    britney412 INFO- they dug into your yard but you're not making them remove anything? If so, why?
    via britney412
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    Mandi171 Not at all. Besides the legal issues like somebody said, adverse possession and such. They're ride. They have no consideration for your property at all. It'd be one thing if it was good-natured and they tried, they're not even trying to respect your property for you
    via Mandi171
  • 21
    Key-Sir-6110 If you don't set real boundaries now it'll get worse. They know what they're doing and by being passive and relaxed, you'll lose part of your land. Talking to them directly is best, although can be quarrelsome. I suggest you do it with a tall strong looking person.
    via Key-Sir-6110
  • 22
    Munky1701 Fences should be a requirement for all houses... The taller, the better
    via Munky1701
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    Suchafatfatcat NTA and check on local regulations concerning noise violations. Call in complaints each and every time their parties are too loud/too late.
    via Suchafatfatcat
  • 24
    Plantyplantlady35 NTA. We have people across the street who were constantly using the neighbors driveway to drive up into their yard. Those neighbors built a fence to block them from driving through, and they stopped. It was wonderful.
    via Plantyplantlady35

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privacy neighbors renovating FAIL neighborhood garden fence builders separate extended family family my-property building front yard Bad Neighbor wall space divide
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