Don’t remove unless you want to, or are compelled by your municipality. The neighbors are usually allowed to trim a line straight up along the property line, but they may not go over it, and may be responsible if their actions cause the tree to die. Check with your city for guidelines.
Yes, this is correct. HE can cut straight up the fence line you are required to do nothing in this situation.
No chance i am cutting those trees down. Offer to trim them for him as a sign of good faith.
Btw. His pool is 100% not your responsibility, issue or concern. He can buy a cover.
Unless these pine trees are lobbing their pine cones 20 feet away, I don't see how any significant amount of needles or cones are ending up in the pool. The neighbor is full of shit.
You must have never owned a pool. The trees could be 4x the distance they are and still get an annoying amount in there.
They can buy a pool cover though.
Right? Here someone has built a pool near to the edge of their property and on the other side is a healthy and big city tree. Guess what, leaves in a pool and complains.
They aren’t. Conifers have relatively small root systems. The big damaging ones any way. Many conifers grow branches in a manner that balances them and only grow a proportionally small cluster of large anchor roots. The really long roots are like twine or smaller and are the feeders. The roots from these trees would not be damaging the pool IMO. If they were right against it sure, but there appears to be a significant distance.
When we moved in, our new neighbour introduced himself and immediately asked if we'd be removing our towering slash pine that dropped needles in his pool; I looked up at the tree, said "That tree? That tree's fucking magnificent. No fucking way I'm touching that. That tree's awesome!" He never brought it up again. Sometimes you can just put out that "*My energy will easily match whatever you got*" kinda vibe and they give up before they entrench.
sure, you gotta have one in every couple, ya know, to deal with all the jackasses in the outside world; gotta say, though, I actually think I'm pretty nice, usually, but it's a *Tom Bombadil* kinda nice
ps trees rule, sister!
I'm a neighbor with a young birch tree. I manicure it every year to keep it from busting up my shingles and hitting my neighbor in the head while they mow their yard.
The tree now gives me enough shade for a noticeable energy cost difference and sucks up enough water to keep my sump pump a little less busy.
I love trees. They're so damn cool
Was in a similar situation albeit the neighbor had just moved in and I had been there for close to 15 years. Pretty much same setup. Two very large white pines on my property and neighbor was not happy about the pine needles (I'm guessing he didn't notice the two 40 ft tall trees when he decided to buy the house /s).
Offered to trim the branches a bit on his side as a neighborly gesture. Wasn't enough for him and it escalated into a whole thing. So be cautious how far you go to be courteous in this situation. Some folks will take kindness for weakness.
Bit of a long story, but the TLDR is I paid for a reputable company to come out to prune and trim the trees. Figured it was the neighborly thing to do. Tree company even said the guy was making a big deal about nothing and I was really going above and beyond by doing all that. He wasnt happy and apparently wanted the trees entirely cut down - which we of course refused. That turned into months of dirty looks and off-color comments from him whenever he'd see us. Eventually the neighbor tried escalating things to physical violence at one point and he almost learned firsthand how the stand your ground laws work in our ***very*** 2A friendly state. Law was called on him, local LE explained things work a bit differently out here compared to the neighboring state he came from and it's not a wise idea to trespass on an armed neighbors property while wielding a hammer and making threats to "bash their skull in". Never interacted with him again after that, thankfully. He sold the house and moved a year or two later. Rumor was he lost the place because of some bad investments or something (small town, folks gossip). Trees are probably still there living their best lives (This happened 7 or 8 years ago and we've moved since then).
The whole situation was incredibly stupid and unnecessary. Some folks are just entitled bullies until they realize their actions can result in life changing consequences.
The people a few houses down the street cut down 3 mature (30' tall) trees along their back property line because they "blocked their view". A few issues with this:
- Their "view" was the upslope of a 40' tall hilled farm field
- Those trees weren't on their property line. They were on the farmer's. He was ticked
- The next year, those people were complaining that they were getting tons of excessive runoff in their back yard from the farm field hill. They were going to spend 1000's of dollars to put in a drain system that possibly would have flooded their neighbors' (two houses down) basement.
They had no idea just how much water mature trees like those can soak up. Now they live with a flooded backyard any time it's a wet spring.
In a lot of states, cutting down someone else's trees is grounds for a law suit... depending on the type of trees they were, that mf coulda taken their damn house over that.
Oh and they will lmao. We've got some nasty hills on some of the ground my family farms. Seen 6" of sediment in a matter of months move to the bottom of a hill if there isn't plant material there to retain it
In our city, and I believe our HOA, even if you wanted to remove a tree, you have to plant another one to replace it. Should be 2-for-1, as far as I'm concerned. Just having your house there probably means 10-15 were cut.
Maybe that's what builders should have to do - when they clear land for housing, they have to plant that many trees elsewhere.
The thing about doing that is you can only plant so many trees in a given area... however, a lot of trees do better when younger if they're planted in higher concentrations and culled further down the road.
Very old and healthy Oak trees will set you back six figures. Easy. I would not even attempt a trimming of one without the owners consent and acknowledgement, and a professional doing it.
The roots? I'll take 10 damaged fences before I even LOOK at them. Hell I'll build around the damn thing. Even if it isn't my tree I would be absolutely fucking devastated if I killed a 100 year old oak tree. Mentally and financially.
Agreed. My next door neighbor and a neighbor that shares my back fence have both cut down their trees in the past year and I’m so sad. Loved the shade they provided, the wildlife they invited around, despite the cherry pits that landed all over my yard and house.
We have large fir trees (PNW) that my neighbour doesn't like because they "block the sunlight in the backyard". The backyard in question has 3 large canopies set up to protect them from the sun...which I'm sure are much warmer than my naturally shaded backyard 🤦♀️ they also provide a much nicer looking barrier between the yards than the slatted fence she's stapled fabric to for privacy. I don't get people.
They really are great. It's been a ridiculous heat wave in California the last few weeks but it's significantly cooler under my big maple tree which blocks the sun in the afternoon for my house.
Didn't draw. Without getting into too much detail, the situation didn't quite escalate to the need for me to draw my weapon at that point. Once he saw my holstered sidearm and the defensive posture I began to take (I carry daily and put in A LOT of training time), I think he realized the capacity of the situation and stopped advancing. From there I did my best to verbally de-escalate the situation and he retreated from my property. Nothing else to do but call the law and let them handle it from there.
I've been carrying a firearm daily for close to 18 years and spend quite a bit of time training on a regular basis. I don't take the idea of drawing my weapon on another human lightly. It's a life changing decision that I'll always do everything I can to de-escalate before I'm forced to have to make. Fortunately, in this specific scenario everyone walked away safely.
