DIY Deck Enhancement to Add Privacy and Interest
Fall in Kentucky is a beautiful, highly anticipated time of year. Who doesn’t love fall and all of its crispy glory? Then fall starts to wind down and settles into the beginnings of winter. I love winter as well. All the cozy fires, warm blankets, and snow. I love it all but what I don’t love is the unobstructed view of our neighbor’s houses behind us. Every year I have a plan to add a little something to blur the line of sight between the back of our home and the back of theirs.
Half the year a variety of trees and wild shrubbery help our home to feel a little more secluded than it actually is. It’s a great set up for those of us who like to pretend we’re living on the edge of the forest when we get in the house but also like the comfort of having good neighbors close by. The other half of the year it can feel a little like living in a fishbowl when all the leaves are gone for the winter season.
I’ve tried a few short term solutions over the years but nothing that worked year after year. Closing the drapes to the deck is always an option but I like to let the light in and see the rain and snow when we get it. So I had to come up with a new solution.
The time had come a little while back that we had to have our deck rebuilt. Not only did we want a little larger deck but the one we had was in really bad shape and for safety’s sake we needed a new one.
The leafless view was in my mind when we were designing the deck. I knew I wanted to add something that would help us with the issue of having a clear view of the back of the neighbor’s homes. What I came up with was to first have some built-in structure included in the new deck plans.
As you can see, we had 3 of the posts in the railing extend to 7 feet from the deck floor. We bought a corner bracket and 2 l-shaped brackets to connect the extended 4x4s. This gave us a nice frame and good support to add some further architectural elements that take your eyes away from the neighbors and give the illusion of more privacy.
In my design I was also thinking of how much I love the backyard trees in the spring, summer, and fall which is why I didn’t want a completely permanent structure. I wanted something that could be removed or didn’t completely block the view when the trees began to bud again in the spring. The goal here was to bring the attention back into my home and yard and let the other homes fade in the background.
Of course, the frame structure sat empty for a couple of winters while I thought about all the possibilities and details that go into building the screens. I worked on other projects and then finally came back to putting my plans for winter in place.
This project was simple if you have the tools to do it. I wanted to keep it pretty uncomplicated but nice and sturdy so that they would hold up against the winter weather year after year. (They were put to the test right after I installed them. It stormed for several days here and they were still in perfect condition when it was all finally over.)
Here’s a list of what I used to complete this project:
1 x 2 cedar boards for the outside
½ inch dowels for the vertical pieces
1 ⅛ inch lattice strips for the horizontal pieces
Hand saw
Chop saw
Router and bits with table attachment
Forstner Bit slightly larger than the heads of the screws
14 – 1 ¼- 1 ½ inch exterior wood screws
Exterior Wood Glue
¾” nails and nail gun ( you could also use small nails)
Now for the process:
First, I decided on a simple design and worked out the measurements. I planned on hanging the screen so I wanted some space between the frame of the screen and the deck posts. I was going for a hanging or floating effect. At this point I also decided to have the horizontal strips weave in and out of the vertical dowels for extra strength and to prevent the screen from having a front and back. I also think doing it this way keeps the weight evenly distributed so that it won’t be prone to swinging forward or backward.
I worked up a little visual to scale to really see the spacing. I wanted it to catch your eye with plenty of negative space for the sun to go through. (I have some potted evergreens on the deck that still want the sun.) As with all projects sometimes your plans change when you see things in person even if you sketched them out beforehand. In this case, I ended up changing the horizontal pieces from 5 to 4 within the frame. I just liked the size of the open spaces better with one less horizontal strip.
With the plans and measurements complete I was ready to chop the frames. I cut each piece the exact length I needed for square corners that overlapped. I didn’t take into account the width of the 1x2s because I was going to be using a kind of lap joint to make the corners of the frame.
I marked the 4 pieces across the middle of each end and then again ¾ inches down from the top. I marked an X on the section that I was to cut out of each end.
When figuring out which side to cut on the longer frame pieces make sure that the complementing end of the side pieces has the opposite section removed.
Before joining the corners I routed a 3/16” groove in the center of the two side pieces that will be facing inward when it’s all said and done. I chose to come in 8 inches from each corner but start and stop based on your plans. The table router is perfect for this and makes it quick and painless.
Next, drill holes about ½” deep with a ½” drill bit for the dowel rods in the longer sides of the frame. Make sure to line them up perfectly to keep them parallel. We don’t want wonky lines for our screens. Now, you can chop the dowels ⅞ to an inch longer than the height of the inner dimension. I cut closer to the ⅞ to give a little wiggle room.
I assembled 1 long side and 2 short sides first. Each corner I glued up, pre-drilled, and then used exterior screws to secure. I also used a forstner bit to make an indentation for the screw heads: it isn’t completely necessary but it does look cleaner.
The dowels get installed in the long side of the frame at this point. Use a bit of wood glue for now then, after the whole frame is put together, you’ll come back around to secure the dowels with screws.
Chop the lattice to the appropriate length so that each end fits snug inside the previously routed grooves of the side frame pieces. The positioning of the horizontal lattice inside the side frame grooves isn’t important right now as they can be moved into position after the frame is completely put together. What you need to focus on here is making sure they are woven evenly between the dowels.
Alternate each lattice piece to go in front, behind, and in front the dowels and then behind, in front, and behind on the next lattice piece. At this point is when I decided that I liked the look of 4 horizontal strips instead of the 5 in my original design.
Now, we attach the last piece of the frame in the same manner as before. Each corner is again glued up, pre-drilled, with divots made with the forstner bit, and then secured together with exterior screws. Make sure to do this on both sides of each corner for a strong joint.
The horizontal lattice can now be moved into place and secured with ¾” nails in the nail gun.
I used a semi-solid exterior stain and sealer to finish it up and hung them within the posts on the deck. They can easily be removed and stored come spring and produce a nice element that helps to draw your eye from the neighbor’s homes when the trees are bare.
This year I plan to keep them up and use them as a support to grow Jefferson Beans on. I’ll be sharing my progress with that on my Instagram so follow me there to see how that goes. If you aren’t familiar with Jefferson Beans they are absolutely stunning. I’m growing them for ornamental purposes but the bean pods are edible if eaten when very young. Older pods can become poisonous according to the experts so keep that in mind. They are so beautiful though and absolutely worth the effort.
During the winter, I plan to hang wreaths from the overhead posts and have them rest in the center of the screens. I may add a little extra dazzle during Christmas Time as well, we’ll see.
I hope this diy project inspires you and gives you some ideas for privacy issues you may have. Don’t forget to sign up for my email list to know about what’s coming next! Have a great week!
