Inside: Step-by-step of how to build a chevron privacy wall for a deck or patio; create a more private deck or patio area with this simple privacy wall project; includes a supply and cut list and photos.
Have you been following along with our patio makeover this year?
Dan and I promised each other we wouldn’t take on more than we could manage, so the projects have been relatively simple.
And today, we will show you how we built our new showpiece: Our Simple Chevron Outdoor Privacy Wall!
(Note! We have had MAJOR updates to the backyard since this post was first published, so scroll through to the updates section to see where our privacy wall is now!)
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Table of Contents
Supplies for Chevron privacy wall:
- Twenty Four 1x6x5′ lengths of pressure-treated lumber
- Two 4x4x8′ pressure treated posts
- Three lengths 2x4x8′ pressure treated lumber
- Deck Screws
- Four 2×4 wood-to-wood connector brackets
- 3″ lag screws & washers
- Circular Saw
- Compound Sliding Mitre Saw
- Chisel
- Nail Gun
- Impact Drill and Driver
- Level
A little Background Story about our Outdoor Privacy Wall
Why did we decide to build our own wood privacy wall?
You’ll recall it started out like this:
The previous owners had the right idea with their bench + lattice type thing, but I think we can all safely agree that it was … well… overstaying its welcome a bit.
So we ripped it out and challenged ourselves to come up with something a bit more modern and streamlined to replace it. That was the birth of this project: “The DIY privacy wall”.
Why build a privacy wall?
1. Safety
Quite possibly, the most reasonable explanations behind a private outdoor wall are to protect individuals. On the off chance that you have kids, pets, or toddlers, a privacy wall can keep them together in your yard, so they don’t run off, harm themselves, or get lost.
You may likewise be worried about belongings outside of your yard, like pool, or slopes. By installing a fence, it guarantees that nobody inside your yard will accidentally fall into the pool, or fall off the slope.
2. Security
Building a privacy wall will also keep outsiders from effectively entering your property.
Regardless of whether you’re concerned about random people illegally entering your property, kids unwittingly ruining your nursery, or animals walking through and crunching on your apple trees, a safety wall is an extraordinary method to avoid all of them.
3. Set Up Boundaries
Going right alongside security, a safety wall is additionally an extraordinary method to set up the boundaries of your property. Individuals often trespass the building unknowingly, not understanding that they’re disturbing the proprietor.
Different property holders may be disappointed that their neighbors aren’t considering the boundaries that isolate their properties. In circumstances like this, a wood patio wall will make a reasonable, immovable boundary.
4. Protection
Numerous house owners consider their open air space an expansion of their indoor space.
They need to accomplish a significant amount of protection in their yard, with the goal that they can unwind and live without anybody’s interference. In case you’re stressed over neighbors snooping or keeping an eye on you, a privacy wall patio may be the ideal arrangement. For extra security, plant trees close to your fence.
5. Aesthetics
Since a privacy wall has a significant role to protect, that doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful and lovely.
In case you’ve always dreamt of a white picket safety wall, a huge fence decorated with plants, or a beautiful fancy fence, why not make that fantasy a reality?
Only one out of every odd fence goes about as a shield or boundary; some look beautiful.
Cost of a DIY deck privacy wall
This can be adapted whether you have a stone patio surrounded by dirt and grass, a balcony or a free-standing deck like we have. The best part is this wall cost us about $150 to build!
Dan is a PLANNER. Which is good. He keeps me in check. He is the measure twice guy. Thank goodness.
So when we decided on chevron, he scurried away to his planning desk in the rec room for a good few hours to mock up some options for us.
Why we chose to do a chevron privacy wall versus a herringbone privacy wall
Well, to be honest – we chose the chevron pattern because it was easier to do! At first, I wanted to create a fancy herringhone patterned privacy wall and offset the angles of the boards as they went up the centre – but as soon as we sat down to sketch it out, it felt like it complicated matters.
So we stuck with the basic chevron or arrow pattern instead.
If you wanted to do a herringbone pattern, you wouldn’t be able to use all the same length boards and your angles would be slightly different.
How we measured and built the chevron wall
The entire structure is 7.5′ wide and 6′ tall, and attached to the deck with 4×4 posts.
