Build a privacy screen on a deck, so homeowners can enjoy a slice of privacy without the expense and total seclusion of a fence.
About this project
It’s tough to work from inside the house when work schedules don’t require staying inside all day (hello, sanity) and there’s the option to take a call or work through emails on the deck instead of the office. However, when there’s a ball field adjoining the end of the backyard, a right of way through the trees, and neighbors who have uninterrupted lines of sight to each other, there’s less than ideal levels of privacy to get anything accomplished.
These homeowners wanted some help to carve out a bit of privacy and create something interesting and inspiring to view.
We worked with their goals and budget, and decide to create a stepped privacy screen design on their deck. And, we positioned the Acre cladding in between the posts, rather than surface-mounted to keep a streamlined look. Little details can make for a big difference and a look that matches their home and new work-from-home lifestyle on the deck.
Here’s the how-to
One of the benefits of using an already-built deck as the base for building a privacy screen is that there are no holes to dig. However, there’s demo involves. We have to carefully remove the old railing and then integrate the new privacy screen into the old structure.
Here’s how we built this privacy screen.
Step 1. Remove and delete existing railing and hardware.
On an older deck, expect the hardware to be a mess. Plan to use a blend of cutting with a reciprocating saw and wrenches/ratchets.
Also be mindful of how the posts are attached. Some older posts are notched and a post that’s missing 1 3/4 inches will show up as a challenge later in the process.
If the top cap is mitered, you may need to do some neat cutting with a circular saw.
Step 2. Layout the privacy screen panels.
One of the best things about a privacy screen is that it can be made different heights as needed. A trick I like a lot is a stepped look–each panel gets shorter or taller as needed. Again, it doesn’t say “wall,” it says, “I’m on a call and I need to think.”
The deck also has a gate, so we had to plan the opening and the panel sizes based on the gate width.
Step 3. Make and install the privacy screen posts.
We cut the posts to fit, but with a little extra. Running the posts high gives us the option to run the patterns where they look most finished.
We used three 5/16 x 6-inch PowerLags to secure the posts to the deck frame, shimming the posts nice and plumb before we cinched them down.
Step 4. Fasten the horizontal strips.
Before attaching the horizontal strips, we need to install vertical strips to hold the Acre between the posts. So, 1-inch in from the edge of the post, we apply a 3/4 x 3/4-inch nailing strip, screwed to the post with #8 x 2-inch Spax.
Then, we got our first piece nice and level–with a 1 1/2-inch gap at the bottom so leaves and debris can be cleared off the deck–and stapled our pieces up, spacing them 1 1/2-inches apart.
To trap and hide the connections, we add another nailing strip for a nice, finished look.
Step 5. Make and hang the gate.
There are a number of ways to build a gate for your deck. To avoid diagonal bracing, we notched and screwed #10 x 3-inch fasteners to hold the gate frame together. The screws bite so hard that–if your notches are nice and square–it squares up the gate frame. The Spax I use suck in so hard, it’s full Beast Mode.
Design-wise, to call out that the gate was operable–and different than the rest of the privacy screen–we ran the Acre cladding vertically.
Note: Since the gate is heavy, I decided to anchor the top of the hinge-side post to the house to keep in doing what it’s supposed to do.
Curious about Acre by Modern Mill?
Learn more about the wood alternative called Acre by Modern Mill.
Note: Modern Mill by Acre provided us the material to create this privacy screen.
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