Privacy Screen Placement: Where Should It Go?

Rule 1: against views from above, closer to the area means lower

A sightline from an elevated window descends steadily. A screen near the viewer meets it high; a screen near your seating meets it after it has dropped. That is why the same view can require very different screen heights.

Rule 2: closer to the area also means wider

In plan view, the sightlines from the viewer fan out toward the corners of your area. Near the viewer they are bunched together; near the area they are spread to its full width. A screen must span the fan at its position.

Position	Height (incl. 20 cm margin)	Width	Screen area
Near the window — 3.00 m from the window	4.02 m (13 ft 3 in)	2.30 m (7 ft 7 in)	9.24 m²
Halfway — 6.00 m from the window	3.24 m (10 ft 8 in)	3.40 m (11 ft 2 in)	11.0 m²
Beside the patio — 8.80 m from the window	2.50 m (8 ft 3 in)	4.43 m (14 ft 7 in)	11.1 m²

Lower is usually easier to build, less exposed to wind and less imposing; shorter is cheaper per meter of height. The screen area column (height × width) is a rough proxy for material and wind load — it is what the planner’s “Balanced option” minimizes.

Rule 3: when the viewer looks up, the rule flips

If your private area is higher than the viewer’s eyes — a raised deck overlooked from a lower yard or street — sightlines rise toward it. Now a barrier close to the viewer catches them low. In an example with eyes at 1.0 m and deck occupants to hide up to 2.5 m, a barrier 1.5 m from the viewer needs 1.38 m (4 ft 7 in), while one 5.5 m away, just before the deck, needs 2.38 m (7 ft 10 in).

Rule 4: angle the screen toward an off-center viewer

When the viewpoint is off to one side, a screen parallel to your house sees the sightlines cross it at a slant. In an example with a window 7 m to the side, a screen parallel to the house needs a 4.55 m (15 ft 0 in) run; turned by 34° to face the window it needs 4.00 m (13 ft 2 in), a run that is shorter by 0.55 m. The height needed at that position changes too, from 2.39 m (7 ft 11 in) to 2.31 m (7 ft 7 in), because the sightlines cross the rotated screen at different distances. Test the rotation handle in the planner’s top view for your own layout.

Rule 5: with several viewers, one of them sets the height

A screen protecting against two windows must satisfy both. The planner calculates each viewer separately and reports the limiting sightline. Moving the screen can change which viewer is limiting, so a position that is good for one window may be poor for the other. Enter all of them before choosing.

Practical constraints to weigh

• Use of the space. A screen tight against a table blocks chairs and makes the space feel boxed in.
• Sun and shade. Tall screens on the south side (north side in the southern hemisphere) shade the seating.
• Wind. Taller and larger screens catch more wind; their posts and foundations need proper design.
• Access and maintenance. Leave access around the screen for cleaning, painting or trimming.
• Local rules. Permitted heights often depend on distance from a boundary. Check local rules before building.

A placement workflow

1. Enter all viewpoints and the area you want private in the planner.
2. Use Compare screen positions to see height and width near the viewer, halfway and near the area.
3. Set your real limits — where a screen can physically go, maximum height, maximum run — and run Find best position.
4. Pick the option that matches your priority, apply it, and fine-tune by dragging.
5. Print or save the plan and check the result on site with a pole before building.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to put a privacy screen?

There is no single best place: it depends on whether you want the lowest screen, the shortest run, or the least material. When a neighbor looks down on you, placing the screen close to your seating minimizes height; placing it closer to the neighbor minimizes width. The planner’s Find best position tool lists each of these options for your measurements.

Should a privacy screen be right next to the patio?

Close to the patio is often the lowest option against elevated views, but leave space for chairs and circulation, consider shade on the seating, and remember the screen must be wide enough to cover the patio’s whole width from the viewer’s angle.

Does angling a screen help?

When the viewer is off to one side, turning the screen to face them more directly can shorten the run needed. Whether it helps, and by how much, depends on the layout; the planner’s rotation handle shows the effect immediately.

What about several neighbors from different directions?

A single straight screen only blocks viewers on its far side. If views come from different directions, plan a screen per direction or an L-shaped arrangement, and model each observer to see which one limits each screen.