Need help with pool privacy screen

[Peabody]

Cox won't let me attach pics in a non-binary group, but I've got pics of everything described here at:

(Anyone can add other pics or notes there.)

We have a pool in the backyard, and in the past it was pretty well screened by trees and shrubs. But the ice storm over the winter took out one of the neighbor's trees, so that now about 1/3 of the pool,including where the steps are, is directly visible from a second-story window two houses down.

Anyway, I've been thinking of ways to at least temporarily screen the pool from this window's view so we can play naturist from time to time. :-)

So I've figured out that one way to do this is to make a screen of the right size from cheap muslin cloth. Actually, I've already used muslin to make a "privacy fence" really private instead of being able to see right through all the spaces between the pickets. And it's really cheap to do this. - $.99/yard at Wal-Mart.

Anyway, from a long-abandoned project I have a couple stands made of PVC, which can be anchored down with bar-bell plates, and I thought I might mount the muslin screen on a PVC frame and mount it on the old stands.

The problem, of course, is that the screen is in effect a large sail, and even with the stands weighted down, I think it will blow over. I know that guy wires would be more stable, but I would rather avoid putting in permanent anchors.

So I would appreciate any ideas anyone may have for a better way of doing this, but specifically what I would like to know is whether there is a way of making the muslin less of a sail while still being functional as a screen.

I had thought about overlapping strips so that the wind could get through, but it seems to me that it's the total area presented to the wind that determines the force on the mounting stands. And to the extent the screening moves toward the horizontal as the wind picks up, I lose the screening. Unless I'm forgetting something. Do the awning manufacturers have tricks for dealing with that kind of thing?

Thanks for any suggestions.

By the way, drop.io is a really convenient way to create a link and store stuff there, and it's free, and you don't even have to register or provide an email address. Access can be controlled or not as you choose.

[Calab]

Good for them!

[Calab]

We can't see what's in the corner there, but why not just increase the height of the fence?

...or put a taller tree in that corner?

[trader4]

The area in question isn't very wide at all. And your proposed screening looks to be about 8' high. If it were me, I'd consider getting a few tall shrubs or trees that size to do the job. Something along the lines of arborvites. Plantings that size aren't going to be as cheap as as 4 ft ones, but on the other hand, you only need a few and it's permanent and far more attractive.

[Lisa BB.]

Peabody wrote in news:hE5Pj.57783$ [e-mail]:

My stockade fence is weathered just like in your pics. Over time, the pickets shrunk, leaving more space. Even blocking the window, the people in the other yards can still see in your yard if they are nosey enough. (that window looming there is creepy,tho).

[Peabody]

When the time comes to replace the fence I'll look at more permanent alternatives, but I'm looking for something for this summer that doesn't cost a lot, if I can find something that works.

Also, fixing the problem with plantings would very probably also require removing the monster holly, and I'm just not ready to do a major restructuring at this point.

But I agree - in the long run plantings of some kind would look best.

[Peabody]

What's in the corner is the gas meter. But, I've had experiences with tall fences before, and they just aren't a good idea in my opinion. This one would have to be 9" tall, maybe a little more, then drop back down to normal height of

6' after about 15', and I think that would just look goofy.

I don't need a tall fence except for the window in question because, while you can't see it in the pics, the fence stands atop a 4' concrete wall that was put in along with the pool. So, there's a big downhill drop on the other side. Technically, I would have to get a permit for any fence taller than 6', and I don't really have a "good" reason to ask for one.

When I replace the fence, I'll probably also take out the holly on the right and plant something that does the screening. Not ready to do that just yet. A tree would need to be where the holly is. A tree in the corner would block what the chimney is already blocking.

[Peabody]

The practice I've adopted is to screen against inadvertent viewing. But not against deliberately trying to see by peeking over the fence or climbing up on the roof. I think legally that's all I'm required to do unless I'm really doing something that would "frighten the horses."

The problem I had with the regular stockade fence is that you really can see fairly well through the spaces between the pickets, even at a glance and from a distance, and I don't want to subject my neighbors to that. So for the fences I use the muslin cloth. It comes in 38" width, in whatever length you want, at 99 cents per yard. I put a grommet every five feet or so - WalMart has a kit for that too - and just hang it on the fence when I want the screening. I use two strips so I cover the fence from top to bottom.

I'll post a picture at drop.io/AHR_screen from last summer showing the muslin in place on one of the fences. It's inexpensive, works quite well, and doesn't even look awful.

I think as a practical matter, if you want absolute screening for anyting this side of a helicopter, you need two barriers - one near the pool (hedges or whater) that block the view from a distance, and a second outer physical barrier (chain-link even) that just keeps someone from getting close enough to the first barrier to see through it.

[Frank Warner]

Something like this might work. Cheap, attractive, easy to set up and easy to move:

Or a 4x8 sheet of garden lath covered one side with bird netting, sitting on the same kind of legs as your pole supports. Requires a little woodworking know-how.

A romp through a well-stocked pool supply establishment might give you other ideas.

-Frank