'Our nosy neighbours hate us for building a fence - now they're seeking revenge'

A young couple renovating their new home and garden are worried a "grumpy neighbour" may cause trouble after she rowed back on agreeing to them building a new privacy fence.

Posting on the social media forum Reddit, an anonymous user said they had just moved into their first house two weeks ago and that most of the people in adjacent properties were older and retired.

The new homeowner explained they had plans to build a sauna in the garden and wanted a higher fence as they have a pet. They added that the previous owner had been "a hell of a gardener" and those living nearby had said they enjoyed looking at the well-kept backyard.

However, after getting started on their new fence and having some friends over at the weekend during the day to help, the person said conflict reared its ugly head, writing: "Now that it (the fence) is in, one of the neighbors freaked out via text - 'actually, no one with property touching yours or in view of your yard is happy about this fence'.

"She said she's more upset about us 'building a hot tub' and that loud music, loud voices, and partying will make spending time in her yard not enjoyable."

Taking issue with their neighbours assessment and grasp of the facts, the Reddit poster added: "Dear reader, there is no hot tub being built, and we have not thrown any parties, we have have lived here for two weeks.

"I can think of some days when we have had a couple friends over to help with yardwork/painting/other DIY stuff, but each time it was on a weekend, during the day, and we weren't playing any music, yelling, or anything like that."

Exasperated and seeking advice, the wannabe sauna owner continues saying they feel the neighbour may have "judged them as annoying kids" and that "now that she's told me that people are allegedly paying close enough attention to my yard to be upset, it kinda (sic) makes me want to fence it even more".

The Reddit poster added that they believe the neighbour is "exaggerating" but it "still sucks to think that within two weeks of our arrival we've p***ed off the whole block".

They asked the forum if they should just ignore the neighbour or if it was a "rite of passage" to have a least one "grumpy" person living nearby, and even wondered if "we take any steps to try to smooth things over".

A top rated reply on the site made their thoughts clear, responding: "Sounds like a great reason to build a privacy fence. Enjoy your new house and private outdoor space."

Another jokingly shared an anecdote about their own neighbours, posting: "Just ignore them. One of our neighbours confided in my husband that the new neighbour, Mr Smith, is an **hole. We are the Smiths."

And another person noted the horticultural excellence the poster alluded to, adding: "Am I the only one that wants to see this garden?"