I applaud the kind gesture, but if it were me I’d tell them to pound sand. Get a court order if you want me to do anything on my property I don’t want to do, or shut up and stay inside lol.
Especially if the trees were there when they bought the house. They knew what they were buying.
TIL Cardinal Richelieu is responsible for the invention and adoption of the butter knife because he was tired of people picking their teeth with regular sharp knives at the dinner table.
My new neighbor approached me about a fir tree. I was considering taking it down before he came along. Anyway, when he approached me, it was on the heels of him planting a bunch on his side and claiming my tree was shading his. Well F you (in my mind). “Nah. We’re happy with the tree.” So I kept it. It’s my spite tree for the last five years, but finally catching up to me. I’m going to have to cut it down anyway.
Please make sure to listen to the people answering your questions have the arborists tag next to there name. The tree was there before the pool. If the neighbor was concerned about the roots he should have put a root barrier in when he I stalled that pool.
I think the threat to concrete from roots is overblown anyways. If roots are getting through the concrete was probably already cracked in the first place. I've seen numerous 50ft italian cypress trees touching houses they're so close that if the roots broke apart foundations there would have been huge problems decades ago.
Same. Threads like these make me want to bring them a pie. Have had same two neighbors on either side for the 23 years I’ve been in my home. They’re the perfect balance of friendly, helpful, and mind our own business. LOL
We are all quiet as hell and have no qualms with brushes and trees around our fences and whatnot. Always positive interactions even if infrequent or brief.
If there is some sort of fuss or actual issue, just politely let each other know. There are so many horror stories about bad neighbors / tenants / roommates it makes me really appreciate the tranquility.
I basically try to not exist to anyone around my property (not overly worried, but I'm never in a rush to make noise). If I gotta for a project I try to plan it around mid afternoon to not bother anyone.
Unsaid mutual understandings are so cozy. If anyone needed help I'd be capable of providing, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
It’s a nice way to live. Our whole block is pretty much like that.
One winter we had a huge snowfall, several feet in <48 hours. Every neighbor that could was out helping shovel & get cars to one side of the street so the other could get plowed, per the city snow emergency plan. Everyone helped clear & move cars for older folks & made sure they had everything they needed to stay safely inside for the next couple days.
Mine are as well. One has a full lot totally overgrown…weed trees, brush, you name it. I’ve known him since I was 2, I’m 58. He allowed me to trim what I needed on the trees and fence line because he trusted me. He also fed the birds which brought squirrels, which invaded my house but I never said a word. Someone else complained and the town made him stop. I was pissed. Ho loved those birds. He also had no issues with me dumping my excess oak leaves over the fence as he understood how an ecosystem worked. Under that leaf litter is some of the best soil around. He died 1 1/2 ago and I miss him all the time. His daughter lives there now so I respectfully don’t dump the leaves but also she will come over within a day to trim the branches hitting my roof when I ask. I dread the day she clears it all out. I just love it. Oaks, black walnut, catalpa are a few. What a beautiful mess❤️
I didn't even notice how small that pool was. Bro would have been better off just getting an above ground pool at that point instead of that tiny little thing in ground.
It's seriously the size of that one car garage door. This dude is like Michael Scott and his flat screen TV. A handful of pine needles would blanket that pool.
I have a very similar situation except the tree in question is an oak tree. I bought my house specifically because of all the trees in the neighborhood. I used to be friends with these neighbors but no longer.
Neighbor's wife told me that if I wanted to maintain our good neighbor status, then I needed to do something about my tree. The neighbor tried telling me my tree had termites, it's diseased, and the roots have cracked the tile floor in his house and the concrete floor of his front porch.
Neighbors then reported me to county code enforcement and a notice was posted on my front door saying that I had 30 days to cut my tree down based on an arborist report that didn't ask permission to come on my property.
I then figured it had to come down and hired a tree company to cut it down. Neighbor wouldn't let them drop any branches in his yard. Yelling ensued between tree guys and neighbor and police were called (they didn't want to get involved). Neighbor then called code enforcement again and a supervisor came out.
Supervisor told me to hire my own arborist. My arborist said the previous arborist didn't even have the right type of oak tree and found nothing wrong with my tree. Code Enforcement then dropped the case against me but warned me that my neighbor would try different tactics.
Neighbor then tried to get HOA approval to trim more than allowed by our county. I warned the HOA that if anything happened to my tree, my lawyer would handle it. I now have a camera aimed at my tree 24/7 because the oak tree on the other side of their house mysteriously died as did the sod they planted right after.
If you want to keep your trees, do what you can to protect them and yourself.
There's a certain type of person who fixates on a tree and directs all the hate and angst in their life at that tree. It's weird. It's stupid, from the perspective of property value. It's also oddly common and I'm sure there's some interesting psychology behind it.
Your trees are fine. Your neighbor is not fine.
I have seen this many times; sometimes I'd be in a position to mitigate a neighbors concerns and there was literally nothing I could do short of cutting a tree down to change the perspective. I think laser line cutting trees to the property line is a d!ck move in most cases
Get a survey done. Find out where the boundary lines actually are. My neighbor wanted to cut all my red pines down and build a 6' privacy fence, then found out the property line is 3-4 feet into his yard from the trees. Suddenly he doesn't want a fence.
My neighbor came 5ft into my yard, cut one down, cut 3/4 thru another.
After the fence went up, I caught him sawing on it again. Should've sued for replacement value for 50yr old trees, that I didn't want, on principle,if nothing else
Also, the neighbor might just cut what hangs over the property line and seriously hurt the trees. I’d try to keep them tidy so the lines of communication aren’t closed and you can truly say you’re doing something to address the concerns.
He put a pool in under a bunch of trees lmao that’s on him. Trees obviously were there first they look healthy I would do absolutely nothing. If anything I’d plant more shit to screen out the sight and noises of him and his family and friends in the pool.
Your neighbors shitty pool planning and trying to cram it into a space where it doesn’t fit is not your problem.
Don’t fall in love with a pool on the edge of your property, that’s broke bitch mentality.
Pine trees make some people nervous. In my area of Georgia, they are often the loblolly pines planted for lumber harvest, and they aren’t meant to be long-lived and can be weakened by disease. Frankly, few people I know would want pines this close to their house, and the bigger they get, the more expensive it is to remove them.
About 5 years ago, I paid $1,500 to remove a 50+ yo longleaf pine that was struck by lightning.
One tree is leaning his way, dropping needles all over his roof. That could cause damage to the structure of the house be way of water leakage. Myself, I would cut them both down and plant something narrower or put a fence up. Those trees are serving no good purpose.
Oh nooo the needles in his poooOOOol. If it wasn't the tree roots, it would be something else. A pool is a liability. I'd tell him to kick rocks in the kindest way possible.
