Last Updated on May 30, 2023
Budget-friendly DIY privacy screen ideas for your deck, patio, and backyard!
With homes being built closer and closer together, it's easy to feel like you're living in a fishbowl. Houses are being built much larger, but the opposite is true for the lots! This can sometimes feel like you don't have your own space. Fortunately, there are a lot of clever and attractive ways to create privacy in your yard, or on your deck. Whether you have a small or large budget, you can get creative with these yard privacy tips and potentially create your very own personal retreat!
DIY Privacy Screen Ideas
1. Tiered Hanging Pots & Vines
Add privacy and shade to a covered porch by layering hanging pots. Trailing plants like Ivy are excellent fillers, but just about any full plant or flower will work to suit the season. You can also plant fast-growing vines in pots, attach rows of fishing line from the flower pots up to the porch cover, and guide the vines to grow up the wire. Flowering vines, like morning glory, can reach 20 feet in a matter of just a few months.
2. Outdoor Privacy Screens
The biggest benefit of a privacy screen is that it's less permanent than a fence and can be moved around the yard as you please. They are great for adding privacy to a small area without having to fence in the entire backyard. They are available to buy in just about every material, but you can also make your own!
3. Outdoor Privacy Curtains
Just like in your windows at home, privacy curtains made out of outdoor fabric are an attractive way to create a little private retreat. They create privacy and shade just when you need it. This is a popular idea for creating comfortable backyard living spaces you can also find this idea Listotic's backyard patio ideas.
4. Bamboo Screening
Bamboo makes for excellent tall, lush and dense screens! It can grow in the ground or in a planter, depending on your needs. Use it in an area of the yard that perhaps has high exposure from the road or neighboring home.
5. Make A Garden Wall
Get crafty and diy a privacy screen! This not only serves the purpose of creating privacy, but also gives you more room to grow an herb garden by using vertical space, and could potentially mask an unattractive wall or neighboring home.
6. Lattice Panels
Lattice is really easy to work with and can be cut to fit just about any space. It is also ideal for growing trailing vines; an easy way to grow a wall of greenery.
7. Walls of Plants
Although this can take some time to leave room for growth, a living wall of plants is the most beautiful way to create a quite retreat in your backyard. Tall and bushy plants are best for maximum privacy. Some good plants for this are Evergreen trees, Italian Cypress, Oleander, Skyrocket, Gold Cone, and Emerald. Check your area to see which plants will last all year round.
Extend the top of your fence with natural elements
8. Tall Garden Pots
Garden pots can instantly become a DIY privacy screen. They can add several feet of height to your plants, shrubs, flowers and trees. Place them close together to create a charming wall wherever privacy is needed.
9. Hedge Walls
Although this takes a little more time and patience, a wall of hedges creates even more privacy than a fence. They are also great for extending the height of a fence by placing them just along the inside border.
10. Repurposed Doors
When you think of privacy, a door might come to mind. Why not use old doors or shutters as a privacy screen for your yard? Connect them with hinges and strategically place them in the yard to cover up an ugly wall, separate the yard, or block passerby's from obstructing your privacy.
11. Add Height to Fences
If you have a sloped yard, live on a hill, or have close neighbors, adding height to your fence can add much-needed privacy. There are a few creative ways to do this without replacing your fence; you can add a custom-made or pre-made trellis, or plant tall evergreens along the length of the fence.
12. Faux Ivy
Want or need privacy now? You can purchase faux ivy and place it along an iron fence or trellis. I love this idea for those iron fences that are sometimes a homeowner associate's mandate where a wood fence is not an option. You can find a variety of styles and sizes on Amazon.
13. Sound Barrier
Keep in mind, your privacy extends beyond sight. If you live in a close-knit community with your neighbors practically sharing the same yard, consider adding a water feature. This is especially nice if you live next to a loud and busy road with lots of traffic noise.
14. Sunflower Fence
This takes a little planning each year, but the results are gorgeous! Plant giant sunflowers along your fence line. Not only are they gorgeous, but they help extend the top of your fence. Which adds patio privacy during the summer and fall months.
