Privacy & the Upper story deck
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Susan I think it's time to have a friendly chat with your neighbours and explain to them that every action [peeking at you on the deck] has a reaction [not necessarily equal and opposite]
And I'm sure there will be nothing in your local regulations about having a couple of six pounders on you rear deck.
![upperstory_deck2[2].jpg](/uploads/imported_attachments/OCNR_upperstory_deck22.jpg)
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Darn, been wracking my brain to come up with a nice solution for you Susan, but with
Bylaws like you have, this is tough. (have you checked them yet, no permanent structures?)A pergola/patio cover structure helps some for when people are looking down on you, especially if you do planting, or roll down screens on the sides. I show bamboo roof covering but even fairly open 2x2s or 2x4s latticework give good screening when viewed from an upper angle.
My most recent deck had a similar issue with needing to screen out a street to one side. For shade I did a Patio Cover, and for the screening I made a simple Bamboo Screen and fairly open Privacy Railing for that one side.
http://woodsshop.com/PROJECTS/Mill/Finish/a2.htm You don't really need either to be solid, blocking out the view. Even your typical wood latticework gives you a pretty good sense of privacy.More pics of that project http://woodsshop.com/PROJECTS/Mill/MillDeck.htm
I think you should do what Ross suggested, and go ask some questions. Seems to me that if all three of you neighbors request to be able to add some privacy, the rules could get changed. I've never heard any rule against permanent structures as long as they conform to the Setback Rules. Charlie has the best ideas with screens all on the same sides, but they'd only need to be maybe 5' 4" tall.
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Don't know if this is feasable or even if the products are avaulable to you Susan, but here in Aussie land, a common pratice and shade solution from sticky beaks and the sun is to use shadecloth, semi transparent netting similar to flyscreen doors, although the fabric used is a more complicated and stronger version, and I am sure you and some of our designer peope could place it more aesthetically.this can be installed as a non permanent fixture, the shadecloth being attached to the posts with adjustable turnbuckle connections. anyway just a wee idea from down under
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Susan,
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. Here's what I was suggesting. You can do the same one both sides of the deck as needed. Hopefully your neighbors will be ameanable to a plan similar to this. You can always plant your trees in a hedge a little closer together if they won't.
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Interesting topic with lots of ideas pouring in. Even so, as I scan down the page, if the preceding post had an image, my thought process would have flowed smoothly into it.
So, I think we should encourage posting of screen shots, so that basic information is visually available in the forum page itself. Downloading and opening attachment would be for getting more detailed insight or saving the file. Think convenience and saved bandwidth.
Sorry to be off topic, but relevant nonetheless, IMHO.
Guite
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