Couple furious after neighbour builds ‘horrid’ extension with huge window overlooking their home… but get the ultimate revenge

A couple who bought their dream home discovered there was one looming problem: the neighbor’s giant window that towered over their new yard, making them feel like they were being watched.

That’s why Daniel Cox and Nick Hodgins spent two years coming up with creative design solutions to hide the ‘hideous extension’ at the bottom of their garden.

The pair launched what they called ‘Operation Hide the Window’ and began planting a series of trees and shrubs and adding features to hide the huge dormer window which they claimed opened from a room previously used as a ‘porn set’. .

Now the couple – who have documented their garden transformation in a series of wildly popular TikTok videos – are finally celebrating completing their mission as ‘the monstrosity’ has ‘completely disappeared’ behind their towering barrier of silver birches, maples and ferns. .

A source said: ‘The neighbors love what they have done to brighten up the garden and surrounding area.

‘They have brightened up the area and there has not been a single complaint from the people in the dormer.

“They haven’t caused any problems in the house with the huge dormer and window and everyone is happy.”

The couple – in their 30s – bought their three-bedroom Edwardian terraced house in Leytonstone, east London, for £706,550.

They insist there have been no complaints from people living in the property, while neighbors have complimented them on their work, which is part of a spectacular garden makeover.

They named it Hitchcock House in honor of the celebrated Hollywood film director who was born less than a mile away in a flat above his parents’ rented grocery store.

One of Hitchcock’s most celebrated thrillers is Rear Window, starring James Stewart as a photographer who spends his time watching his neighbors while confined to his apartment while recovering from an injury that left his leg in a cast.

He witnesses a murder and recruits his girlfriend, played by Grace Kelly, to help solve the mystery.

Facing their own rear window nightmare, Daniel and Nick told friends that the only downside to their new home was the structure their neighbors had built there more than a decade earlier.

It was built after owners of a shop adjacent to the couple’s home were refused planning permission in 2006 to convert the property into a family home.

The following year the council approved permission to turn part of the property into a flat.

Coincidentally, the shop where the dormer was built is on the same street where Hitchcock was born.

Daniel and Nick set about renovating their new home and its ‘awkwardly shaped’ garden which was covered in weeds. They charted their progress on TikTok as they created an Instagram account in the name of their new home.

Describing their struggle for privacy, they posted a photo of the dilapidated garden and dormer window on TikTok with the caption: “Okay, so we bought a house in 2022. A neighbor built this hideous extension in breach of planning permission with the window.

“It was built over a decade ago, so we can’t challenge it or have them removed.”

The couple tastefully installed garden furniture and planted their first few trees at the bottom of the garden before posting a new image with the caption: ‘So ‘operation hide the window’ began.’

Another image charting the progress shows that the window is “still there,” but after installing a pagoda and laying the patio and black and white tiles, the couple unveiled “a small improvement.”

Further ‘progress’ is made as the trees reach new heights and they announce that they are ‘almost there’ after the window slowly disappears and they add a garden kitchen, marble-topped table and dozens of new plants.

Finally, they reveal how the window has disappeared as their garden makeover is complete.

Explaining how they achieved their goal, a caption on a photo posted to Instagram in May 2023 read: “The love of my life, also known as the fern tree, has started producing new leaves.

“The silver birch and acer are beginning to cover our neighbor’s window.

‘Interesting story, the apartment overlooking our garden was previously used as a porn set.

‘Strangely enough, the real estate agent did not mention that fun fact in the brochure.’

As they put the finishing touches to the garden, they wrote: ‘Refurbishing the garden has been the best investment for the house so far and we have managed to do this on a fairly low budget.

‘During the warmer months our house feels twice as big, so it’s been well worth it.

‘I literally live here from March to October, standing next to the BBQ with a beer.’

When contacted by MailOnline, Spanish-speaking residents of the building with the large window said they had no problems with the plants installed to hide the dormer window.

Daniel and Nick also declined to comment on their work when contacted by MailOnline.

But the source added: ‘They decided to name it Hitchcock House to celebrate Leytonstone, where Sir Alfred was born.

‘There’s a huge mural of Hitch on the corner of their street and he was born less than half a mile away on Leytonstone High Road.

‘Leytonstone is undergoing massive change, with restaurants and new shops opening everywhere, attracting young creative professionals like her.’