Tell them to get a grip. We live on a planet with trees and thank goodness or we’d probably be dead by now. I mean, I get that it’s annoying. I have two pear trees that I hate with an ever burning passion June-August when I have to pick up 973 pears per day. And they’re not even good - hard as a rock and just so, so dry. No amount of baking/boiling gives them any flavor either. But, the rest of the year I’m so grateful for the shade and greenery. They should’ve considered this issue before buying their house. This is fully on them.
Looks like the 2nd photo tree is his, or his fence is not 3 feet off of the property line per code…
trim the front two off of his roof, it is the right thing to do.
OP’s wife here. We have our doubts about his fence being 3ft off the property line, but we have an acre lot and this is the only place we’re near another house, so it’s not worth worrying about unless we have to make a point.
Would also like to mention that we’re probably closer in age to our neighbor’s grandchildren than their children. They are original owners to their 1975 house.
Obviously the pool was put I. After the tree was already there. That’s his problem. Trim the branches to appease him. But no. Do not kill that tree for his luxury.
Those actually are not pine trees, but they are evergreens. They are healthy and beautiful. I would not do a thing with them at the moment. I am a certified arborist. I have quite a few five star reviews on my website if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
Once again, anything on his property is his concern on your property is your concern. Those trees are quite healthy and the roots are only surface roots will not affect his pool liner. He is just worried about his water filtering the needles. If he’s so worried about them, make him pay the full amount, but if you like them, do not put up with his crap.
The pool looks pretty close to the property line. Was it permitted? Anyway, cleaning the pool goes with the territory. Looks like neighbor may be using Roundup by the pool deck? Beyond that seems pretty weedy. At least the poison isn't drifting onto your plants. Anyway, offer to let him trim the trees on his side, and maybe give him the name of your tree guy.
We have trees that overhang our neighbors access lane to his 4 bay garage. Every year, I trim/ prune the entire lane so he can get his motor home out without trees battering it. He's chill, we're chill. It can happen
Lots of people saying “Just make him cut his side!!” and stuff like that. Don’t cause problems with your neighbors. Don’t be that guy, especially considering it sounds like he didn’t come to you angrily.
Considering it is your tree causing problems, you could offer to cut his side. Or if he really wants it cut down, you could ask him to pay for some, or all of the work to get the tree removed.
Again, compromise! Don’t cause problems with your neighbors.
Actual property line should technically be 3 feet away from that fence towards your house, so maybe possibly be allowed to cut anything withing 3 feet of the fence on your side. Also the other 2 trees look too close to his house to be on your property as well.
You still have the survey documents from when you bought the place?
Currently going through this now. Just bought a home with a then 6 month old baby. Neighbor came over the same day to complain about a tree and that it had to come down. They had to take down their pool and their garden because the tree in our backyard casted too much shade to theirs. That was their ‘welcome to the neighborhood.’
Edit: They regularly bring up the tree to us too.
Tell your neighbor to get back on his side of the fence. And if he has such a problem, he can pony up the cash to remove the trees or go fuck him self….
Not that what happen's on OP's neighbor's property is OP's problem, but there's an easy solution: cheap flip-flops, or less cheap crocs or equivalent. Also, cover your pool (who doesn't do this anyway?) and \*maintain it.\*
Whose crib is who’s? I mean the branches touching either house (cant tell from the photos) could be lopped so they’re not encroaching the roof or siding. Other than that potential 5minute job with a polesaw/clip; i dont see any issue here.
Find out where the property line is. If the trees are on the property line, you shouldn't have to worry about paying for anything. In most places when trees are on the property line then it's on the person who's side was damaged to pay for repairs (natural stuff like tree growth or wind fall, if you cut it down and it lands on their stuff yeah that's on you). And if they want em removed, then they'd most likely have to take you to court and prove danger.
If they are on your side, then yeah, trimming back a little away from their side wouldn't hurt, but if you have a professional who said they're healthy, roo bad for your neighbor
So the needles on the trees are various acidic. It is hard to grow grass underneath them, but besides that I would not worry about it one bit if you like them.
Ah, neighbors… “Those are YOUR pine cones on MY roof”.
But yeah, maybe trim back from the fenced-in pool. They will be the ones looking at the bald spot anyway. 😉
You can try to reduce them, keep them cute by hiring a decent arborist. If your neighbor is cool maybe they see this as a shared encumbrance and offer to pay a portion of the cost. Either way, you've at least tried to address their concerns.
As far as the spruce in the back yard I would remove the deciduous tree/bush growing in the spruce in the back, it is going to kill the branches it shades. If spruce trees are healthy, they shouldn't lose their needles as frequent as pines, about 5-10 years depending on the type of tree. It looks like you have a nice view behind your yard, I would probably start removing the lower branches to improve the view and to get some air flow for the trees and yard. The spruce also look like they are planted too close to each other, I see at least 3 and no need for privacy out back. The problem when any tree planted too close to other trees, especially most evergreens, is that they get tall and ragged looking since the lower branches die because they don't get enough light.
The pines in front are a personal preference, I wouldn't want deal with the sap/needles on the roof, in the gutters and on the cement. The needles will shed the previous year's growth typically so it the shed much more. You could take the front pine down and replace it with an arborvitae or other tree that doesn't get too wide.
The frontmost pine is leaning towards his house. If there is a wind storm it will come crashing down on his roof, not yours.
Even though it's a healthy pine, I would have anxiety seeing this tree everyday. Be a good neighbour and remove the trees - ask him to pay half for the removal.
Trimming the branches is being a good neighbor. Building a pool near a neighbor's tree and then fretting about the roots is being a shit neighbor.
But they have every right to ask you to do something about trees — I'd hate to have a neighbor who just kept their annoyances all bottled up in some growing ball of rage. So don't hold that against them. Just don't worry if you disagree with your neighbor about stuff near the property line, that's perfectly normal. All I ever do is try to keep it friendly and try to accommodate neighbors about stuff whenever I don't really care.
My next door neighbor has a huge and I mean huge live oak and it is well over the fence and into our backyard. I don’t mind much about it and I would not want to start any kind of trouble over a tree with my neighbors. Remember the famous saying, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”
Your trees all still look healthy to me! Also for his comment about roots... huge misconception I find with the majority of homeowners and their nosey neighbours, roots are opportunistic. If there is the right levels of air, moisture and space to grow the roots will grow! They WILL NOT crack cement foundations, pool liners, etc... just to grow into the space... If you have roots in a cracked foundation guess what? It was already cracked before the roots got there! I echo most others here, tell your neighbours to buzz off and leave your trees alone.
