Neighborhood Law Saxony / Boundary Construction

Go back into yourself once more and think about who is playing the clown and who is playing the hero here.

Friend or not: He is allowed, just like any builder, to do certain things. In our case, it is even law that if a dog moves in, the property must be secured with a fence. You don’t have any disadvantage because of that at all. You can still plant your hedge.
This is not a game... why should you pay? ... Things don’t have to make sense to you when it comes to others...

So don’t take anything personally and the next grill invitation should come from you, so that you (your wife and you) make a statement that the excitement is unnecessary. Even if there are other factors playing a role in why you are angry: just try to look at it neutrally from a bird’s eye view.

Nicely summarized.

I also think people make the mistake of taking such things too personally too quickly. Objectively viewed, it hardly went like this that the neighbor thought, "Yes, I’ll show them and put the garage right on their boundary – and to really annoy them, I’ll make it three meters longer than necessary and put up a long fence as well!"

On the contrary: My experience (at least here in my circle of acquaintances) is actually that builders are very much aware of the inconvenience they cause and don’t make it easy on themselves mentally. I can well imagine that this is especially why they refrained from making any announcement – conflict avoidance, though definitely not sustainable.

I can only give you this tip: Just talk about it calmly. Congratulate your neighbors on the garage and look together at how something nice can still be made out of the given situation for both sides.

I just thought of something: "we all," meaning those who have built within a regulated area, share the hardship of having the garage on the property boundary. Just like us, our neighbors have also placed theirs on the boundary, etc., so everyone has some kind of wall where they have to/can look. For me, it has more advantages than disadvantages: wind protection and provides privacy. If I wanted, I could plant my hedge in front of it, but I could also use it as a neutral backdrop for something more eye-catching. Or place a bench in front of it, even a seat shield across, creating a niche there or storing the trash bins. There are many reasons for having a wall on the property, so consider what you can showcase now. If you don’t like it color-wise, maybe you can paint it differently? Or actually green it... Your reaction is also not wrong or anything; everyone has been or is sometimes in a situation where they see themselves as the victim. Often the mentioned bird’s-eye view helps :)

Together is always better. Our neighbors in the garden put up a new, opaque fence last year, 1.60m high. They asked us beforehand if that was okay - of course! They could have made it a bit higher if they wanted to since we benefit from it too. The other neighbor wanted to prevent our carport (with back wall) at the boundary. But it didn’t happen. He could use the newly created wall so well - a pergola in front, a bench underneath, and he would have a nice spot in the summer (no, he prefers to put a garden chair in his canyon between the house entrance and garage in summer...).
I ask you to spend a few quiet minutes thinking about what it would be like if you accepted your neighbor’s constructions or plans. To what extent does it really affect you? You can always plant a hedge in front of the fence. And with his fence, you don’t have to worry that his dogs will carve a path through the hedge :)
Regarding the garage - take a look at what ypg wrote about it. Can’t you also reasonably include it in your planning? You can also plant your hedge in front of it. Or like the neighbors who put a trellis in front of their own garage (with some distance), where the vines are now thriving. Please don’t put yourself through wanting to confront this now. Maybe someday you’ll need your neighbor’s goodwill, and you surely don’t want to live next to each other in conflict in the future.
Talk to him, and feel free to tell him in a relaxed tone that you were surprised by the size of the garage, but that everything is fine. None of this is worth a fight.

So first of all, thanks for the many answers.

And upfront:
- No, I am not angry
- Yes, I know the garage is needed :)
- No, I have no interest in opening a can of worms
- If I wanted war, I would probably take other routes than bothering you here :P

The thing with the L-bricks was already a good tip, that this does not count as a boundary, even if he puts the fence on top of it? Is it then FirstCome-FirstServe? If I plant my hedge now with a distance of 0.5 to the border and he comes around later with the L-elements that require quite some civil engineering ... what happens to my hedge then? ;)

Certainly, I would not have written such a post three weeks later, that is surely out of mood. But as has already been said, things can be discussed in advance, and that applies even more when you know each other. Unfortunately, such things develop, you overlook many things without saying anything. Building materials are dumped and stored on the neighbor’s property, the crane comes and is set up on the neighbor’s property ... such things can be agreed upon out of decency beforehand, no one would care about that. But it’s all about tone. It’s also not like it’s the same people who got really upset with their other neighbor because he just put up the fence without asking. As a result, there was the agreement that we of course want to do everything better and always coordinate with each other :D

even if he puts the fence on it?

Perhaps it is conceivable to declare the L-stones as a necessary foundation for the fence. However, I lack the constructive imagination for that.

Is that then FirstCome-FirstServe?

Well, Saxony is far away and it has been a long time since I was there. In NRW, the Neighbor Law is IMHO clearer (or just more familiar?). Here, an agreement is definitely necessary. But I also think so in your case, because how should he put the fence on the boundary without using your property. Of course, if you come first with the hedge, which stands only on your property, he has to deal with how he can carry out his project without causing damage to you. Otherwise, he is liable for damages. But it can also end in endless lawsuits.

You don't want to make a fuss, but your posts and questions about the topic are geared towards defensiveness and confrontation. You urgently need to talk to each other, once you are clear with yourself and know what you want.