Backyard privacy ideas can be as simple as adding one wall of wood or greenery to building a full enclosure to block out unpleasant views, traffic, or a neighbor's prying eyes. Even in a densely populated urban area, solutions to add privacy to your outdoor space include unusual items like curtains or balcony balustrades covered with trellis and greenery. Consider thick plants like yews, bamboo, and even lilac bushes for living privacy fences, hedges, and walls when planning for outdoor seclusion. To build a hardscape privacy fence from wood, stone, or metal, check your local ordinances for height and other proximity restrictions. For inspiration, follow these backyard privacy ideas from design experts to gain privacy and block unsightly views.
Install Privacy Panels
Paradise Restored
Wood fencing encloses this long, wide backyard near Portland, Oregon. Additional wood lattice panels add architectural interest and create privacy. "We always like to add a private retreat in the landscape as an escape for people to have some downtime," Kim Thibodeau of Paradise Restored in Portland explains. "The pathway in front of the privacy screens leads to the retreat."
Cover Fences With Greenery
Stefano Marinaz Landscaping
The owners of this stylish formal garden in West London wanted an elegant outdoor space to entertain. Stefano Marinaz of Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture framed the perimeter with hedges. Fencing mounted on top of the existing boundary wall added privacy.
Fences are an easy and effective way to achieve privacy in a yard, though don't forget to check your local ordinances for height and placement. For fencing materials, Marinaz prefers hardwoods over softwoods. "Hardwood lasts longer; it's like iron," Marinaz says. "It's more expensive than a softwood but more durable and nicer." If you can't put up fencing, consider planting trees, hedges, or vines. Marinaz favors evergreens from the Taxus genus.
Build Around a Tree
J. Michael Tucker / Ohashi Design Studio
Architect Alan Ohashi of ODS Architecture in Emeryville, California, found clever ways to work with a huge old tree at a house situated on a busy street. The tree was pruned to reveal its sculptural branches, and it gently rests on an elegant fence that faces the street. Also, a new sandblasted-glass gate and carport walls give more privacy while still letting light in.
Create an Enclosure With Dark Wood
Linda Oyama Bryan / Rolling Landscapes
One way to attain privacy in a yard is by creating a "room" with three or four walls. Unlike an interior, the walls of outdoor rooms can be real, implied, or both. Designed by Rolling Landscapes, the rich, dark wood enclosure of this Burr Ridge, Illinois, backyard adds architectural interest to the garden while providing a cozy seating area with a custom gas fire pit. Plants provide additional privacy.
Make a Focal Point Wall
Rooftopia
When planning an urban garden, it can be hard to make privacy screens that aren't too obvious. Jenn Lassa and Marcin Matlakowski of Rooftopia in Chicago succeeded with an appealing vertical wood wall day and night. Architectural elements, such as the fountain, wall planters, and vertical succulent pieces, are artistically lighted for a relaxing focal point.
Try a Custom Fence
AFLA
The owners of a two-story home on a narrow lot in the San Francisco area wanted a yard that wasn't overpowered by their house. Andreas Flache of AFLA Landscape Design included a fun entertainment space with a hot tub, gas fire feature, and a long bench. To make the property more private, a custom linear fence with a hickory stain was built around it. This gives the property privacy without making it feel closed off. Horizontal fence panels are interspersed with shrubs, woody ornamentals, and perennials to soften the appearance. Entry to the home is through a fenced, open-air courtyard.
Use a Living Wall
Urrutia Design
Urrutia Design created a richly textured, dark green living wall for this outdoor seating area in Mill Valley, California. The shrubs must be pruned often and precisely to prevent it from becoming an overgrown, uninviting forest. Furthermore, don't think a living wall means you shouldn't design with other plants. Choose plants you like, keep them healthy, and enjoy the scenery.
Make a Curtain Screen
Alicia / Thrifty and Chic
DIYer and blogger Alicia of Thrifty and Chic finally found a way to get some privacy in her yard after several years of dealing with neighbors whose big houses on a hill gave them a great view of her backyard. "So, after years of feeling a lack of privacy when hanging out on our porch, I finally came up with an idea! A cute little privacy screen that resembles the look of a pergola," Alicia says.
Build a Private Raised Terrace
Fences help with boundaries, but they don't always offer privacy. By building a raised dining terrace with high walls—like a permanent wooden screen—the designers at Genus Loci Ecological Landscapes could give their Toronto-area clients the privacy, they requested in an otherwise exposed backyard. Just make sure such a structure is permitted in your area.
Use Extra-Tall Privacy Hedges
Chauncey Freeman / Fifth Season Landscape
A wall of privacy hedges and a fence create intimacy for the wood deck and built-in seating area at home in the Eugene, Oregon, area. Chauncey Freeman of Fifth Season took advantage of the hedges' height. He added a little evening ambiance: strings of lights swing from the shrubs to other high parts of the yard. And even if you didn't want to put up a fence, these condensed hedges can create privacy all on their own.