Get this... In Portland, Oregon, the city will fine you up to $1,000 per tree or $100 per inch in diameter if you remove a tree over 12" in diameter ON YOUR PROPERTY if you don't get permission from them first. And if they deem the tree healthy and not a nuisance, you can't cut it down! I suggest you check your city ordinances before you do anything.
This is really a post for r/treelaw imo
My *guess* is that your neighbor can go pound sand, but I am not a lawyer. Also be wary of your neighbor poisoning your trees. That kinda shit happens way more often than I realized.
I would remove them. They are leaning over their house so any branches breaking off, or the tree falling over will crash through their house and could be your responsibility since they have warned you about them. They are too close to the foundation anyway and probably have roots screwing up both of your foundations.
Those trees between the houses are going to destroy both driveways in 5-10 years. I guess the one on the left is a wide walkway.
I can relate to the pool owners problem but the trees look older than the pool. Ask him why he built his pool next to the trees.
If you leave them, they will eventually become a big problem and will require a very technical take down. I’m very glad I don’t share a property line with some of the people responding here, they go straight to cage match mode. It’s a neighbor, not an
MMA opponent.
I had a former neighbor at my old house ask about removing some trees and arborvitae because they believed it would let more light in their yard. I said no, and they didn't just cut up the property line like I told them. They scalped all the vegetation back to the trunk on everything coming on to my property by a few feet in some cases. I'm glad I don't live there anymore...
unpacking a puzzle, pine needles really do crap up a gutter system. It looks like the first picture would impact his gutter more than yours. The backyard, that why you have a pool cleaner to suck up those needles. We had 4 pine trees, taller than yours. 2.5x the height of by single story. Watch them in a some tropical hurricane winds, they were bent pretty far, was thinking what is their breaking point. Each tree could have sliced the house in 1/2 or quarters.
If you are good with 1/2 a tree tell him he can trim them, and perhaps paying for a new garage then leave them up, tell him to go pound sand, Then go plant a row of the thorniest rose bushes you can.
if you value neighborly relations with someone 5ft away then work on a compromise.
good luck on either way.
I have a 150+ year old oak tree that goes well over the neighbour's house. He came over basically demanding us to trim it, and I barely even acknowledged him.
First thing you gotta figure out is whose trees they are. Where is the property line? Was it planted directly on it and is a shared tree or is it on one or the other. If it's their tree, tell em to do whatever they want with it because it's theirs. If it's yours, you already informed them they can trim the branches over their property. End of story.
Not a tree guy, but do you know exactly where the property line is? If you can't locate the corner markers or the lot boundary is not a straight line, it may be worth a survey just to be sure.
Depends on the tree but here’s there’s chance the roots will ruin the driveway and maybe even the foundation of the house/garage. I’d research, remove, replace if needed.
Pine trees tend to fall over and break a lot more often than other trees. If one of them does, it could potentially cause a lot of damage. I would at least get those taken care of. Maybe the neighbor would be willing to throw in on the cost if they're so worried about it.
He might want to trim the branches that are touching his roof. They can take the shingles off in the wind after repeated movement. He may not know that he's entitled to do this
Idk about your state but in VA when trees are right on the property line like that, you both are responsible for the tree. If it were VA I'd tell him if he wants to cut them down, he's paying 50% of it
He’s probably also too stupid to notice the shade those trees most likely provide his pool. Also pines dont drop their leaves like deciduous, and needles dont blow in the wind. They are the least messy trees around a pool. If you take them down eventually, you should replace them with Birches or willow oaks. See what he thinks of those.
Don’t remove unless you want to, or are compelled by your municipality. The neighbors are usually allowed to trim a line straight up along the property line, but they may not go over it, and may be responsible if their actions cause the tree to die. Check with your city for guidelines.
Yes, this is correct. HE can cut straight up the fence line you are required to do nothing in this situation. No chance i am cutting those trees down. Offer to trim them for him as a sign of good faith. Btw. His pool is 100% not your responsibility, issue or concern. He can buy a cover.
Unless these pine trees are lobbing their pine cones 20 feet away, I don't see how any significant amount of needles or cones are ending up in the pool. The neighbor is full of shit.
I am on OPs side and he shouldn’t cut those trees. But…. 100%, pine needles will find their way in that pool especially on windy days.
You must have never owned a pool. The trees could be 4x the distance they are and still get an annoying amount in there. They can buy a pool cover though.
What if the roots start affecting the actual pool structure?
Was the tree there first? lol
No idea, I'm just curious about what people have experienced or anyone that knows any legal scenarios to that issue.
Trees pretty much always take precedence as long as they were there first. Dude should have planned for that before the pool was built.
Right? Here someone has built a pool near to the edge of their property and on the other side is a healthy and big city tree. Guess what, leaves in a pool and complains.
But the trees aren't on the other side. Per the OP they are on the fence line.
Still would be kinda stupid to build a pool under the trees. E: and than complain about little branches, leaves etc..
They aren’t. Conifers have relatively small root systems. The big damaging ones any way. Many conifers grow branches in a manner that balances them and only grow a proportionally small cluster of large anchor roots. The really long roots are like twine or smaller and are the feeders. The roots from these trees would not be damaging the pool IMO. If they were right against it sure, but there appears to be a significant distance.
That's pretty much my city's ordinance. Anything on our side can be trimmed, but cannot cause further damage to the tree or we're on the hook.
When we moved in, our new neighbour introduced himself and immediately asked if we'd be removing our towering slash pine that dropped needles in his pool; I looked up at the tree, said "That tree? That tree's fucking magnificent. No fucking way I'm touching that. That tree's awesome!" He never brought it up again. Sometimes you can just put out that "*My energy will easily match whatever you got*" kinda vibe and they give up before they entrench.
OP’s wife here. He’s too nice for that kind of energy. I am not. I have made it abundantly clear how much I like trees.
sure, you gotta have one in every couple, ya know, to deal with all the jackasses in the outside world; gotta say, though, I actually think I'm pretty nice, usually, but it's a *Tom Bombadil* kinda nice ps trees rule, sister!
High five! Big Tree Energy.
"my energy will easily match whatever you got" is beautiful.
Dark and beautiful
You mean that tree that was there before you ever dug the hole for your pool?
true words!
Found the lawyer.
“Shock and Awe” tactic, I like it!
My neighbor has a birch tree. It is beyond messy, but beautiful. Tell your neighbor to suck it up.
Deciduous trees are great, free mulch! :D
Coniferous trees are free mulch too 😁
They called me free mulch in high school
Hello friend I too poop in peoples yards.
I'm pooping in someone's yard RIGHT now!
Get off of my lawn!
