Who likes sunbathing under the prying eyes of the neighbors? With a privacy screen, you not only protect your privacy, but are also protected from annoying wind. Ready-made elements made of wood are practical and inexpensive so that you can build a stable and decorative privacy screen yourself. This guide explains how to do it right.

A skilled do-it-yourselfer can easily build his own garden fence

Privacy fences are subject to building regulations

Before starting construction work, please contact the local building authority. The creation of enclosures is subject to different specifications in the individual federal states. These concern not only the height and the distance to the neighboring property. Some regions have specific materials or a maximum height for a fence.

Material and tool list

Competent providers of fence elements as privacy screens have various planning aids ready to determine the exact number of elements. Since most modules cannot be shortened afterwards, a detailed, true-to-scale sketch is essential. In addition to the fence elements, the following tools and materials are required for construction:

  • spade
  • hammer
  • cordless screwdriver
  • trowel
  • ratchet
  • plummet
  • ruler and pencil
  • Mason's cord or tape measure
  • level
  • Hex head screws (M10 x 110mm)
  • washers and nuts
  • post anchor
  • sticky notes
  • precast concrete
  • wooden slats
  • Wood stain with the Blue Angel
  • paint brush

If a privacy screen is attached to a house wall, you will need additional wall anchors to attach the corner posts.

Preparatory work - this is how you keep your bearings

Mark the exact course of the privacy fence using a taut mason's cord from corner post to corner post of each fence element. If the privacy screen runs around a corner, align the course using a construction angle. Along the stretched cord, mark the positions of the posts with sticky notes. If you hang the plumb bob on a sticky note, you know exactly where to dig the hole for the post anchor.

Use posts for fence elements - this is how it works

After you have determined the positions for the corner posts of the fence panels, it is best to dig all the pits in one operation. How to do it right:

  • Dig 80 cm deep holes with the shovel for a frost-free concrete foundation
  • Use the cordless screwdriver to pre-drill holes in the posts for the hexagon head screws of the post anchors
  • Screw the post and anchor together
  • Measure and mark the positions of the fittings on the posts
  • Attach fittings to all posts in one operation

As a rule, at least 4 fittings per post are required to later fix the fence elements to them. To avoid cracking the wood, please pre-drill each screw hole.

Attach fence elements - you should pay attention to this

To prevent large privacy fence elements from buckling, support the lower edges with stacked stones. We recommend a second man as a helping hand for this operation. Use wooden wedges to straighten each module. How to proceed:

  • Place the pre-assembled posts in the pit and straighten them
  • Check the bottom and top of the fence panel to make sure the edge is in a straight line on the post
  • Screw the fence modules to the pre-installed fittings

The challenge in this step is to give the posts that have not yet been concreted in enough stability that you can screw the fence elements to them. Stack bricks on two sides of a post. Now push a stable wooden slat through the post anchor so that it rests on the surfaces of the stones. If there is still a lack of stability, slide wedges in between on the right and left.

Concreting corner posts - this is how you do it right

Use wooden slats to temporarily support the privacy screen. Do not settle for alignment until the spirit level confirms vertical adjustment. Now fill the post holes with ready-mixed concrete or screed concrete. Do this in layers, alternating between pouring in concrete and water. Smooth the surface with the mason's trowel.

Wood stain protects against weather influences

So that your new wooden privacy screen does not weather, paint the fence with wood stain in the last step. We recommend a product with the Blue Angel. This certificate confirms that there are no ingredients that are harmful to health, such as plasticizers and similar chemicals.

What to do on sloping terrain?

If you determine during planning and measurement that your garden has a slight slope, you can straighten the area. You determine the height difference with the help of tightened strings and a plumb bob. Then gradually level this out with topsoil until the spirit level signals an even surface.

A steeper slope requires a different approach if you build a privacy screen in the garden yourself. Under these circumstances, a step-like installation has proven itself in practice. The posts are shortened to fit precisely at the lower end. It is important to note that a downhill post is always flush at the top with the uphill fence element.

tips

In the natural garden, privacy protection from shrubs is very popular. With growth rockets, such as privet or cherry laurel, prying eyes over the garden fence are quickly a thing of the past. You can do this inexpensively with bare-root goods, which you plant in the ground at the best time for planting in autumn.

Category:

Garden design