Project recipe
Build a Backyard Privacy Screen
Screens blow over when fences beside them don't, because they're taller and more solid. This sizes the posts and footings against your height and exposure, and checks the height limit first.
- Post count and spacing for your height
- Footing depth from height, frost line and exposure
- Concrete bags, rails and board counts
- Five styles compared by how solid they are
- Height-limit and setback warnings before the materials list
- A build sequence with the concrete cure marked
Build a Backyard Privacy Screen — interactive tool
The run
Over 6 ft usually needs a permit.
Frost depth and prices
Footings must go below it. 0 in mild climates; 36-48 in across the northern US.
24 x 6 ft - average exposure
Your privacy screen
at 7 ft spacing, in 24 in footings
- Post length
- 8.3 ft
- Footing
- 24×10 in
- Concrete
- 15 bags
- Boards
- 35
- Materials
- $840
- Two people
- ~22 hr
Horizontal slats with gaps - 75% solid
Good at eye level, with light and air still passing through.
The current default, and it suits modern houses. Long horizontal runs need a mid-post or the boards will bow.
Home & Garden Living · homeandgarden.living/projects/privacy-screen
Check height limits and setbacks before you build
Most US jurisdictions cap rear-yard fences and screens at 6 ft without a permit, and front-yard structures considerably lower. Your 6 ft screen is within the common threshold, but verify locally. Setback rules also govern how close to the property line you can build, and HOAs often impose separate limits. A screen built over the limit has to come down.
Call 811 before digging post holes
5 holes at 24 in deep is more than deep enough to reach buried services. Free utility locating is legally required in most of the US and takes several days.
Ground-contact lumber for anything in the soil
Post sections below grade must be rated for ground contact, not just for exterior use. The difference is the preservative retention level, and it's the difference between a post that lasts 20 years and one that fails at the soil line in six.
Talk to the neighbour first
A tall screen on a boundary affects two properties. A conversation before you build costs nothing and avoids the far more expensive version of this conversation afterwards — and in many places boundary structures have shared legal implications.
| Item | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Posts (8.3 ft, ground-contact rated)Spaced 7 ft — closer than a fence, because a screen is taller and more solid | 5 | $130 |
| Concrete for footings24 in deep × 10 in diameter per post | 15 × 60 lb bags | $102 |
| Gravel for footing drainage6 in in the bottom of each hole so the post base isn't sitting in water | 3 bags | $18 |
| Rails | 51 linear ft (2 runs) | $122 |
| Horizontal slats with gaps boards144 sq ft of screen face, 75% solid | 35 | $263 |
| Screws, brackets and post capsExterior-rated fasteners only — ordinary screws bleed rust stains within a season | — | $121 |
| Stain or sealerSeal all faces including the ends before assembly — end grain is where rot starts | 2 gal | $84 |
| Materials total (DIY) | $840 | |
- Installed
- $1,596-$2,604
- Screen face
- 144 sq ft
- Rails
- 51 ft
- Permit likely
- Check locally
The five styles, by solidity
Horizontal slats with gaps
75% solidGood at eye level, with light and air still passing through.
The current default, and it suits modern houses. Long horizontal runs need a mid-post or the boards will bow.
Vertical boards
85% solidVery good — vertical boards read as more solid from an angle.
Traditional and structurally forgiving. Board-on-board gives full privacy with some airflow.
Lattice panels
45% solidPartial. Screens sightlines rather than blocking them, and much better once planted.
Cheapest and lightest, which also makes it the lowest wind load. Excellent as a support for climbing plants.
Angled louvres
80% solidExcellent from the angles that matter, while keeping airflow.
The best-performing style: privacy from the neighbouring sightline, openness from inside. More cutting and more cost.
Solid panel
100% solidComplete, and it also blocks light and air.
Maximum wind load of any style. On an exposed site this is the one that comes down — size the footings for it or choose a slatted style.
The build, in order
- Check limits and setbacks
Before anything
Height caps, property-line setbacks and HOA rules. A screen over the limit comes down.
- Call 811
2-5 days ahead
5 holes at 24 in is deep enough to reach services.
- Talk to the neighbour
10 minutes
A boundary structure affects two properties. Cheaper before than after.
- String the line, dig
Half a day
5 holes, 24 in deep, 10 in wide, 6 in of gravel in each bottom.
