How to Build a Privacy Screen (w/ Monica from The Weekender)

-How many of you have a space outside your home that you wish was a little more private? Maybe you live near a busy street or have nosy neighbors. Whatever your dilemma, I have a solution for you. Today I'm going to show you how to

build

a

privacy

screen

for an outdoor space. I will guide you step by step and teach you how to do it right. I'm sure by the end of this video you'll be able to take what you've learned and do it yourself. When we talk about a

privacy

screen

, we are not referring to a full length fence.

Think of it more like a partition that can block off a part of your garden. Privacy screens not only create a much-needed barrier, but they are also great for adding some style. The first thing you need to determine is the location of your privacy screen. Does it go to the ground, to a terrace? Is it part of a patio? What you adhere it to will determine some of your design and the materials you will need. For this situation, we will place a privacy screen in front of the pool filter. The pool filter is right next to the pool.

It's a beautiful backyard, but it's not something you really want to look at. This is a great example of how a privacy screen can help you hide something that you need to access but don't necessarily want to look at all the time. My friend Jon is starting to take some action. He is a licensed contractor and he will help me throughout this project. So we're going to explain where we placed it, why we placed it, and take our measurements. Here we have our pool filter, and we want to hide the front and the side, right, so we're going to go with two sides, kind of an L shape, but we're calculating our exact length and height, so what do you think? occurred? - So we have 39 inches from the edge of that molding to the edge of this post. - Well. - So if we drill down into our footers here, we can have our 39-inch front display that's right here. - Okay, and as far as our height goes, we're letting our utility determine how high we need to go because we want to cover that exit, so what height is it? - We have 72 inches to the top of this electrical box... - Yeah, okay. - Which is conveniently the same place where the top of this post is. - It is perfect. - And since this is already in the footer all the way down, if we attach it correctly, we should be in good shape.

We're clear on the pipes out here, so we can dig a footer and we'll be in good shape. - For our situation, we're going to be able to work with the existing deck post behind the house, and then we'll install two additional posts here in the front. Okay, time to create a bill of materials. This screen should be a pretty simple

build

for us and for you at home if you know a few power tools. Now, the bill of materials for each privacy screen may look a little different, depending on the size and design you choose.

For our purposes, we need the following: three 4x4x8 pressure-treated lumber posts, 1x6x8 for horizontal cleats, stainless steel screws, 6-inch FastenMaster HeadLOK, one box of stainless steel ring nails, two bags of gravel, four 50 pound bags of quick-setting concrete and a couple gallons of water. Alright, let's get ready to start digging holes for our posts, and what we need to do is make sure that we're positioned exactly, so our privacy screen will be at a 90 degree angle, so A post will go here, then the screen will continue and then the other post will go here. So what we have is marking paint, and now we're going to mark those holes, dig the holes, and then we'll build the rest of our screen that fits exactly.

Another thing to mention is that any time you build any type of permanent structure like this, you should check your local building codes and zoning and see if you have to get a permit. - And then you want to call 811 to make sure you don't have utilities you're messing with. - Well, for the diameter of the hole, basically how big, how wide do I need to make my hole, the way to do it is to calculate three times the size of what's going to go in. This is a 4x4, so 4 inches by three, I need a 12 inch hole.

You can do this in two different ways. We're going to dig our holes and put in our posts first because we have a good amount of pipes underground here. Now, we have consulted with our pool attendant and have a pretty good idea. I think we'll be safe, but we still feel like that would be the best route. It's also a good idea to have some plastic on hand so that if you need to move some dirt, which we're going to be dumping a lot of, you can put it on a tarp and it won't kill the grass.

Plus it's easier to move it if you have extra. Alright, when you use a post hole digger, it's really cool, it does a lot of the work for you. When you drop it in your hole, your handles are together. Then you will separate the handles, let it grab all the dirt, pull it out, and then put them back together to release it. We will go down about 24 centimeters. Now, we're in a really warm climate, but if not, if it's an area that can freeze, you'll want to know what your frost line is and generally you'll want to make sure your hole is 6 inches. below that frost line. - And the reason is, if water falls underneath and freezes, it could lift the pole off the ground.

So basically, if you're in the Northeast and your frost line is at 36 inches, you'll want to get to 42. That way you keep the pole from coming out of the ground. - Now that we have our hole at 24 inches deep, we have come to a really important step. We need to add 4 inches of crushed stone or gravel to the bottom of the hole. The stone will help with drainage around the post. This simple measurement will also provide a solid, level surface for our post to sit on. Alright, our gravel is in, it's been tamped down the post, and now what we need to do is determine how much of the top of this post we need to trim to make it the exact height that we want this privacy screen to be. be.

