Neighbour reveals why she put up 2.5m fence

An Aussie who erected a 2.5m ‘mega fence’ found herself in the middle of a major online debate — now she’s revealed why she put it up in the first place.

A Brisbane resident has slammed her neighbour for tearing down their shared fence and replacing it with a “mega fence” — now that neighbour has shared her side of the story.

Taking to Reddit on Thursday, user “MrsH_192” pleaded with Brisbane locals for advice on dealing with the issue, claiming her neighbour had removed the existing 1.8-metre fence “with no communication or notice to us” and was building a mammoth 2.5-metre replacement which was “impeding light into our house”.

She shared several photos showing the imposing new, Trumpian-style ‘lapped and capped’ timber fence — built with privacy-maximising overlapping palings — towering over the ageing original.

The 2.5-metre ‘mega fence’. Picture: MrsH_192/Reddit

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“The photo shows the old fence height (the top of the grey fence posts) and the new fence leaving us with barely any light on that side of the house,” she wrote.

“The neighbour has cited that they are doing this to ensure their dogs are contained however they have not replaced the shorter fences in their yard, and only built a ‘barricade’ type fence along part of our fence line.”

She said Brisbane City Council had advised that “they can’t do anything as the neighbour will just need to get the fence certified for it to comply”, while the Queensland government had “advised that we can take them to QCAT, however this may take several months”.

“I have tried to speak very politely to the neighbour but I got nowhere,” she wrote.

“I have asked them to pause works until we can reach a mutual agreement and we would even consider contributing to the costs. Can anyone offer any advice or words of wisdom?”

The neighbour in question has given her side of the story, telling news.com.au she had tried to discuss replacing the old fence for a few years.

“Over Christmas the fence was falling down and I had to get someone in urgently,” she said.

“We spoke to council, council said go ahead and build it, worry about the certification afterwards.”

The woman said the relationship was strained due to disputes about her large dogs and rubbish on her neighbour’s property.

“The only reason for that high one was because her text messages and letters were about the dogs, but to be honest it’s kind of nice not to have to look into their place,” she said.

The woman said she had spent about $4000 on the fence.

“It’s nice now, we’ve got the double panelling,” she added.

She said the new fence was ‘impeding light into our house’. Picture: MrsH_192/Reddit

Many Reddit users queried why the original poster was complaining about getting a brand new fence for free.

“Who cares be happy you’re not paying and get a nice new fence,” one said.

“Not going to lie, the new fence looks better, offers more privacy and is free. I’d be counting my lucky stars,” a second wrote.

“I would be thrilled if my neighbours did this!” another said.

A fourth agreed they would be “stoked if my neighbours did this”.

“Much more privacy for you and them, especially with your houses so close,” they said.

“Less dog worry as well. Plus they are paying for it. I don’t understand your problem. As for the light issue, the pic you showed still has light into your house. The old fence looked awful and now you have a new one. Without you paying! Quit whinging and embrace it.”

The neighbour reportedly said it was to keep their dogs contained. Picture: MrsH_192/Reddit

One person added, “OP I would NOT fight this, unless you are ready to fork out a few [thousand] for a new fence. He is covering all costs which I honestly could only dream of.”

Another agreed with the original poster that it was “insane that they didn’t ask you”, but added they would “also be incredibly excited if my neighbour built an entire new fence at their own cost”.

“If you take this to QCAT, as part of the mediation you will most likely be asked to foot half the cost of an appropriate new fence,” they noted.

Some questioned if there was “more to the story”.

“Seems there’s a lot more at play here than being let on,” one person mused.

In response to some of the comments, MrsH_192 said she would “happily foot the bill” to remove the new fence and “install a waist-height fence to provide us with great natural light”.

A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said building approval was not required “if a proposed fence is no higher than two metres above the natural ground surface”.

“Fences taller than this, or regulated pool fences, require building approval,” she said in a statement.

“Council recommends that property owners obtain advice from a licensed private building certifier or contractor to check if the project complies with building assessment provisions. The Queensland government regulates fencing, including how to resolve disputes between neighbours. It provides guides for avoiding, resolving and mediating tree and fence disputes here.”

News.com.au has reached out to the Reddit user for comment.