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[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
So I put up a fence this weekend. There had been a thin wire trellis between my yard and the neighbors' before, and the neighbors had extended the trellis to attach to their roof to form an arbor. Theoretically vines are supposed to offer privacy, but the vines are really sparse on the fence though fairly lush on the top of the trellis. I can see into their kitchen and TV room, and they can see all of my back yard. I have no idea who put the vines in, though I'm assuming they put in the trellis.

They're moving in a few weeks, and I told them about the fence a few weeks ago. I told them again about the fence earlier in the week when I got the date confirmed.

Fence building begins on Friday, and I talk to the contractor about the vines, saying that anything intertwined into the trellis stays, except for the bouganvillas (which would die without sun) and anything clearly on my side of the fence line.

I stop by and look around 6:00 on Friday. A note is taped to my door sometime later from irate neighbors saying that we'd cut all of the vines and that they were irreplacable since there won't be any sun to help them grow back up the trellis. It concludes with "we have to talk."

I inspect damage, and it turns out that 2 bouganvillas were cut and 2 vines. One of the vines had a rotted root system. Three major vine systems were totally untouched. I go next door at 9:00 the next morning to find no one home. I leave note with all of my contact information.

I also go and dig up a 20 foot honeysuckle from my front yard and put it where the cut vine was. I also bought a bouganvilla and left it on their front step.

Neighbors never returned on Saturday, and I was out of town on Sunday until around 8:30.

Acknowledging that I should have probably gone plant by plant with the neighbors before giving any instructions to the contractor, is there anything else I should do? I've had excellent relations with the neighbors up until this point.

(There's a longer version with helpful map of the afflicted areas and detailed descriptions of the plants in question if anyone's interested.)

The fence, btw, looks great, and I may be frolicking in my backyard naked for the next few days.

Blame the contractor. Have they sold their house yet? If not, they're surely agonizing about how to make it look perfect. If so, surely they can't care that much.