- Set posts, plumb
3-4 hours
Brace every post and check plumb twice. Nothing after this fixes a leaning post.
- Concrete cure
24-48 hours
Do not hang anything on a post until the footing has cured. This is where impatience costs you.
- Rails, boards, seal
1 day
Rails first, then boards to a spacer block. Seal all faces including the end grain.
Your shopping list
$840Structure
Frame
Screen
Hardware
Finish
Take these numbers further
What this estimate assumes
- · Post spacing tightens with height: 8 ft up to 4 ft high, 7 ft to 6 ft, 6 ft to 8 ft, 5 ft above that.
- · Footing depth is one third of the above-ground height, below the frost line, and at least 24 in - whichever is deepest. Exposed sites add 20%.
- · Footing diameter is 12 in for anything over 6 ft, solid, or exposed; 10 in otherwise.
- · Concrete is calculated per hole at roughly 0.45 cu ft per 60 lb bag, less the post displacement.
- · Board counts come from the style's solidity and typical spacing, plus 8% for cuts.
- · Height limits vary by jurisdiction. 6 ft is the common threshold for rear yards without a permit, and front-yard limits are lower.
A screen is not a short fence. It's taller and more solid, so it catches far more wind - which is why the footings are the whole engineering question.
The most useful thing to understand about a privacy screen is that it is not a short fence. It is usually taller, almost always more solid, and therefore catches considerably more wind. The force acting on each post rises steeply with height and with how much of the face is closed, which is why a screen goes over in a storm while the fence next to it doesn't.
That makes the footings the whole engineering question, and generic build guides treat them as a footnote. The working rule is a footing one third of the above-ground height, below the local frost line, and at least 24 inches — whichever is deepest — with the diameter increasing for taller, more solid, or more exposed screens. This tool applies all of that.
The second thing worth knowing before buying anything is the height limit. Most US jurisdictions cap rear-yard fences and screens at six feet without a permit, with front-yard structures considerably lower, and setback rules governing how close to the boundary you can build. HOAs frequently impose separate limits. A screen built above the limit has to come down, and that is not a cheap discovery.
Get those two right and the rest is pleasant, straightforward carpentry that transforms how a yard feels.
Solidity is what decides the wind load
A lattice panel is about 45% solid; a boarded panel is 100%. The difference in the load reaching the posts is enormous, and it's the single most useful lever you have if the site is exposed.
Angled louvres are the best-performing option: they block the sightline from the neighbouring angle while remaining open to airflow from the front, which gives real privacy at a much lower wind load than a solid panel. They cost more and involve more cutting, and they're worth it on an exposed site.
If you want a solid panel on an exposed site, that's the combination that most often fails. Either accept genuinely oversized footings — and consider having them specified rather than estimated — or switch style.
| Style | Solid | Privacy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lattice panels | 45% | Partial — screens rather than blocks | Lightest and cheapest; much better once planted |
| Horizontal slats | 75% | Good at eye level, light still passes | Current default. Long runs need a mid-post or boards bow |
| Angled louvres | 80% | Excellent from the angles that matter | Best performer: privacy plus airflow. More cutting, more cost |
| Vertical boards | 85% | Very good — reads solid from an angle | Traditional and structurally forgiving |
| Solid panel | 100% | Complete — also blocks light and air | Maximum wind load. The style that comes down on exposed sites |
Privacy screen styles by solidity. Solidity drives the wind load, which drives the footings.
Posts and footings
Post spacing tightens as height rises: 8 ft up to a 4 ft screen, 7 ft to 6 ft, 6 ft to 8 ft, and 5 ft above that. This isn't about the boards sagging — it's about the load each post carries.
Footing depth is the rule of thumb (one third of the above-ground height), the frost line, or 24 inches, whichever is deepest. In northern climates the frost line usually governs: a 48 inch frost depth means 48 inch footings regardless of screen height, because a footing that doesn't reach below frost gets lifted by it and the screen goes out of plumb permanently.
Put six inches of gravel in the bottom of every hole before the post. It stops the base of the post standing in water, which is where rot starts. And use ground-contact rated lumber for anything below grade — the difference from ordinary exterior-rated material is the preservative retention, and it's the difference between twenty years and six.