Okay, so we're using the level that comes off the top of the post, which will be the top of our privacy screen, and now once I have Jon's level, I'm going to measure my rammed stone. I have a flat surface and that will tell me exactly what height my post should be cut to. We are at 95 inches. - We have our reference point here, and then we'll level it. Now, this measurement won't be exactly 95. It could be a little more or a little less. - Right, depending on exactly where our rock landed, but we're pretty close, 94 3/4. - It's good, awesome. - Well.

Alright, we've set up a little workstation here, and when you're about to build, it's very important to work on a level surface, so we've got two sawhorses and then a sturdy piece of plywood that we'll work on and we even opted for a little luxury, we set up a tent to keep us out of the sun and comfortable while we build. As I mentioned, we are going to build this L-shaped privacy screen, so I made a sketch. I'm not an artist, but it shows you a little of what we're going to do. While we're here under the tent with our workstation, we're going to focus on building this larger part, and then the smaller area here will be built in place because part of that will work outside the canopy.

Okay, so the first part of this build is going to be cutting our 4x4s, which we level, measure and adjust our lengths, and to do that, we're going to use a circular saw. - So to cut them, I think using a circular saw will be a better option than using a miter saw or something. This has a little more flexibility, so we can work without having to throw a heavy piece of wood on top of a miter saw. - Yes, absolutely, so it's a matter of preference, but for us, we're going to use the circular saw, and Jon mentioned that they're heavy.

I should also mention that they are pressure treated. Any time you have wood that is going to come into contact with the ground, you want to make sure to use a pressure treatment because that will prevent it from rotting. Now, the only thing to keep in mind is that when using pressure treated wood, it cannot be painted or stained right away, so our privacy screen will need to dry and cure for a month or two. before we can apply the dye. You really want to review your individual product and what you plan to do with it, and the timing will vary a bit.

Alright, so we'll start by measuring and cutting our wood. Alright, we're going to measure 95 inches, so Jon is just marking it out and I'm using a Speed ​​Square to get a nice straight line. So our circular saw blade isn't deep enough to completely cut this 4x4, so what Jon is doing is marking our measurement on all four sides. This way, we can cut, then turn the board over and cut again and we will be completely cut. And now we're going to get safe and use our circular saw to make these cuts. - One of the things I really like about this saw is that it's obviously lightweight.

It doesn't have cable. It has a thumb lock, which is great for safety, so if I pull the trigger right now, it won't start. So, you want to make sure that your blade is free of the blade guard, but when you get into it, you want to make sure that I'm pressing the safety with my thumb down, pulling the trigger, and that you're starting away from the material. . If you get into it and then try to start it, it will get stuck a little. So when we go to engage, I'll use the Speed ​​Square and it will act as a guide along with the pencil line. - So to use the Speed ​​Square, align the blade with the cutting line and then you can take the Speed ​​Square, slide it up and then hold it securely.

This is a great way to ensure you get a nice, straight, stable cut. Pressure treated wood is treated with chemicals and you don't want to breathe in any of the chemicals when cutting sawdust. You want to make sure you wear a dust respirator mask. You should also always make sure to wear eye protection when working with any type of power tool. And we're going to cut it, turn it around and cut it again. Okay, so our two main posts are cut to size, but this third 4x4 we need to cut for our top and bottom rails on the main section. - So our total is 39 inches, so we're going to subtract 3 1/2 inches because it's actually 3 1/2, not an actual 4 inches. - The 4x4s are 3 1/2.

Difficult, I know. - That brings us to 32 inches. - Okay, so the total cut will be 32. When these are added, we are at 39, right? - Correct. - Well. So all of our posts are sized and now we're building what the frame will be for our larger side of the privacy screen. We've fastened one of our long upright posts to our plywood so it's super secure and will keep everything in place while we start building. Now what we need to do is join all of these posts together, and what we're using here are screws specifically treated with a pressure-treated wood coating.

Okay, so we'll start attaching them on the other end and give you one of these. Now, I should point out that these are really long 6 inch fasteners, but that's what we need because it will go all the way through the post and attach to the next one. - So this is an impact factor. The difference between this and a normal drill: it has enough torque to be able to go through it without having to drill it first. - Very good, let's put two at each end. Okay, now that we have our frame ready, we'll move on to the wooden slats, and this is where you can really get creative, have a little fun, and change up the style.

We're going to use 1x6 pieces of wood, and I've decided I want it to look like a fence, so we're going to space them out, just leave a little space between them and just consistent horizontal slats. But you can opt for a combination of wider and thinner boards. You could vary the space between them. You could go vertically. This is where you really have full creative control. The first thing we must do before we can place them is cut the boards to the appropriate size. Jon will cut them exactly 39 inches so the boards will span from one post to the other, a perfect 39 inches, and then we'll join them together.

