When we talk about a privacy screen for the garden, we usually think of a high wooden fence or a garden wall. Of course, walls made of stone and wood offer just as little protection against prying eyes from above as a majestic hedge. If you feel bothered by onlookers from the upper floors, build a pergola as a decorative privacy screen. This DIY guide explains how to do it.

A pergola fence can be planted decoratively

Tips on planning and building permits

The preparation of a true-to-scale plan sketch brings advantages in many respects. First, you can precisely determine material requirements and costs. Thanks to the drawing, you always have an overview during construction work in the garden. Furthermore, the sketch can be used to determine whether a building permit needs to be applied for or not.

Many construction projects for an imaginative garden design have to overcome the hurdle of a building permit. Since the regulations differ from region to region, we recommend contacting the responsible authority during the preparation phase.

Purchase of materials and tools

The following list of materials refers to the need for a wooden pergola, which is then equipped with climbing aids for greening with a high privacy factor from all sides. We recommend purchasing pressure-treated wood from a hardware store with a cutting service.

Material:

  • Squared timber (minimum thickness 10 x 10 cm) for crossbeams and pillars (post length 210 to 220 cm)
  • Wooden beams or thick wooden slats as roof rafters
  • screws, bolts
  • Mounting plate and bracket
  • rafter anchor
  • Post shoes or U post bases
  • quick concrete

Tool:

  • cordless screwdriver
  • Drill (€97.00) including wood drill bits
  • hand saw
  • screwdriver
  • screw clamps
  • Spirit level, ruler, pencil

Before you start working on the following DIY instructions, please measure the construction site for your pergola. Mark the exact position with string and wooden sticks. In practice, a distance of 2.50 m or less has proven to be good for the pillars. Larger distances could negatively affect the statics and should be discussed with a specialist.

Set posts professionally - this is how it works

The posts are anchored in a concrete foundation so that your wooden pergola not only protects you from prying eyes in the garden, but also defies storm and rain. Metal post shoes or U-beams also ensure the necessary distance between the moist soil and the wood of the pillars. This is how you concrete the posts correctly using the DIY method:

  • For each pillar, dig a pit measuring 35 cm x 35 cm and 80 cm deep
  • Mix quick-drying concrete with water and pour into the pit
  • Insert post shoes or U-beams into the soft concrete and stabilize with wooden battens
  • Allow concrete to harden
  • Attach wooden posts with bolts and screws
  • Important: Check the alignment of the pillars with a spirit level

Those who value every detail in stylish garden design should not fill the liquid concrete up to the surface of the ground. By leaving a little space, you can spread garden soil or lay pieces of turf on the hardened concrete surface.

Assembling the pergola - this is how you do it right

The transoms are bolted to the pillars using mounting plates and angles. Since the pergola does not have a roof, thinner wooden slats are sufficient as struts. These are fixed at a distance of 70 to 80 cm on the crossbeam with mounting brackets or special rafter anchors.

Since the privacy pergola also makes a decorative contribution to the garden design, we recommend sinking the wooden rafters into the crossbeams. This is very easy to do by sawing a 2 cm deep notch in each rafter that corresponds to the width of the cross beam. The struts are then screwed on from below.

Stabilize crossbeam

If you flirt with a green covering of powerful climbing plants, such as clematis or wisteria, it will add up to a considerable weight over the years. To ensure that the crossbeams can withstand the pressure better, an additional support made of squared timber is recommended. These are sawn at an angle and screwed on at a 45-degree angle between the pillar and the crossbeam.

Plant opaque pergola - tips & tricks

There are various options for greening the wooden pergola so that it is opaque. Trellis or trellis can be easily attached to posts and crossbeams. As a climbing aid for creepers, attach wire ropes with hooks to the crossbeams, which are weighed down with pieces of offcut wood.

To ensure that your privacy pergola in the garden does its job from the first summer, we recommend a plant combination of annual and perennial climbing plants as well as spreading climbers. Short-lived permanent bloomers such as sweet peas (Lathyrus) or morning glory (Ipomoea) bridge the waiting time for honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium), wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) and other climbing artists with a furious sea of flowers.

Once the climbing plants have reached a certain height, fix the tendrils to the ropes or struts with small rings. Elastic plastic cords also provide the shoots with reliable support when the wind blows stronger.

tips

This DIY pergola is perfect as a privacy screen for the patio. This has the advantage that you can green the side walls with privacy plants and block the roof struts with weatherproof double-wall sheets. You give your creative garden design a floral highlight and don't have to flee from every rain shower.

Category:

Garden design