The conversation before the build
A tall screen on a boundary affects two properties, and in many jurisdictions boundary structures carry shared legal implications. A five-minute conversation before you build costs nothing and prevents the much longer and more expensive version of that conversation afterwards.
It's also worth asking what they'd prefer to look at, if the back of the screen faces them. Boarding both sides costs more but removes the question entirely, and on a shared boundary it is often what turns a potential dispute into a non-event.
- Confirm the actual boundary line before setting posts. A survey pin is worth finding.
- Check whether your setback rules measure from the boundary or from the structure's outer face.
- Ask the local building department directly rather than relying on general guidance — this genuinely varies street by street in some places.
- Photograph the post positions before the concrete goes in.
Renting? Go free-standing
Weighted planter bases with screen panels give real privacy with no permission needed and nothing left behind. The critical detail is ballast: fill them with soil or gravel rather than lightweight potting mix, because the weight is the only thing holding the screen up.
They work best in a run of three or more, linked together, which stiffens the whole assembly considerably. On an exposed balcony or terrace, check the load rating before adding several hundred pounds of filled planters.
Step by step
The order matters more than the technique. Skipping ahead is what causes rework.
Check the height limit, the setback, and the boundary
Before buying anything, confirm three things: the maximum height allowed without a permit where you live, how close to the boundary you're permitted to build, and where the boundary actually is. Check HOA rules separately — they're often stricter than the municipal code. Then talk to the neighbour if the screen is on a shared line.
Tip: Ask the building department directly. General guidance about six feet is usually right and occasionally very wrong, and it's not a rule you want to learn about after the concrete has set.
Call 811 and mark the post positions
Request utility locating — post holes are more than deep enough to reach buried services. Then run a string line along the run and mark each post position at your calculated spacing. Measure and mark from one end rather than measuring each gap from the last, or the error accumulates and the final bay ends up wrong.
Tip: If the run has to end at a fixed point, set out from both ends and put any adjustment in the middle bay where it's least visible.
Dig the holes and add gravel
Dig each hole to the calculated depth and diameter — deeper than a fence, because the screen is taller and more solid. Put six inches of gravel in the bottom of each so the post base isn't standing in water. Keep the sides of the hole clean and vertical; a bell-shaped hole holds less effective concrete than it looks like it does.
Tip: An auger hire pays for itself past about six holes, particularly in clay. Hand-digging a 42 inch hole in clay is a genuinely hard hour.
Set the posts plumb and brace them
Set each post, check plumb on two adjacent faces, and brace it with two temporary stays before pouring concrete. Then re-check plumb, because posts move as concrete goes in. Crown the concrete slightly above grade and slope it away from the post so water sheds rather than pooling at the base.
Tip: Check plumb twice on every post and again after the concrete is in. Nothing you do afterwards fixes a post that set out of plumb.
Let the concrete cure — properly
Leave the posts braced and hang nothing on them for at least 24 to 48 hours. Concrete gains most of its early strength in that period, and loading a post before it has is the most common way a run of posts ends up subtly leaning. Check the product bag for its own guidance; fast-setting mixes differ.
Tip: Use the cure day to cut and pre-seal your rails and boards, including the end grain. It's the one part of the job that's genuinely easier before assembly.
Fit the rails, then the boards
Fix the rails — two runs up to 6 ft, three above — then attach the boards working from one end with a spacer block to keep the gaps identical. Use exterior-rated fasteners throughout; ordinary screws bleed rust stains down the face within a season.
Tip: Cut the spacer block from an offcut and use it for every gap. Eyeballing the spacing is obvious from ten feet away in a way it never is up close.
Seal every face, including the ends
Apply stain or sealer to all faces — front, back, edges and especially the cut ends. End grain absorbs many times more water than face grain, and unsealed cut ends are where rot reliably starts. Two coats, and re-coat every two to three years depending on exposure.
Tip: Pre-sealing the boards before assembly gets sealer onto the faces that are inaccessible afterwards. It takes longer and roughly doubles the screen's life.
What it costs
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Posts, 5 × 9 ft ground-contact rated | $110–180 |
| Concrete, 8–12 × 60 lb bags | $55–90 |
| Gravel for footing bases | $15–30 |
| Rails, ~75 linear ft | $130–200 |
| Screen boards | $220–500 |
| Exterior fasteners, brackets, post caps | $60–130 |
| Stain or sealer, 2 gal | $70–110 |
| Auger hire (optional) | $60–110 |
What this tool assumes
Every number this tool produces rests on these. Change your inputs and they change with you.
