Neighbor/Fence Vent

Your city zoning department might have regulations about 'blocking views'....it's worth a shot. The easement boundary appears to be within code. I know that in my city if a structure is blocking your view, you can file a complaint. Check it out.

I had a problem with the boy behind us, whom I have referred to as the Spawn of Satan, throwing stuff at our dog and poking sticks at him. Talking with his father didn't help. Talking directly to the boy didn't help. Then, one day, I caught him throwing stuff at the other neighbor's border collies. I left a note on the door to the BC's. In that note, I mentioned that since talking with the parents accomplished nothing, I would call the police the next something happened. That seemed to have some affect.
 
So, you might try that with the parents. "I would appreciate if you could keep your children from throwing stuff at my dogs. If not, I will have to call the police. If that doesn't work, you will be contacted by my attorney."
 
Once parents realize that they can be held liable for what their children do, they will find it in their hearts to teach the little boogers some manners.
 

Ron, I've talked to the parents of the little turd who sneaks through my woods to my yard.  The little brat went into my motorhome and left a GIFT in the toilet!!!  What did it look like???  A public restroom????  The dang thing is winterized....antifreeze in the pipes, the whole nine yards.....no water in the tanks...so I had to CARRY water out to flush, and now I'll have frozen turds in the black tank to get rid of come spring. 
 
This kid has woods behind HIS house, but he built a tree fort in MY woods.....nailed into TWO of my big old jack pines.  Even had a space heater up there that he was powering with stolen electricty from a building site.  And "someone" went into my shed and took all the pieces of the fort after we tore it out of the tree.
 
I've talked to him and his parents.  The SHERRIF has talked to him and his parents...the STATE POLICE have talked to him and his parents.....I ran barbed wire through my woods to keep him out and get to walk the fence line every day to make sure no animals are caught in it, and since my woods are on a STEEP hill that is covered with snow, I usually come back with fresh injuries or torn clothing cuz I slide into the danged thing.  And STILL he manages to invade MY land.
 
Basically, we've got a fancy subdivision in the middle of the boonies, with very few people living in it and a very BORED kid who is looking for something to do, and gosh, my dogs seem to be a BIG draw.  My dogs, my motorhome, my house, MY trees......AND he's gotta walk more than a mile to even get here!
 
So you've gotta have parents and kids that GIVE a rodents rear end.....

Save up and buy a VERY large tree - preferably one that drips a lot of sap!   

Eight thousand!!! It is gorgeous. It sounds like your neighbor is probably a good-hearted "turd." He sounds like he was (maybe) just being friendly (unless he's got a thing for PJ's!).

It does stink that they put the fort there. We have one in our back yard, too, and though my yard isn't huge, no matter where it is, it does afford a view of most neighboring yards. I don't usually look, however!

Like everyone, and you, said, addressing the rock throwing would be a good thing.

Good luck, M.M. and let us know how they respond to your mention of their rock-throwing kids.

Kelly, You're right - you're stuck with it.  I think your only viable option to regain some of your privacy is exactly what you said - some fast growing evergreens.   I also think that you should do more than tell the parents about the rock throwing.  I would make it very clear to them that this is totally unacceptable and if it happens again, you will be throwing rocks at their children!  Good luck!

Not to use the "H" word but there are some hybrid trees that grow anywhere from 6 to 15 feet a year--that might be an option.

ORIGINAL: minimom

Hmmm, that's an idea Randall! 

Maybe I should start drinking my morning coffee in the nude and then Mrs. Neighbor will keep the kids AND the hubby out of the fort! 

 
Maybe you outta post a pic here so we can evaluate the wisdom of that plan.  []

[sm=smack.gif][sm=lol.gif]
 
Nice fence!
 
I have the same thing going on right now.  My neighbors have two kids and a huge play fort like that as well.  And it's about 4 ft from the fenceline.
 
They also have two cats that have taken up residence in the top of the fort, and they drive Lenny batty in the afternoon.  He barks and barks.  I tried talking to the neighbors about it, and got, "well, they're cats.  They're supposed to annoy dogs." So now, I have to keep him inside when they are out and around.  However, my rule is if the cat comes in the yard, and Lenny is already there, Lenny can chase it away to his heart's content.  (They use my flower bed as a litter box, too.) 
 
Usually, about the time they come home from school is when we go to the dog park.

Liz:

Two words: Super Soaker

A couple of ideas, since the police aren't helping. Electrify the fence. One farmer does it around here to keep his cows in.
 
Declare your property a habitat. One of my friends, who is from MI and owns property there has listed as a habitat for wildlife. Then, get you some wolves, the big 120 pound kind. And post a sign saying "ketchup goes good with everything."
 
Another expensive idea, sue them into bankruptcy for invading and defacing your property. Since the parents don't care about the police and probably would rather let their child be a menace to soceity instead of actually instilling discipline, then maybe their wallet is sensitive.
 
But I can empathize with how frustrated you must feel. We can always hope the turdy boy will slip on the ice and break his neck. Then, again, I am an optimist.
 

Ron!! [sm=rofl.gif]  I think that the little jerk is part mountain goat. He goes up and down that hill and over my barbed wire likes it's not there.  I usually SIT down and inch down the hill on my butt.  That hill is STEEP!!

That treehouse is truly awful.  I'm so sorry...
 
We have some charmers here too ... *rolling eyes*  They will stand on their side of the fence and growl and snarl at my dogs.  I caught them once and hollered at them.  It hasn't happened since - but that was at the end of the summer ... so who knows what this summer brings.... *sigh*
 
We're actually thinking about moving because of our neighbours.  On one side their kids stand on their bikes to look over our fence.  I don't think they realize that we're not running a zoo.  The others are the ones I mentioned above....
 
We need a 6' privacy fence ... but we need a new roof more.  I wish I had a money tree...

If I had done such a thing as a kid and you came to my mom's door, that would have been the end of the problem. I would have received corporal punishment and, too put it nicely, a stern lecture until it was absolutely drilled into parasympathetic nervous system about not doing that. On top of that, I would have been made to clean or repair any damages I caused. And then, I would also be grounded for an indeterminate amount of time. It's called discipline and it's becoming a lost art.
 

Also, my favorite author, Heinlein, once said that boys should be raised in a whiskey barrel and feed them through the tap hole. At the age of 18, you have to decide whether to let them out or drive in the cork.