How To Build a Privacy Patio Screen

Select Materials for Your Screen

Rough-sawn redwood or cedar (your choice) are the best types of wood for an outdoor project like this, but you can also use pressure-treated pine or fir, which is cheaper. Posts need to be pressure-treated to prevent them from rotting in the ground.

Composites aren’t an option for the posts or rails, which must be notched according to this design. You can use composites instead of wood for the post facings and to give the pickets and top cap a cleaner look, but you probably won’t save any money by doing so because composites are generally pricier than wood.

When selecting lumber for the top caps, make a special effort to get sound 3/4-in. boards—no cracks, splits or large knots. The top cap is curved, and when you bend the boards, knots or cracks may cause them to break. Dann suggests that composite may be a better choice than wood for this part of the screen because it bends very easily.

Screws are better than nails when it comes to fasteners because they won’t back out as the wood expands and contracts, Be sure to get exterior-grade enameled or stainless-steel ones. They won’t corrode and leave ugly bleed marks on the wood.

• Pro tip: You’ll have a better-looking finished project if you stain or paint the individual parts of the screen before you screw everything together. That’s what we did, and it actually saved time as well.

Cover Your Assets

The chances are remote, but your locality might require a permit, so check with local officials before starting construction. If you’re part of an HOA, it’s a good idea to double-check any rules for fences and building in general. Don’t skip this step, or you may end up re-staining or even tearing down your new screen.

Be sure to call to have the underground cables and gas lines marked before you dig any post holes. Most states have a single toll-free number you can call to get all the utilities marked. You can ask the building department for the number or call the nationwide Dig Safe hotline at 811. Mark the screen’s position on the ground with spray paint or stakes before the crew comes. Call ahead of time; it generally takes two to three days to mark utilities.

Adapt the Plan to Your Needs

• We built on level ground, but you can use this design to build on a slope. The best way to build an attractive screen that maximizes privacy is to use a stepped structure with level rails and panels offset to follow the slope.
• The maximum length of lumber you can buy is 16 feet. So, if your screen is longer, you’ll need to splice the rails and top caps. If so, plan it so the joints fall near the post centers and splice opposite rails and overlying top cap layers to fall on different posts.
• Standard post spacing is eight feet, but if you get a lot of wind, consider reducing this to four feet (or even less on a steep slope). You might also consider reducing the height by setting the upper and lower rails closer together.
• Reducing the height may force a tighter bend on the top cap. If you use wood, test it first to make sure it can make the bend without cracking. If not, consider using composite for that part of the screen. If you don’t want to fuss with the bend at all, cut the tops of the posts level with each other and use a flat 2X8 for the top cap.

Mark the Post Notches and Picket Positions

This project calls for notching the rails. You can use the notch spacing to locate the post holes, but first, you must make the notches. While you’re doing this, you can also mark the positions of the pickets on the rails.

Lay the four 2×4 rails on the edge on a level surface and clamp them together. Measure six inches from one end and use a 2×6 block as a template to mark the first post notch. Use a 2×2 block to mark a gap, then a picket, another gap and so on for nine pickets. Mark the next post notch and then continue marking the rest of the pickets and posts.

After the last notch, measure another 6 inches and cut the rails to length. To make the screen cleaner-looking, cut bevels on the ends of the rails rather than leaving them square.

Cut Out the Notches

Set the cutting depth of your circular saw to 1-1/2 inches and make cuts along the lines bordering the notch for each post. Make several cuts within each notch to form a series of narrow strips of wood, then use a hammer and chisel to separate the strips into blocks about 1 inch long. Tap the chisel along the bottom of the notch to remove the strips. Each notch should have a clean, flat bottom when you’re done.

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Dig the Holes and Set the Posts

Instead of using 4×6 posts, this design calls for sandwiching 2x4s between two 2X6s to give the same impression. The 2x4s extend from the ground to the top of the screen, but you assemble the 2x6s in two parts — the part below the lower rail, which must be treated because it goes below ground, and the part above the rail, which supports the structure.

Lay the straightest rail on the ground and shift it until you find the screen’s best position. Position the privacy panel postholes by laying a rail on the ground and driving two stakes behind it. Then, drive stakes two inches away from the centers of the post notches to mark the postholes.

Set the rail aside, dig three feet deep by eight-inch diameter postholes at each notch location and pour about 6 inches of gravel into each hole. Preassemble the 2×6 and 2×4 treated post bases with three-inch deck screws and set them in the holes, nesting them into the rail notches. Cut the outer 2x6s to project about 6 inches past the top of the holes, but let the 2×4 center posts run full length. You’ll cut all the post parts to length later.

