Privacy Awning
My neighbors, on both sides, just built decks overlooking my patio. I would like to restore my privacy. I know the building code prohibits fences higher than six feet. However, the code doesn’t seem to have any limitation on awnings. I’m thinking of installing a canvas “awning”, protruding eight feet out and seven feet high,…
My neighbors, on both sides, just built decks overlooking my patio. I would like to restore my privacy. I know the building code prohibits fences higher than six feet. However, the code doesn’t seem to have any limitation on awnings. I’m thinking of installing a canvas “awning”, protruding eight feet out and seven feet high, parallel to their decks only. It wouldn’t cover my patio.
As anybody seen anything like this before?
People a few doors down from us have a simple canvas awning on one side of their deck to screen their view of a truly hideous deck-cum-giant chicken coop next door to them. The awning can be rolled up and down according to their whim. Simple, inexpensive, and who the hell’s gonna stop you?
Generally I am all for the pergola with vines. But I have seen pergolas with panels of canvas or a lighter, more airy cotton fabric draped over the beams of the pergola. It’s a nice treatment, you dont have to have a green thumb or wait a couple of years for the vines to grow in, and you can leave it up all the time or take it down and throw the whole she-bang in the wash.
Hey, I sympathize. Ignore the jerks offering you hunting camouflage structures. This is a real pain in the ass problem. Our neighbor has the same thing, a deck and stairs that look into our yard, and what’s more they attached these floodlights to their deck that make our yard look like a prison break took place. (We talked to him about that and he changed them). Prior to this we were able to sit in the yard without having to continually make sure we looked good or weren’t making out or anything. And who wants to keep greeting the neighbor when you enter your own yard like you’re looking for permission to enter. So it is an issue.
I saw on one of the HGTV/ DIY tv shows, that they said you need to make a focal point in your yard that takes your attention away from their deck and that focuses the neighbor’s attention on it too instead of looking at you. And they built a nice looking pergola and covered it with Wisteria vines a few feet from the fence, but taller than the fence, so that it partially blocked the view of the neighbor’s structure as well. That way you don’t have any problem with codes about tall fences, etc. since the structure is entirely in your property, but it serves as a focal point and provides privacy. And you could sit under it too in hot summer afternoons. We decided to grow clinging Trumpet vine right on the fence and hope it will cover and camouflage their deck and when it blooms, take our attention away from it.
you should move your meth lab into the cellar and install a blower vent
Anonymous- 2:21 PM
are you that dense that you don’t get the joke?
I have the same problem as you do. Personally i think i am going to go the growing large vines route. Its not perfect and will take some time but its better than nothing. If i had different neihbors i would just opt for a higher fence. I have seen people do this but its the kind of thing all the neighbors need to go along with. It doesn’t seem like my neighbors have any interest in privacy so i wouldn’t even try this, but i have seen blocks with brownstones/townhouses where everybody has an 8 foot fence and everybody seems happy with that.
anon 1:52 these Cabelas look more for duck hunting than relaxin’ in the back yard. What other acitivty requires that much camoflage?
something like this should be OK:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Item/41/72/86/i417286sn01.jpg
Even before your neighbors built decks, they could see your yard from their upper floor windows.
What are you doing out there that requires privacy? Living in the city assumes you will not have complete privacy but so what.
Those awnings are fug. If you must have some kind of privacy, what about a trellis with some vine growing on it. It won’t be immediate but it will be more attractive.