Outdoor living spaces are highly appealing, especially when they provide a comfortable area where you can fully unwind. Relaxing in privacy on your home’s deck is essential, so you can enjoy the fresh air and sun, free of prying eyes.
Whether you have an existing deck that you want to make more secluded or you’re planning your dream deck installation, you’ll create a cozy retreat by keeping these privacy solutions in mind.
10 Ways to Make Your Deck Feel More Secluded
Any of these solutions alone, or mixed and matched, can help you achieve the ideal vibe for your relaxing deck oasis.
1. Install a Privacy Fence or Wall
Why not build a privacy fence or wall? They’re versatile, built from materials such as two-by-fours, reclaimed wood, cladding, concrete or brick. You can make them tall to block all views, or on the short side to provide shelter for a specific area of your deck, such as a hot tub. Amenities like a TV and audio speakers can be added to the wall or fence for an even more relaxing space.
2. Utilize Landscaping
A natural, outdoorsy way to craft an oasis for your yard is through your landscaping. The right plants will grow, fill in, spread, and bloom into a private space that insulates you from the rest of the world. There are many lovely options:
- Evergreens stay lush and attractive to give you privacy year-round.
- Leafy tropical plants can be grown in pots so you can move them outdoors each summer and indoors each winter.
- Small trees such as Japanese maples, crepe myrtles, and apple trees all offer visual appeal, and their colors blend nicely.
- Tall grasses and flowers draw the eye to one side of your yard, allowing you to downplay a space you’d like to be more private.
- Hedges can create a thick, organic alternative to fencing.
- An established tree with lots of leaves creates natural privacy, so if you’re building a new deck, consider placement near a mature elm, maple, or oak.
3. Construct a Deck Roof
Give your deck a lovely roof by installing a pergola—a structure with spaced, open slats to allow in natural light and ventilation. Or, build a roof that fully blocks sun and rain. Either option creates beneficial shelter for your deck, while giving you a cozy retreat hidden from neighbors. Plus, you can enhance this structure with hanging plants, built-in lighting, and cooling ceiling fans.
4. Craft a Privacy Screen
To keep the airy, sunny outdoor feel of your deck while enjoying a measure of solitude, consider privacy screens. They offer an attractive, decorative feel as they hide your deck from view. Privacy screens can be made of wood, metal, or composite decking materials, and can either stand alone or be attached to existing structures like fences and pergolas.
5. Add a Trellis
A trellis is a patterned wood structure that adds a decorative flair to decking. While trellises are not intended to block all views, they do provide partial privacy. If you like ivy, vines, roses, or other climbing plants, you can train them to climb the trellis as another cozy element to your outdoor living spaces.
6. Hang Outdoor Curtains
For an immediate, cost-effective solution to concealing your deck from view, buy attractive weather-resistant curtains and hang them from your pergola or deck roof. Both outdoor fabrics and bamboo shades can handle exposure to sun and rain, and they offer flexibility since you can open and close them whenever you choose.
7. Leverage Deck Umbrellas
If there is a small area of your deck that needs a sense of concealment, an umbrella may just do the trick. Choose a large deck umbrella, preferably one that can be adjusted to different angles, and set it next to an existing fence or shrubbery to create more seclusion and also give shade to deck chairs.
8. Set Up a Canopy
To shelter your deck from sun and rain, awnings and canopies are a great addition. They come in many styles, designs, and colors—and they can be either permanent or retractable so you can unroll them whenever you please. They also are handy for blocking the view from your neighbors’ second-floor windows.
9. Install a Water Feature
Privacy isn’t just about what can and can’t be seen—it’s also about sound. If the noise of your street’s car traffic, neighbors chatting, and dogs barking is becoming intrusive, you can develop more of an oasis feel for your yard with an outdoor fountain. Not only will you enjoy the lovely look, but the pleasant bubbling sound of flowing water will help muffle annoying noises.
10. Build a Fully Indoor-Outdoor Living Space
If you’re planning to make a brand-new deck, it pays to start with privacy in mind. Consider which side of your house is already the most naturally secluded and construct your outdoor living space there. If you can, extend your home’s roof to cover the deck for greater seclusion, and add a glass door system for beautiful indoor-outdoor living.
You might install glass walls to create an all-season room with built-in shades that keep the space hidden from view. Or, for a more budget-friendly approach, add lattice, pergolas, and shrubs during construction to achieve the feel of a room without investing in a house addition.
Enjoy Outdoor Living with a Personalized Deck for Your Minneapolis-St. Paul Home
If your deck is outdated, aging, or in need of a refresh, adding privacy may not be enough. Why not invest in a brand-new deck that gives you the perfect outside living area to truly relax, enjoy the weather, and have fun with family and friends.
Our team at Iron River Construction has built beautiful, comfortable decks for thousands of homeowners throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, and we’d love to help you achieve your dream deck. Check out our elegant deck solutions, and envision your home transformed with a perfect outdoor living space.