Ok, now that all of our boards are cut to size, we can attach them to the frame, and we will do this using a hammer and galvanized patio decking nails. The reason we use them is because they are exterior, they will work great with our pressure treated lumber, and they have a ring shank. And also just because you're going to see these nail heads, we go ahead and measure exactly where they're going to go on each board so that we have a consistent straight line all the way. Ok, we now have our first board connected, but now we need to determine thespace between each board.

I have a little trick for you. I like to call it cheater blocking. And I basically cut a piece off one of our 1-bys here, and we used the exact same piece every time. We'll have consistent straight lines and won't have to measure each one as we go. It's a very quick way to do it and still get consistency. Come back here and rest. Alright, this is the main panel of the privacy screen that is built, and now what we're going to do is place it in our pre-dug holes, we're going to fill it with concrete, we're going to make sure we're nice and level, we shore it up and then Now that our posts are in our holes, we want to make sure our privacy screen is level and plumb, i.e. , leveled horizontally and then vertically, which is plumb.

Alright, the first thing we're going to do is level our fixed point, which is our deck post here. - I'm very happy with that. - We did a pretty good job with our holes and distance in our measurements. This side is level. Now let's level the front. - Fairly good. - Very close. Maybe a little high on that side, so Jon is just going to use a hammer and hit it down a little bit. - Good? - Good. We are placing temporary braces on the front and sides of our privacy screen to keep it securely in place when we place the concrete.

To make these braces, we placed a 1x4 on each side and then placed stakes in the ground. Jon is leveling, and once I know he is exactly where we want him, I will drive a screw into the side of my 1x4 on the stake to hold it firmly in place. For stakes, you can buy some at Lowe's or you can cut them yourself from leftover wood scraps. You just want to make sure you have an angled tip at the bottom. Makes it easier to penetrate directly into the ground. Alright, to make sure our posts are super secure, we're going to add some quick-drying concrete that's going to go into the holes.

We are using quick-setting concrete and picked up about four or five bags. Each hole requires approximately two bags each. What I really like about this is that we don't need to premix it, so we don't just add the concrete and water into a bucket and then put it in. We can add the concrete to our dry hole and then add water. above and it will still give you strength and durability, but it will save us a couple of extra steps. You want to stop about 4 to 6 inches from the top of the hole. You can also watch another instructional video on how to set up your posts specifically.

Click on the link. We move on to building the smallest part of our privacy screen. This is the section that will be a little smaller and will actually attach to the post on the deck. Jon put a spacer board and then a 2x4 directly on the deck post which leaves us straight and level, so we'll work with that. And now he's leveling and we're going to measure and cut our slats exactly for each piece. One thing to remember is that we are lining up our slats perfectly with the same location and position as the others. We use the same hammer and nails and keep the same spacing as on the front just to give it, again, a semblance of consistency.

So now we're going to use our cheater block on the back, but on the front, we're more concerned about making sure that visually it looks perfectly aligned. We also hit the ends with a little bit of sandpaper just to make sure it's nice and smooth and finished. For my three bottom boards, I'll install them a little differently. We want to be able to easily access the pipes here, so even though this is a privacy screen, if you have an area where you want it to be private but also easy to access, I'll use screws to attach these. inside.

This is much easier than if you continued with a hammer and nails. With nails it would be difficult. I would have to pry it off. But with the drill and screws, if we ever need to access there, we can easily close them back up and put them back in place. Okay, now that we have all of these horizontal boards on, the only thing left is to attach the top two, and that will require us to take off the brace, which we can do now because it's really safe. All these tables are subject to this post and it is good to remove them.

Well, we're almost done. We need to remove the rest of our temporary braces and then we need to fill in the dirt around our holes and put everything back in so we're good as new. So we saved the dirt from when we dug the holes and we are using it to fill. We left about 4 to 6 inches on top of our concrete, so now we just need to get everything back to normal. Ok, our build is complete and our privacy screen looks amazing. It is doing exactly what we intended - blocking the pool filter and will even help with the noise.

Although our privacy screen looks great, it will look even better in a couple of months when we stain it to match the rest of the fence and this garden, but remember, because we are using pressure-treated lumber, we need to give it a three months for it to dry completely. So for now, our work is done. We'll be back. We will stain it. It will be like new. As always, do it right. Start with Lowe's. Want to learn more? Be sure to check out the Lowe's YouTube channel for great how-to and step-by-step videos and lowes.com/howto for all kinds of projects.