Fence Dilemma - help DH and settle this!

[shanode]

***ETA**** The title should read "help Dh and I settle this" ********

First off, I love this sight and all of the people on it. My pool is awesome, requires very little work and I credit that to what I've learned from TPF.

Now, I'm pretty confident, based on posts I've read and pictures I've seen, that a lot of you are very hand DIY type people. That is why I'm bringing my fence dilemma to you. Here is goes:

Our Fence Dilemma

The neighbor’s house looks into our yard and vice versa. At the end of last summer 2 of our cedar trees died, leaving a HUGE gap right at the most vulnerable privacy point in the yard. We planted new trees but it will be at least a year (if not longer) until they provide privacy. At my insistence (read nagging) DH put up a piece of lattice and I want to add more too it but he refuses – says the wind will grab it and blow the ENTIRE fence down. Here’s a breakdown of what we have and I what I want to add:

*Regular 6 foot high fence, studs sunk in ground, etc., etc., quality type of fence. Runs the width of the yard
*A piece of lattice, 6 foot tall by 8 foot wide, secured to the fence with screws (at the big empty spot between trees)
*Lattice has support along all outside edges and another support piece running horizontally at about the 4 foot mark
*The height of the lattice and fence together is 11 ½ feet
*Home Depot sells Bamboo fencing in panels that are 3 ft wide by 8 feet tall
*I want to secure/lash three of those to the fence/lattice for added privacy
*I was thinking of also adding some lightweight vertical support posts about every 18-24 inches

What do you guys think? I say the only thing that will blow down that entire fence is a tornado (LOL, we are in Oregon). I just want privacy so when I sit outside, when I’m working in the yard or swimming, I’m not looking into their dining room or bedroom and they aren’t looking into mine…..

Thanks for reading,
Shannon

[dawndenise]

Am I picturing this correctly? You have a regular 6' fence, but there's an 8' wide section that's now 11-1/2' tall (due to the added lattice). And you'd like to take another 9' section of fence (3 panels x 3' wide) and make it 8' tall with bamboo panels. Is that right?

Do your neighbors have a 1-story or 2-story house? How close is their house to your fence line? Are your neighbors usually home during the day?

Have you checked with your city and/or homeowners' association regarding restrictions on fence heights?

Losing trees and their inherent privacy is a major bummer! But I'm trying to get a picture of what your fence is like now and what you're proposing to do....along with gauging your real "need" for privacy.

[shanode]

Hi Sandy,

Yes: you have a regular 6' fence, but there's an 8' wide section that's now 11-1/2' tall (due to the added lattice).

Sort of: And you'd like to take another 9' section of fence (3 panels x 3' wide) and make it 8' tall with bamboo panels. Is that right?

Explanation: The 8' wide section is the only section I'm working with. I'd like to put the bamboo panels on that section, from a height of 3 1/2' to the top. I realize that I will have an 'extra' foot of width; I will deal with that separately.

Neighbors house is a BIG two story.
Their sliding glass door is about 15 feet from the fence.
They are almost always home during the day on the weekend.
No restrictions.
Also - I've spoken to them and they don't care.
Also - Their lots sits a little higher than ours.

Sandy, thanks for your reply!

[Davenj]

A little different approach. I went to a marine canvas company and explained what I wanted (similiar to your problem). Run pipes up fence posts to desired height, about 20' apart. Attach steel cable at the top of pipe and at the top of the fence. The marine company had boat railing panel material. Mesh/small holes in canvas type material. They would put eyelets in top and bottom to run cable thru. I could take it down for winter.