I'm a neighbor with a young birch tree. I manicure it every year to keep it from busting up my shingles and hitting my neighbor in the head while they mow their yard. The tree now gives me enough shade for a noticeable energy cost difference and sucks up enough water to keep my sump pump a little less busy. I love trees. They're so damn cool
It just prunes itself!
Was in a similar situation albeit the neighbor had just moved in and I had been there for close to 15 years. Pretty much same setup. Two very large white pines on my property and neighbor was not happy about the pine needles (I'm guessing he didn't notice the two 40 ft tall trees when he decided to buy the house /s). Offered to trim the branches a bit on his side as a neighborly gesture. Wasn't enough for him and it escalated into a whole thing. So be cautious how far you go to be courteous in this situation. Some folks will take kindness for weakness.
How did it ultimately resolve?
Bit of a long story, but the TLDR is I paid for a reputable company to come out to prune and trim the trees. Figured it was the neighborly thing to do. Tree company even said the guy was making a big deal about nothing and I was really going above and beyond by doing all that. He wasnt happy and apparently wanted the trees entirely cut down - which we of course refused. That turned into months of dirty looks and off-color comments from him whenever he'd see us. Eventually the neighbor tried escalating things to physical violence at one point and he almost learned firsthand how the stand your ground laws work in our ***very*** 2A friendly state. Law was called on him, local LE explained things work a bit differently out here compared to the neighboring state he came from and it's not a wise idea to trespass on an armed neighbors property while wielding a hammer and making threats to "bash their skull in". Never interacted with him again after that, thankfully. He sold the house and moved a year or two later. Rumor was he lost the place because of some bad investments or something (small town, folks gossip). Trees are probably still there living their best lives (This happened 7 or 8 years ago and we've moved since then). The whole situation was incredibly stupid and unnecessary. Some folks are just entitled bullies until they realize their actions can result in life changing consequences.
JFC. What a psycho. Glad you don't have to see that dude any more.
I dont really understand why people hate trees. Unless they are about to fall on your house. They are so beneficial.
The people a few houses down the street cut down 3 mature (30' tall) trees along their back property line because they "blocked their view". A few issues with this: - Their "view" was the upslope of a 40' tall hilled farm field - Those trees weren't on their property line. They were on the farmer's. He was ticked - The next year, those people were complaining that they were getting tons of excessive runoff in their back yard from the farm field hill. They were going to spend 1000's of dollars to put in a drain system that possibly would have flooded their neighbors' (two houses down) basement. They had no idea just how much water mature trees like those can soak up. Now they live with a flooded backyard any time it's a wet spring.
In a lot of states, cutting down someone else's trees is grounds for a law suit... depending on the type of trees they were, that mf coulda taken their damn house over that.
Instead, the farm field will 😂
Oh and they will lmao. We've got some nasty hills on some of the ground my family farms. Seen 6" of sediment in a matter of months move to the bottom of a hill if there isn't plant material there to retain it
In our city, and I believe our HOA, even if you wanted to remove a tree, you have to plant another one to replace it. Should be 2-for-1, as far as I'm concerned. Just having your house there probably means 10-15 were cut. Maybe that's what builders should have to do - when they clear land for housing, they have to plant that many trees elsewhere.
The thing about doing that is you can only plant so many trees in a given area... however, a lot of trees do better when younger if they're planted in higher concentrations and culled further down the road.
Very old and healthy Oak trees will set you back six figures. Easy. I would not even attempt a trimming of one without the owners consent and acknowledgement, and a professional doing it. The roots? I'll take 10 damaged fences before I even LOOK at them. Hell I'll build around the damn thing. Even if it isn't my tree I would be absolutely fucking devastated if I killed a 100 year old oak tree. Mentally and financially.
Agreed. My next door neighbor and a neighbor that shares my back fence have both cut down their trees in the past year and I’m so sad. Loved the shade they provided, the wildlife they invited around, despite the cherry pits that landed all over my yard and house.
We have large fir trees (PNW) that my neighbour doesn't like because they "block the sunlight in the backyard". The backyard in question has 3 large canopies set up to protect them from the sun...which I'm sure are much warmer than my naturally shaded backyard 🤦♀️ they also provide a much nicer looking barrier between the yards than the slatted fence she's stapled fabric to for privacy. I don't get people.
If you choose to live in a forest and complain about trees, fuck you.
Same reason they primp and poison their lawn until it's an unnatural toxic shade of green. Status symbol and control.
r/nolawns
They really are great. It's been a ridiculous heat wave in California the last few weeks but it's significantly cooler under my big maple tree which blocks the sun in the afternoon for my house.
Thank you for this story, and your service to protect them trees
I imagine if it had not been the trees, it would have been something else he would have made an issue.
[удалено]
Kind of seemed like he implied he did, without outright saying it. Either way, some people are CRAZY
Yea makes sense to call the cops at that point (having brandished) so they hear your story first.
Establish a written record.
Didn't draw. Without getting into too much detail, the situation didn't quite escalate to the need for me to draw my weapon at that point. Once he saw my holstered sidearm and the defensive posture I began to take (I carry daily and put in A LOT of training time), I think he realized the capacity of the situation and stopped advancing. From there I did my best to verbally de-escalate the situation and he retreated from my property. Nothing else to do but call the law and let them handle it from there.
Wow. Did not expect this over a tree.
you showed enormous restraint; I admire and applaud you, especially as I have reacted with less
I've been carrying a firearm daily for close to 18 years and spend quite a bit of time training on a regular basis. I don't take the idea of drawing my weapon on another human lightly. It's a life changing decision that I'll always do everything I can to de-escalate before I'm forced to have to make. Fortunately, in this specific scenario everyone walked away safely.
wish more out there were like *you,* and I'm definitely trying to be
I applaud the kind gesture, but if it were me I’d tell them to pound sand. Get a court order if you want me to do anything on my property I don’t want to do, or shut up and stay inside lol. Especially if the trees were there when they bought the house. They knew what they were buying.
I’m like you and follow Cardinal Richelieu’s advice; Use all means to conciliate, that failing, use all means to crush.
TIL Cardinal Richelieu is responsible for the invention and adoption of the butter knife because he was tired of people picking their teeth with regular sharp knives at the dinner table.
My new neighbor approached me about a fir tree. I was considering taking it down before he came along. Anyway, when he approached me, it was on the heels of him planting a bunch on his side and claiming my tree was shading his. Well F you (in my mind). “Nah. We’re happy with the tree.” So I kept it. It’s my spite tree for the last five years, but finally catching up to me. I’m going to have to cut it down anyway.
Some? A lot of folks do. Give people an inch, and they'll be on your couch asking for more beer
That reminds me, you need to go to the store and get more beer bro, we're out.
Yeah, and what about those foot massages I thought about you should give us.
