Privacy Screens & Lattice
Handis privacy screens and lattice puts cedar slat panels, horizontal-board screens, and traditional lattice in the spots a residential yard needs visual privacy — property-line privacy against a neighbor's window, deck-corner screening against a sightline from the street, hot-tub enclosure for soaking privacy, trash-can or HVAC-unit screen at the side of the house, garden-bed visual divider — from $1,200 for a 6-foot-by-8-foot cedar lattice panel set on existing posts to $4,000 for a full 24-foot horizontal-board screen on new 4x4 cedar posts in concrete footings. Three real screen styles. Cedar slat (1x4 or 1x6 cedar boards running vertical or horizontal with tunable gap spacing) reads contemporary and modern. Horizontal-board (1x6 or 1x8 cedar boards running horizontally with tight or open gap spacing) reads as the modern Northwest yard style most current Seattle homes use. Traditional lattice (cedar lattice panels in the standard 4-by-8 size) reads classic-cottage and works well as a quick visual-block. We size the screen to the actual privacy need (the neighbor's window, the deck sightline, the hot tub enclosure perimeter) and we tune the slat spacing to the right balance of privacy and airflow for the location.
Service
What Does a Privacy Screen Build Include?
A privacy screen build is the residential carpentry service that puts a cedar slat panel, horizontal-board fence-style screen, or traditional cedar lattice panel in the spots a yard needs visual privacy — covering site review and post-location layout against property lines and setback restrictions, 4x4 cedar post-set on concrete footings dug to 24 to 30 inches below grade with Simpson ABA or ABU post-base anchors (new-post installs) or mounting hardware on existing posts and structures (retrofit installs), cedar slat or horizontal-board installation with the slat spacing tuned to the privacy-vs-airflow priority for the location, top-cap trim detail, and finish detailing. Handis covers privacy screens from $1,200 on a 6-foot-by-8-foot cedar lattice panel set on existing 4x4 cedar posts up to $4,000 on a full 24-foot horizontal-board screen with three new 4x4 cedar posts in concrete footings.
Three Screen Styles
Cedar slat — 1x4 or 1x6 Western Red Cedar boards mounted vertical (for the modern vertical-slat look) or horizontal (for the contemporary horizontal look) with tunable gap spacing. Reads contemporary; works well on Modern, mid-century, and contemporary Northwest homes. Horizontal-board — 1x6 or 1x8 cedar boards running horizontally with tight or open gap spacing. Reads as the modern Northwest yard style most current Seattle homes use; the dominant fence and screen style on new-construction infill houses. Traditional lattice — pre-fabricated 4-foot-by-8-foot cedar lattice panels (1/2-inch lattice strips in a diagonal crisscross pattern) mounted on a perimeter frame. Reads classic-cottage and works well as a quick visual block on older houses and traditional gardens.
Slat Spacing Tuned to Privacy vs Airflow
The slat-spacing decision is the single biggest privacy-vs-airflow trade-off on a cedar screen. Tight spacing (1/4-inch gap between slats) — visual-block priority, almost full visual privacy at any viewing angle, minimal airflow through the screen. Standard spacing (1/2-inch gap) — strong visual privacy at most angles, moderate airflow, the most-common choice. Open spacing (3/4-inch gap or wider) — partial visual privacy with strong airflow through the screen, used when the screen is more about visual division than full block. We confirm the privacy priority on the booking call and tune the spacing for the location.
4x4 Cedar Posts in Concrete Footings on New-Post Installs
New-post installs follow the same footing standard as our pergola builds — power-auger every footing to 24 to 30 inches below grade, pour concrete around a Simpson ABA or ABU post-base anchor set plumb in the wet pour, 48-hour cure before the 4x4 cedar post is raised. Post spacing typically 6 feet on standard runs (3 posts on a 12-foot screen, 4 posts on an 18-foot screen, 5 posts on a 24-foot screen). The footings keep the screen plumb against PNW wet-soil seasonal movement and any wind load on the screen face.
Mounting Hardware for Retrofit Installs on Existing Structures
Retrofit installs mount cedar slat or horizontal-board panels on existing structures — an existing cedar fence (we add height with a screen panel above the existing top rail), existing 4x4 cedar posts (we mount the screen panel between or against the existing posts), the eave of the house or garage (we mount the screen against the eave with structural anchors), or a deck rail (we attach to the deck rail with through-bolts). Retrofit installs avoid the footing dig and the 48-hour cure, run faster (usually a 1-day install), and cost less than the new-post equivalent.
Top-Cap Trim and Finish Detail
Every screen gets a top-cap trim — a 2x6 cedar cap board running along the top of the screen panel with the ends mitered or cut square depending on the layout. The top cap protects the end-grain of the vertical slats (or the top horizontal board) from weather, gives the screen a finished visual edge, and ties multiple panels into a continuous visual run. Posts get cedar post caps (square or ball-top depending on the look) for the same reasons. Finish-detail completes the screen as a piece of furniture-grade carpentry rather than a backyard project.
