Many people struggle with the issue of property boundaries, so we want to share our experience and the solution we came up with for this common problem. It is well known that building right on the boundary of a property is prohibited; during construction—especially for residential buildings—a distance of at least one meter must be maintained. Our neighbor built a two-story extension to his house right on the boundary. At first, this did not cause us much concern.
However, our worries grew when he started building a mansard roof with a window facing our plot. It was especially the window that troubled us. When we realized his intentions, we tried to discuss the problem with him. Unfortunately, he did not change his original position but explained that the plans were already finalized and that he would not alter the project just because we opposed the window.
After that, we contacted the local building authorities. They confirmed that our neighbor was indeed violating the rules, but also informed us that there was little we could do about it. Even if we took legal action and won, it would be difficult to enforce the judgment, since the neighbor would not face any real sanctions for breaking the law.
We built a small shed near the neighbor’s extension and decided to modify it somewhat. Our plan was to raise the shed’s roof height and design it so that it blocks the neighbor’s window. Before starting the work, we informed the neighbor about our plans to raise the shed’s roof to block his window. It is important that our shed is built according to the rules and maintains the prescribed distance from the property boundary, even though it is not a permanent structure.
This is how the situation looks now, and we are very pleased with the result. Our story demonstrates a practical way to solve boundary-related problems when formal channels do not lead to an effective solution. By creatively using our property within the framework of the law, we managed to resolve the problem satisfactorily.