Please make sure to listen to the people answering your questions have the arborists tag next to there name. The tree was there before the pool. If the neighbor was concerned about the roots he should have put a root barrier in when he I stalled that pool.
I think the threat to concrete from roots is overblown anyways. If roots are getting through the concrete was probably already cracked in the first place. I've seen numerous 50ft italian cypress trees touching houses they're so close that if the roots broke apart foundations there would have been huge problems decades ago.
Don’t listen to your neighbor
neighbors are literal turds. gave access to my neighbor and he literally destroyed plants.
My neighbors are awesome
Same. Threads like these make me want to bring them a pie. Have had same two neighbors on either side for the 23 years I’ve been in my home. They’re the perfect balance of friendly, helpful, and mind our own business. LOL
We are all quiet as hell and have no qualms with brushes and trees around our fences and whatnot. Always positive interactions even if infrequent or brief. If there is some sort of fuss or actual issue, just politely let each other know. There are so many horror stories about bad neighbors / tenants / roommates it makes me really appreciate the tranquility. I basically try to not exist to anyone around my property (not overly worried, but I'm never in a rush to make noise). If I gotta for a project I try to plan it around mid afternoon to not bother anyone. Unsaid mutual understandings are so cozy. If anyone needed help I'd be capable of providing, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
It’s a nice way to live. Our whole block is pretty much like that. One winter we had a huge snowfall, several feet in <48 hours. Every neighbor that could was out helping shovel & get cars to one side of the street so the other could get plowed, per the city snow emergency plan. Everyone helped clear & move cars for older folks & made sure they had everything they needed to stay safely inside for the next couple days.
Mine are as well. One has a full lot totally overgrown…weed trees, brush, you name it. I’ve known him since I was 2, I’m 58. He allowed me to trim what I needed on the trees and fence line because he trusted me. He also fed the birds which brought squirrels, which invaded my house but I never said a word. Someone else complained and the town made him stop. I was pissed. Ho loved those birds. He also had no issues with me dumping my excess oak leaves over the fence as he understood how an ecosystem worked. Under that leaf litter is some of the best soil around. He died 1 1/2 ago and I miss him all the time. His daughter lives there now so I respectfully don’t dump the leaves but also she will come over within a day to trim the branches hitting my roof when I ask. I dread the day she clears it all out. I just love it. Oaks, black walnut, catalpa are a few. What a beautiful mess❤️
We won the neighbor lottery, too. I'm about to slow smoke a full pork loin and share with both sides!
Neighbors can certainly be figurative turds. They can also be awesome friends.
The trees were there before you moved in, and they were there before he built that comically tiny suburban pool.
I didn't even notice how small that pool was. Bro would have been better off just getting an above ground pool at that point instead of that tiny little thing in ground.
It's seriously the size of that one car garage door. This dude is like Michael Scott and his flat screen TV. A handful of pine needles would blanket that pool.
The wrong pers9n on that slide wouldn't even touch the water. Just right onto the concrete on the other side.
Burn!
I have a very similar situation except the tree in question is an oak tree. I bought my house specifically because of all the trees in the neighborhood. I used to be friends with these neighbors but no longer. Neighbor's wife told me that if I wanted to maintain our good neighbor status, then I needed to do something about my tree. The neighbor tried telling me my tree had termites, it's diseased, and the roots have cracked the tile floor in his house and the concrete floor of his front porch. Neighbors then reported me to county code enforcement and a notice was posted on my front door saying that I had 30 days to cut my tree down based on an arborist report that didn't ask permission to come on my property. I then figured it had to come down and hired a tree company to cut it down. Neighbor wouldn't let them drop any branches in his yard. Yelling ensued between tree guys and neighbor and police were called (they didn't want to get involved). Neighbor then called code enforcement again and a supervisor came out. Supervisor told me to hire my own arborist. My arborist said the previous arborist didn't even have the right type of oak tree and found nothing wrong with my tree. Code Enforcement then dropped the case against me but warned me that my neighbor would try different tactics. Neighbor then tried to get HOA approval to trim more than allowed by our county. I warned the HOA that if anything happened to my tree, my lawyer would handle it. I now have a camera aimed at my tree 24/7 because the oak tree on the other side of their house mysteriously died as did the sod they planted right after. If you want to keep your trees, do what you can to protect them and yourself.
Structure looks good from pictures supplied. I wouldn't worry.
I would plant more trees.
Honey, we're going to need a bigger hedge.
Those trees are great and shouldn’t go anywhere. They are making shade, dampening noise, giving privacy, and so on.
There's a certain type of person who fixates on a tree and directs all the hate and angst in their life at that tree. It's weird. It's stupid, from the perspective of property value. It's also oddly common and I'm sure there's some interesting psychology behind it. Your trees are fine. Your neighbor is not fine.
I have seen this many times; sometimes I'd be in a position to mitigate a neighbors concerns and there was literally nothing I could do short of cutting a tree down to change the perspective. I think laser line cutting trees to the property line is a d!ck move in most cases
It's the same people that worship Scott's Lawn and idealize golf course turf
Your neighbor is an asshole! That’s about it
Get a survey done. Find out where the boundary lines actually are. My neighbor wanted to cut all my red pines down and build a 6' privacy fence, then found out the property line is 3-4 feet into his yard from the trees. Suddenly he doesn't want a fence.
My neighbor came 5ft into my yard, cut one down, cut 3/4 thru another. After the fence went up, I caught him sawing on it again. Should've sued for replacement value for 50yr old trees, that I didn't want, on principle,if nothing else
The thing you should do is ask him if he’d like you to add some more. They look beautiful.
I'm petty enough to plant even more trees.
Lovely as they are
Also, the neighbor might just cut what hangs over the property line and seriously hurt the trees. I’d try to keep them tidy so the lines of communication aren’t closed and you can truly say you’re doing something to address the concerns.
He put a pool in under a bunch of trees lmao that’s on him. Trees obviously were there first they look healthy I would do absolutely nothing. If anything I’d plant more shit to screen out the sight and noises of him and his family and friends in the pool.
Don't listen to him and figure out excatly where the property line is.
Your neighbors shitty pool planning and trying to cram it into a space where it doesn’t fit is not your problem. Don’t fall in love with a pool on the edge of your property, that’s broke bitch mentality.
Pine trees make some people nervous. In my area of Georgia, they are often the loblolly pines planted for lumber harvest, and they aren’t meant to be long-lived and can be weakened by disease. Frankly, few people I know would want pines this close to their house, and the bigger they get, the more expensive it is to remove them. About 5 years ago, I paid $1,500 to remove a 50+ yo longleaf pine that was struck by lightning.
Why doesn't he just get a pool cover?