Keep the fasteners about eight inches below the top of the 2x6s to avoid hitting them with a saw blade when you’re trimming them to length later. Reset the guide rail and use it and a level to position and plumb the posts in each hole. After each post is positioned, hold it in place with temporary screws driven into the guide rail.

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Secure the Posts

If you want to save time, set the posts in dry concrete, keeping the top of the concrete mix three inches below the top of the hole. (You’ll need about two 60-lb. bags per hole.) When you’re done working for the day, simply flood the top with the garden hose and the concrete will set up overnight.

• Pro tip: You can also save time by setting the posts in expanding foam. It’s a little more expensive, but it’s much easier on your back and doesn’t require water.

Once the posts are stable, mark and cut the 2x6s about three inches above grade. Before you make the cuts, drive two screws through the 2x6s above the cut marks to hold the pieces in place so you don’t get bonked by the cutoffs.

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Assemble the Frame

After cutting off the treated 2x6s about three inches above grade, as shown in the step above, screw the 2×6 post facing to one side of each 2×4, and then screw the upper and lower rails to one side of the posts. The height of the lower rail, as shown in the schematic diagram, is about 10 inches from the ground or about six inches above the post base. The upper railing is about 50 inches above that.

Level the rails and sight down them to make sure they’re straight before screwing them to the middle posts. Then, plumb and brace the two end posts in both directions, as we show in the photo. The rails should hold the center posts plumb, but if you have any stubborn ones, plumb and brace them, too. One advantage of using dry concrete mix is that it will let you make these minor adjustments.

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Attach the Pickets

Measure the distance between the 2×4 cores of adjacent posts and cut 2×2 picket caps to this length. You want as tight a fit as possible. Screw them to the 2×6 outer shells of the posts a few inches above the top rail.

Installing the pickets will go fast. Use the marks you made on the rails to set them in place, wedge them between the bottom rail and the picket cap, use a level to make sure each one is plumb, then screw it to the top and bottom rails.

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Finish the Posts and Set the Front Rail

Screw the 2×6 facing to the front side of the posts and secure them with three-inch screws spaced every six inches. Install the pre-notched upper and lower rails to that side of the screen. The notches should line up, but the fit may be tight, so you may need help holding the rails and wiggling them into place.

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Mark the Top Cap Locations

Measure the desired height of the 1×8 top cap on the two end posts, make marks on each post and screw blocks to the posts just above the marks. Set a 16-inch bending block on the top rail midway between them.

Place the ends of the top cap underneath the blocks on the end posts and lift the center until it rests on the top of the bending block. Draw lines underneath the top cap where it intersects each post. Duplicate the line on the other side of each post using a speed square.

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Cut the Posts

Remove the top cap and all the blocking. Then cut along each line with a circular saw, first on one side of each post and then the other. If the saw doesn’t cut all the way through the 2×4 core, use a handsaw or reciprocating saw to finish the cut.

Dann and I agree from experience that wearing goggles while doing this is essential.

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Attach the Top Cap

Set the top cap into position and center it, then screw it to each post, starting at the center post and working your way toward the ends. Add more screws wherever you see gaps.

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Fill the Dry Concrete Holes with Water

If you opted to fill the post holes with dry concrete, the last thing you need to do before settling down to cold brew is to fill the post holes with water. Don’t worry about trying to saturate the mix. Over time, the underlying concrete will absorb enough moisture from the ground for complete curing.

• Pro tip: Dann points out that mixes labeled for “post,” “quick” or “fast” are the best ones to choose. But if all you can find is regular premixed concrete, that’ll work fine too.

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Adapt the Design for a Deck

This privacy screen adapts easily to most decks. That’s because most decks have a single-rim joist that’s the same thickness as the center 2×4 of the post. In most cases, you can easily remove an existing rail, notch the decking and straddle the rim joist with the outer 2×6 of each post.

Brace the rim joist with blocking to at least the second and third joists back to stiffen it, as shown in the diagram below. Dann recommends lag screwing the end posts to an existing rail or to the house. That will also greatly stabilize the screen.

Deck sizes vary, so to fill a side of one with a privacy screen, you’ll need to work out the number and spacing of posts as well as the finished height on your own. Keep in mind that a seven-foot tall screen may look too high on a small deck. A shorter height of five or six feet will still give you reasonable privacy, especially when you’re sitting at a table. Keep post spacing between three and four feet, if possible.

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