Privacy Please: Our Quick Deck Makeover

One of the best features of our new house is the deck. It's spacious, comes right off the kitchen, and unlike a lot of decks in the area, it actually has stairs to the ground level for the pups. We spent the majority of Saturday basking in the great sunlight it gets which was all it took to convince us to invest in some privacy!

This is what you see when walking out the back door. I'm sure the neighbors are nice, but I really don't want to see their backyard- even if they have gotten rid of the piles of old furniture and the rusty 50 gallon drums.

When deciding how we were going to solve this little problem, we ran through a few ideas. The first was a row of tall potted evergreen trees- like this:

I was thinking a long, sleek, rectangular plantar to line one side of the deck. Of course, this idea was a little too costly and we probably aren't going to be in this house long so it wasn't ideal.

D's idea was to put up some lattice work.

Not really my style. And if we were installing it ourselves, it would have lovely unfinished edges I'm sure- we're not exactly equipped to do a project like this correctly. I want something nice to look at!

So, off we went to Lowes and we found the perfect solution- a privacy screen! It had a sleek look to it, matched some of our other furniture, and we can take it with us the next time we move. And the best part- it hides our neighbors perfectly! D attached it to the deck railing with some screws and wire so it wont go anywhere. He's so handy!

In addition to the privacy screen, we picked up a couple of black pots and trellises with clean lines. To climb up the trellis, some jasmine that will smell great when it blossoms and some trailing petunias and dusty miller to fill the bottom. They will provide us with some extra privacy and a pop of color.

To make the deck look more inviting, we arranged this little nook with all of the potted herbs and the rocking chair. Very cozy and it gets great sun for the plants. 

Here's the view from the back door after our little makeover:

The deck that once felt too big and exposed is starting to feel intimate and inviting- and after only purchasing a few items! Sorry, no before pictures- the neighbors were out in their yard when we were putting the screen up and I felt bad! 

The next task is to pot the tomatoes and peppers and put them along this rail. They will still get long days of sun and also provide more shading from the neighbors on the other side. Also, I think we're going to put a tall evergreen in the corner where the grill is so you don't have to see the neighbor behind us when you're standing at the kitchen sink.

Is it obvious that D and I came from the Midwest where backyard privacy is a given? Now this place is starting to feel like home!

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