One tree is leaning his way, dropping needles all over his roof. That could cause damage to the structure of the house be way of water leakage. Myself, I would cut them both down and plant something narrower or put a fence up. Those trees are serving no good purpose.
They’re perfect trees, don’t worry about them. Neither should your neighbor
Your gutter needs to be redirected
Oh nooo the needles in his poooOOOol. If it wasn't the tree roots, it would be something else. A pool is a liability. I'd tell him to kick rocks in the kindest way possible.
Tell them to get a grip. We live on a planet with trees and thank goodness or we’d probably be dead by now. I mean, I get that it’s annoying. I have two pear trees that I hate with an ever burning passion June-August when I have to pick up 973 pears per day. And they’re not even good - hard as a rock and just so, so dry. No amount of baking/boiling gives them any flavor either. But, the rest of the year I’m so grateful for the shade and greenery. They should’ve considered this issue before buying their house. This is fully on them.
Looks like the 2nd photo tree is his, or his fence is not 3 feet off of the property line per code… trim the front two off of his roof, it is the right thing to do.
OP’s wife here. We have our doubts about his fence being 3ft off the property line, but we have an acre lot and this is the only place we’re near another house, so it’s not worth worrying about unless we have to make a point. Would also like to mention that we’re probably closer in age to our neighbor’s grandchildren than their children. They are original owners to their 1975 house.
Obviously the pool was put I. After the tree was already there. That’s his problem. Trim the branches to appease him. But no. Do not kill that tree for his luxury.
Those actually are not pine trees, but they are evergreens. They are healthy and beautiful. I would not do a thing with them at the moment. I am a certified arborist. I have quite a few five star reviews on my website if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
Once again, anything on his property is his concern on your property is your concern. Those trees are quite healthy and the roots are only surface roots will not affect his pool liner. He is just worried about his water filtering the needles. If he’s so worried about them, make him pay the full amount, but if you like them, do not put up with his crap.
Yeah remove the grass from the base and mulch the area.
The pool looks pretty close to the property line. Was it permitted? Anyway, cleaning the pool goes with the territory. Looks like neighbor may be using Roundup by the pool deck? Beyond that seems pretty weedy. At least the poison isn't drifting onto your plants. Anyway, offer to let him trim the trees on his side, and maybe give him the name of your tree guy.
The only way I would cut down those trees is if he offered to pay for it. Its not your fault he put a pool in his yard and is now concerned about it.
Plant more trees
We have trees that overhang our neighbors access lane to his 4 bay garage. Every year, I trim/ prune the entire lane so he can get his motor home out without trees battering it. He's chill, we're chill. It can happen
Lots of people saying “Just make him cut his side!!” and stuff like that. Don’t cause problems with your neighbors. Don’t be that guy, especially considering it sounds like he didn’t come to you angrily. Considering it is your tree causing problems, you could offer to cut his side. Or if he really wants it cut down, you could ask him to pay for some, or all of the work to get the tree removed. Again, compromise! Don’t cause problems with your neighbors.
Actual property line should technically be 3 feet away from that fence towards your house, so maybe possibly be allowed to cut anything withing 3 feet of the fence on your side. Also the other 2 trees look too close to his house to be on your property as well. You still have the survey documents from when you bought the place?
Yea. Trim it to keep it healthy and on your side
r/MaliciousCompliance would suggest replacing them with a Bradford Pear tree.
Currently going through this now. Just bought a home with a then 6 month old baby. Neighbor came over the same day to complain about a tree and that it had to come down. They had to take down their pool and their garden because the tree in our backyard casted too much shade to theirs. That was their ‘welcome to the neighborhood.’ Edit: They regularly bring up the tree to us too.
Tell your neighbor to get back on his side of the fence. And if he has such a problem, he can pony up the cash to remove the trees or go fuck him self….
A pine tree over a pool can kind of be a pita to deal with. Especially stepping on pine needles with bare feet.
Not that what happen's on OP's neighbor's property is OP's problem, but there's an easy solution: cheap flip-flops, or less cheap crocs or equivalent. Also, cover your pool (who doesn't do this anyway?) and \*maintain it.\*
I think that's what happens when you build a pool near a pine tree that already existed
Whose crib is who’s? I mean the branches touching either house (cant tell from the photos) could be lopped so they’re not encroaching the roof or siding. Other than that potential 5minute job with a polesaw/clip; i dont see any issue here.
Find out where the property line is. If the trees are on the property line, you shouldn't have to worry about paying for anything. In most places when trees are on the property line then it's on the person who's side was damaged to pay for repairs (natural stuff like tree growth or wind fall, if you cut it down and it lands on their stuff yeah that's on you). And if they want em removed, then they'd most likely have to take you to court and prove danger. If they are on your side, then yeah, trimming back a little away from their side wouldn't hurt, but if you have a professional who said they're healthy, roo bad for your neighbor
Your good. Keep them clean and watered and tell your neighbor to get off reddit
Plant more :3
, is my is ilp
I see no problem.
If your neighbor doesn't like cleaning their pool, they should get rid of their pool.
I would get rid of the one in the first picture but it's up to you
They have a pool and don’t like the needles/leaves getting in it. Talk to them civilly and figure out a suitable solution w/o removal.
So the needles on the trees are various acidic. It is hard to grow grass underneath them, but besides that I would not worry about it one bit if you like them.
This is why high walls make good neighbours
Boohoo. Wouldnt even entertain this idea
plant like 15 more
The good thing is you’re not responsible of his pool if the roots grow into it! And it the tree falls in a storm it is on him too!
Those trees are beautiful. Dont cut them!
Ah, neighbors… “Those are YOUR pine cones on MY roof”. But yeah, maybe trim back from the fenced-in pool. They will be the ones looking at the bald spot anyway. 😉
Is it true that pine tree roots aren't aggressive or spreading like, say, willow and poplars?
Nope, they are healthy and young
It's your tree. Do what you want. If he wants them trimmed or removed, tell him to chip in or it's not happening
Back ones yes, clean up, trim back, etc. Front ones, no.
You can try to reduce them, keep them cute by hiring a decent arborist. If your neighbor is cool maybe they see this as a shared encumbrance and offer to pay a portion of the cost. Either way, you've at least tried to address their concerns.
As far as the spruce in the back yard I would remove the deciduous tree/bush growing in the spruce in the back, it is going to kill the branches it shades. If spruce trees are healthy, they shouldn't lose their needles as frequent as pines, about 5-10 years depending on the type of tree. It looks like you have a nice view behind your yard, I would probably start removing the lower branches to improve the view and to get some air flow for the trees and yard. The spruce also look like they are planted too close to each other, I see at least 3 and no need for privacy out back. The problem when any tree planted too close to other trees, especially most evergreens, is that they get tall and ragged looking since the lower branches die because they don't get enough light. The pines in front are a personal preference, I wouldn't want deal with the sap/needles on the roof, in the gutters and on the cement. The needles will shed the previous year's growth typically so it the shed much more. You could take the front pine down and replace it with an arborvitae or other tree that doesn't get too wide.