To secure them, we initially thought we’d use deck plates just screwed into the top of the deck, but decided that would not withstand an Atlantic Canadian hurricane.
Are you wondering how to build an outdoor privacy wall? Let’s dive into this step by step. It is frankly super easy to do!
Privacy Wall DIY: Step by Step
We notched out the 4×4 posts and secured them to the deck joists with deck brackets.
Step 1
Then we marked the notch and then cut through it multiple times with the circular saw. Then using a chisel, we opened it up.
Lag nuts were used on each post to secure the 4×4 to the deck joist.
We used 2x4s to finish framing out, securing with deck braces and deck screws.
Step 2
Then we started to mitre the chevron boards using our Ryobi Compound Mitre Saw, essentially making rhombuses, angled to 30 degrees.
You can do this project without a mitre saw, but I don’t recommend it.
This saw is worth every penny to us when it comes to doing more custom-looking projects like this one.
Step 3
When securing the boards, we started at the bottom of the ‘V’ to make sure we could maintain the pattern.
Essentially, we thought it would look better to have shorter boards at the top rather than the possibility of an unfinished ‘V’ at the bottom.
However, I am absolutely in love with the final result of this chevron privacy wall DIY.
Step 4
We wanted our boards to be approximately 1″ apart, so we used the miter saw again to create a small scrap that acted as a spacer between the boards.
We then just nailed them in with a brad nailer, and worked our way up!
Step 5
Honestly, once all the cutting for the chevron privacy wall was complete and the support frame was in place, it came together quite quickly.
The only fiddly steps involved cutting the planks that filled out the very top and bottom of the pattern.
Step 6
When all was assembled, we went back and properly secured our chevron planks with deck screws.
That’s it, your chevron privacy wall is ready!
Final Thoughts on building a deck privacy wall
Overall, it was a good couple of days of cutting wood and putting this all together, but it’s added such an amazing modern feel to our patio!
I hope this resolved all your questions regarding how to build a privacy wall.
And, as I mentioned, if you already have a well-stocked toolbox, the actual supplies cost us less than $150. Which, I believe is a bargain for a chevron privacy wall!
And here’s a teeny sneak peek of the direction I’m taking this little patio nook!
I have ONE more project to finish up before I’ll be ready to show you the whole thing. It’s actually part of my August Monthly DIY Challenge. So stay tuned!
If you are pulling your patio together this season, you might also be interested in my quick hack for cleaning outdoor patio cushions (it works like a charm!).
This year, we are adding some interest to the yard with some bird feeders and back yard games too! Working on outdoor projects seems to take forever, but over time they really add up.
Update on the DIY Privacy Wall (2021)
This is still one of my favorite projects to date! But a couple things have happened since we built this wall that we should note.
Firstly, our area had a hurricane and the privacy wall blew down.
Now, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t well secured. The winds were fierce. The fault in the wall was at the base, where it attached to the lower portion of the deck. The braces simply snapped, but the wall itself was still intact.
But that showed us that the deck itself was absolutely rotten! So in a way, it was a blessing.
We have moved the privacy screen to the side of our shed (here’s a more in-depth post about our shed and how we customized it with paint), so it now acts as more of a chevron fence.
We have it propped up there with the intention of hanging it and using it for visual interest and planters along the back wall at some point.
It also means we will be building an entirely new deck.
Here are some other projects you might like!
- How to DIY A Crate Dresser
- Simple Farmhouse Dresser DIY
- Ultimate Guide to Picking Tiles for your Home
- Converting a Porch into a Useable Room in our Home
Short FAQ about Chevron Privacy Wall DIY
How to make wooden privacy screen?
It is very easy to make a wooden privacy screen:
1. Notch out the 4×4 posts
2. Secure them
3. Mitre the chevron boards
4. Nail them up!
How to build a freestanding privacy screen?
There are several ideas when planning to build a freestanding privacy screen. For example, you can build a simple Chevron privacy wall or use some hanging vines. You can also build your own tree branch privacy screen.
How to make a chevron wall?
It is very easy to make a chevron wall on your own:
1. Notch out the 4×4 posts
2. Secure them
3. Mitre the chevron boards
4. Nail them up!
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