5 Tips for Blocking Out an Overlooking Neighbour

In these days of large houses on small blocks and renovations that often go upwards because of lack of space, overlooking neighbours can be quite an issue. So, if your property is being overlooked by a neighbour, here are our top five tips for blocking the neighbour’s view into your property and regaining your precious privacy.

#1 Window screening treatments

If your neighbour has a view into one of the rooms in your house, consider changing your window screening to minimise the impact on your privacy.

Frosted glass

Frosted glass is an option that is used quite frequently for bathrooms that have overlook issues. It’s sometimes also used to provide privacy in bedrooms particularly if the windows are positioned high on the wall so by frosting the window, you’re keeping the light in the room without losing any view.

Blinds and plantation shutters

Blinds and shutters are another alternative that can help with overlook issues. If you’re considering installing blinds or shutters, avoid solid blinds as the neighbours will only be blocked if you keep the blind closed all the time.

Venetian blinds, vertical blinds and plantation shutters are better alternatives as you can adjust the angle of the blinds to allow light in while blocking the neighbour’s view into your property.

Sight screens

Exterior sight screens are another option. These are generally made of horizontal slats in a material complementary to your home (often from timber or metal) and can either be fixed (so they can’t be moved or adjusted) or can have a lever so you can adjust the angle of the slats as needed.

Exterior shutters

Exterior shutters can also be an attractive option to block out your neighbours. Normally exterior shutters can be opened completely on either side of the window giving you an unobstructed view when that’s your preference and offering you complete privacy when you need it.

#2 Plant along your boundary

Planting tall, evergreen plants such as hedges along your property boundary can also block your neighbour’s view into your property while providing an attractive backdrop for your garden.

If this is the option you’re considering, choose your plants wisely. Hedging plants can take up quite a bit of space along your boundary which makes them impractical for some smaller suburban blocks. If you’re considering planting trees along your boundary, make sure to choose a variety that is evergreen (so you have privacy all year round) and that doesn’t have a root structure which is going to cause issues for you or your neighbour in the future. Many councils have height restrictions for trees and won’t allow trees that are going to block your neighbour’s view or light, so be sure to check what the restrictions are in your local council area.

For small blocks, bamboo can be a good choice as bamboo is fast growing and doesn’t need very much space.

#3 Put up screening panels

If your neighbour is overlooking part of your garden, then a possible solution is to put up attractive screening panels in your garden that block their view but add interest to your garden and can form part of your garden landscaping. Screening panels like this can also be used to screen other things from view that you might not want to see from inside your home or outdoor area such as your bins and garden shed.

#4 Put up a pergola

With outdoor living areas and outdoor kitchens becoming an increasingly popular addition to people’s homes, we’re spending more and more time entertaining outside. If your outdoor kitchen or outdoor living area has overlooking issues from your neighbour’s property, then perhaps installing a pergola is the best solution for you.

Pergolas come in many different styles. You could choose one with a solid or slatted roof to give you protection from the weather and improve your privacy. And once you’ve added a roof and a framework, it’s relatively easy to install café-style blinds which you can drop down along the sides making your outdoor area into an all-weather room that you can use all year round.

Or perhaps a better solution for your property is to install a pergola frame and then train an ornamental grape vine to grow over the pergola to mask your neighbour’s view. Most ornamental vines are deciduous so while they give great cover in summer with a roof of thick green leaves, they don’t provide any cover in winter. However, this mightn’t be an issue for you if you only use your outdoor area in the warmer weather. Whichever vine you choose, make sure it’s an ornamental vine or the sweeping up of fallen grapes in summer could become more of an issue than the overlook you were trying to fix in the first place!

#5 Install a new fence

Perhaps the overlook issues from your neighbour are from a renovation your neighbours have completed and therefore the fence you had in place prior to the renovation isn’t appropriate any longer because it no longer provides the privacy that you need. In this case it could be worth approaching your neighbour to discuss and agree on a new fence to be installed which will be able to give both of your properties better privacy and protection. Local councils have restrictions on the height of new fences and may also impose restrictions on the type of fence and the materials to be used. Check with your local council to find out about the restrictions in your area.