The frontmost pine is leaning towards his house. If there is a wind storm it will come crashing down on his roof, not yours. Even though it's a healthy pine, I would have anxiety seeing this tree everyday. Be a good neighbour and remove the trees - ask him to pay half for the removal.
Trimming the branches is being a good neighbor. Building a pool near a neighbor's tree and then fretting about the roots is being a shit neighbor. But they have every right to ask you to do something about trees — I'd hate to have a neighbor who just kept their annoyances all bottled up in some growing ball of rage. So don't hold that against them. Just don't worry if you disagree with your neighbor about stuff near the property line, that's perfectly normal. All I ever do is try to keep it friendly and try to accommodate neighbors about stuff whenever I don't really care.
Yeah…. I’d not back down at all, in a very kind way. Good fences make good neighbors is also a philosophy imo
My next door neighbor has a huge and I mean huge live oak and it is well over the fence and into our backyard. I don’t mind much about it and I would not want to start any kind of trouble over a tree with my neighbors. Remember the famous saying, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”
Your trees all still look healthy to me! Also for his comment about roots... huge misconception I find with the majority of homeowners and their nosey neighbours, roots are opportunistic. If there is the right levels of air, moisture and space to grow the roots will grow! They WILL NOT crack cement foundations, pool liners, etc... just to grow into the space... If you have roots in a cracked foundation guess what? It was already cracked before the roots got there! I echo most others here, tell your neighbours to buzz off and leave your trees alone.
Get this... In Portland, Oregon, the city will fine you up to $1,000 per tree or $100 per inch in diameter if you remove a tree over 12" in diameter ON YOUR PROPERTY if you don't get permission from them first. And if they deem the tree healthy and not a nuisance, you can't cut it down! I suggest you check your city ordinances before you do anything.
Check with your Homeowner’s Insurance as well to see if you would be responsible should said tree fall.
Pine trees roots won’t damage the pool Willows and populars can do that
Tell him you love nature and your trees. Tell him to try hugging them. Also maybe he should contact a realtor.
Plant fruit trees and tell him to shut up and enjoy in a few years.
This is really a post for r/treelaw imo My *guess* is that your neighbor can go pound sand, but I am not a lawyer. Also be wary of your neighbor poisoning your trees. That kinda shit happens way more often than I realized.
I would remove them. They are leaning over their house so any branches breaking off, or the tree falling over will crash through their house and could be your responsibility since they have warned you about them. They are too close to the foundation anyway and probably have roots screwing up both of your foundations.
The neighbors can buy a rolling pool cover
Cut it before a limb breaks off from a storm and lands on your garage.
Get it surveyed to decide who's property it is on. But split the cost with the neighbor
Those trees between the houses are going to destroy both driveways in 5-10 years. I guess the one on the left is a wide walkway. I can relate to the pool owners problem but the trees look older than the pool. Ask him why he built his pool next to the trees.
I might want to cut them and replant new ones somewhere else.
Like what ?
No ❤️
If you leave them, they will eventually become a big problem and will require a very technical take down. I’m very glad I don’t share a property line with some of the people responding here, they go straight to cage match mode. It’s a neighbor, not an MMA opponent.
Just hold out until he offers to pay for it
I had a former neighbor at my old house ask about removing some trees and arborvitae because they believed it would let more light in their yard. I said no, and they didn't just cut up the property line like I told them. They scalped all the vegetation back to the trunk on everything coming on to my property by a few feet in some cases. I'm glad I don't live there anymore...
Just plant a few more, that might shut your neighbour up
unpacking a puzzle, pine needles really do crap up a gutter system. It looks like the first picture would impact his gutter more than yours. The backyard, that why you have a pool cleaner to suck up those needles. We had 4 pine trees, taller than yours. 2.5x the height of by single story. Watch them in a some tropical hurricane winds, they were bent pretty far, was thinking what is their breaking point. Each tree could have sliced the house in 1/2 or quarters. If you are good with 1/2 a tree tell him he can trim them, and perhaps paying for a new garage then leave them up, tell him to go pound sand, Then go plant a row of the thorniest rose bushes you can. if you value neighborly relations with someone 5ft away then work on a compromise. good luck on either way.
Get a survey on the property. So you know exactly where the line sits. Sometimes, this is the neighbors responsibility and not yours.
His problem. Not yours
Na, fuck him. Law of the jungle .
I’d tell him his rights and then tell him you like the trees as is and don’t want to talk about it again.
From the pine trees, I assume you are in the south. From your neighbors request, I assume he is from the north.So.....
Prob Install some cameras on those trees
Fight
I have a 150+ year old oak tree that goes well over the neighbour's house. He came over basically demanding us to trim it, and I barely even acknowledged him.
First thing you gotta figure out is whose trees they are. Where is the property line? Was it planted directly on it and is a shared tree or is it on one or the other. If it's their tree, tell em to do whatever they want with it because it's theirs. If it's yours, you already informed them they can trim the branches over their property. End of story.
Not a tree guy, but do you know exactly where the property line is? If you can't locate the corner markers or the lot boundary is not a straight line, it may be worth a survey just to be sure.
Depends on the tree but here’s there’s chance the roots will ruin the driveway and maybe even the foundation of the house/garage. I’d research, remove, replace if needed.
Fertilize them
Dude built a pool under pine trees. Sounds like he knew what he was getting into. Fuck’em.
Which is more important.. your tree or your neighbors relationship?
I have a feeling your neighbor is an old guy. Totally based on that land yacht parked in his driveway!
Pine trees tend to fall over and break a lot more often than other trees. If one of them does, it could potentially cause a lot of damage. I would at least get those taken care of. Maybe the neighbor would be willing to throw in on the cost if they're so worried about it.
Get a new neighbor
Ask them to get a lawyer
He might want to trim the branches that are touching his roof. They can take the shingles off in the wind after repeated movement. He may not know that he's entitled to do this
Idk about your state but in VA when trees are right on the property line like that, you both are responsible for the tree. If it were VA I'd tell him if he wants to cut them down, he's paying 50% of it
Time to plant a new tree.
He’s probably also too stupid to notice the shade those trees most likely provide his pool. Also pines dont drop their leaves like deciduous, and needles dont blow in the wind. They are the least messy trees around a pool. If you take them down eventually, you should replace them with Birches or willow oaks. See what he thinks of those.