- Post spacing tightens with height: 8 ft up to 4 ft, 7 ft to 6 ft, 6 ft to 8 ft, 5 ft above.
- Footing depth is one third of the above-ground height, below the frost line, and at least 24 in — whichever is deepest. Exposed sites add 20%.
- Footing diameter is 12 in for anything over 6 ft, solid, or exposed; 10 in otherwise.
- Concrete is calculated per hole at roughly 0.45 cu ft per 60 lb bag, less the post displacement.
- Board counts come from the style's solidity and typical spacing, plus 8% for cuts.
- Height limits vary by jurisdiction. Six feet is the common rear-yard threshold without a permit; front yards are lower.
Mistakes that cause rework
Each of these costs money or a whole weekend to undo.
Fence-depth footings on a screen
A screen is taller and more solid than a fence, so the load on each post is much higher. Footings sized for a fence are the reason screens lean or go over.
Building above the height limit
Most rear-yard limits are six feet without a permit, front yards lower, and HOA rules stricter again. Check before you buy materials, not after the posts are set.
A solid panel on an exposed site
100% solidity plus wind is the combination that fails. Switch to slats or louvres, which cut the load substantially while keeping the privacy.
Hanging boards before the concrete has cured
Loading a post in the first 24–48 hours is how a run ends up subtly out of plumb. Use the cure time to cut and pre-seal instead.
Not sealing the cut ends
End grain absorbs many times more water than face grain. Unsealed cut ends are where rot starts, and they're invisible once assembled.
Ordinary screws outdoors
Non-rated fasteners bleed rust stains down the boards within a season and corrode faster in treated lumber. Exterior-rated throughout, without exception.
Safety & honest limits
- Check height limits, setbacks and HOA rules before buying materials. A screen over the limit has to come down.
- Call 811 before digging post holes. They're deep enough to reach gas, electric and communications lines.
- On exposed sites, wind load is the governing design condition. If you're unsure whether your footings are adequate for a tall solid screen, have them specified rather than estimated.
- Use ground-contact rated lumber for any section below grade. Ordinary exterior-rated material fails at the soil line far sooner.
- Cutting treated lumber produces dust that shouldn't be inhaled. Cut outdoors, wear a mask and eye protection, and never burn treated offcuts.
- Confirm the actual boundary line before setting posts. Structures on a neighbour's land are a legal problem, not a neighbourly one.
- Costs are estimates, not quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How tall can a privacy screen be without a permit?
Most US jurisdictions allow six feet in a rear yard without a permit, with front-yard limits considerably lower — often three or four feet. Setback rules govern how close to the boundary you can build, and HOAs frequently impose stricter limits. Ask the local building department directly.
How deep should privacy screen posts be?
One third of the above-ground height, below the local frost line, and at least 24 inches — whichever is deepest. A 6 ft screen in a mild climate needs about 24 inches; the same screen where the frost line is 48 inches needs 48.
How far apart should privacy screen posts be?
Closer than a fence. Up to 8 ft for a 4 ft screen, 7 ft for a 6 ft screen, 6 ft for an 8 ft screen, and 5 ft above that. The load on each post rises sharply with height, which is what drives the spacing.
What is the best material for a privacy screen?
For most sites, horizontal cedar or treated pine slats: good privacy at eye level, some airflow, and a current look. On exposed sites, angled louvres perform best — real privacy from the neighbouring sightline at a much lower wind load than a solid panel.
How much does a privacy screen cost?
$450–1,100 in materials for a 24 ft × 6 ft screen, depending on style and timber. Installed, typically $1,200–3,200 for the same run. Louvres and hardwoods sit at the top of both ranges.
Can I build a privacy screen if I rent?
Yes — weighted planter bases with screen panels need no permission and leave nothing behind. Fill them with soil or gravel rather than lightweight potting mix, and link three or more together, which stiffens the whole run considerably.
Can I add height to an existing fence?
Sometimes, but check the existing posts first. Adding height increases the leverage on posts that were specified for the original height, and any post that rocks or is soft at ground level will fail — taking the fence with it. Also check whether the added height puts you over the local limit.
Last reviewed July 25, 2026 · Home & Garden Living
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