How a Privacy Screen Build Works
Six sequential steps from site review through top-cap install — the actual sequence we follow on every cedar privacy screen build.
Site Review and Privacy-Priority Layout
Tech walks the yard, confirms the location and the privacy priority (what specifically is being blocked — neighbor's window, street sightline, hot-tub enclosure perimeter, trash-can hiding), checks the property-line setbacks for the jurisdiction, confirms the screen height needed for the visual block (typically 6 to 8 feet), recommends the screen style (cedar slat, horizontal-board, or traditional lattice), and quotes the slat-spacing for the location.
New-Post Installs — Power-Auger Footings to 24-30 Inches
On new-post installs, power-auger every footing to 24 to 30 inches below grade. Post spacing typically 6 feet on center (3 posts on a 12-foot screen, 4 posts on 18 feet, 5 posts on 24 feet). Pour concrete around Simpson ABA or ABU post-base anchors set plumb in the wet pour. 48-hour concrete cure before the 4x4 cedar post is raised. Retrofit installs (mounting on existing structures) skip this step.
Raise the Cedar Posts (New-Post Only)
4x4 cedar posts lifted onto the cured ABU anchors and through-bolted with the post-base hardware. Each post plumbed against a 4-foot level on two faces. Top of the posts cut to the screen height (typically 6 or 8 feet above grade). Posts run plumb against a string line stretched between the end posts so the screen face reads dead-straight along the run.
Frame the Screen Panel (Cedar Slat or Horizontal-Board)
On cedar slat screens — 2x4 cedar horizontal top and bottom rails mounted between the posts to receive the vertical slats. On horizontal-board screens — the cedar boards mount directly onto the post faces with no intermediate framing (the horizontal-board panel is structurally simple). On traditional lattice — a 2x4 cedar perimeter frame around the lattice panel set into the post-to-post gap.
Mount the Cedar Slats or Horizontal Boards
Cedar slats (1x4 or 1x6) mounted vertical to the top-and-bottom rails with stainless ring-shank nails or stainless screws at the tuned slat-spacing — 1/4-inch gap for visual-block priority, 1/2-inch standard, 3/4-inch for airflow priority. Horizontal boards (1x6 or 1x8) mounted directly to the post faces with the same fastener spec. Lattice panels set into the perimeter frame and secured with the frame's groove.
Install Top Cap and Post Caps
2x6 cedar top cap running along the top of the screen panel, ends mitered or cut square depending on the layout. The top cap protects the end-grain of the vertical slats and gives a finished visual edge. Cedar post caps (square flat-cut, ball-top, or custom profile) on every post. Tools off site at the end of day one on retrofit installs, day two on new-post installs (after the 48-hour concrete cure).
Privacy Screens & Lattice Pricing
Final pricing depends on screen length, height, style (cedar slat, horizontal-board, traditional lattice), whether the install is on new posts in concrete footings (longer install, 48-hour cure) or retrofit on existing structures (faster install), and any decorative add-ons (custom post caps, decorative trim). Slat spacing (tight 1/4-inch, standard 1/2-inch, open 3/4-inch) is tuned to your location at booking — included at no extra charge. All cedar is Western Red Cedar from PNW suppliers. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us what needs to be screened (the neighbor's window, the deck corner, the hot tub, the HVAC unit) and the run length you need — we will quote the right style and slat-spacing for the location.
Why Handis for Privacy Screens & Lattice
The single most-common booking call we get for privacy screens is the neighbor remodeled their second story and now there is a window looking straight into the hot tub or the master bedroom or the deck. The traditional answer was to plant a fast-growing evergreen and wait 5 to 8 years; the modern answer is a cedar horizontal-board screen on three new 4x4 cedar posts in concrete footings, 8 feet tall and 12 to 16 feet long, slat-spacing tuned for visual-block priority, installed in 2 days. The screen reads as a planned piece of yard architecture (warm Western Red Cedar that weathers silver, top-cap trim, decorative post caps) rather than as a defensive structure. Cedar slat and horizontal-board screens have become the dominant property-line privacy answer in Seattle's infill neighborhoods over the last decade because they solve the privacy problem cleanly without the wait time or the maintenance burden of a hedge — and they look better.
Western Red Cedar throughout — never pressure-treated pine
We build privacy screens in Western Red Cedar — heartwood when we can source it, structural-grade clear when we cannot. Pressure-treated pine is not a substitute on a privacy screen because the green-yellow chemical look does not match the modern Northwest yard style, and the dimensional instability of PT pine in PNW wet-dry cycles is worse than cedar (PT pine slats warp and cup within 12 to 18 months; cedar holds its plane through the wet season). PT pine still goes on the buried portion of the post-base hardware blocking only; every visible 4x4 post, 2x4 rail, 1x4 or 1x6 slat, and 2x6 top cap is cedar on every screen we build.
Slat spacing tuned to the privacy priority
The slat-spacing decision is the single biggest privacy-vs-airflow trade-off on a cedar screen — and we tune it for your location. Tight spacing (1/4-inch gap) for full visual block at any viewing angle. Standard spacing (1/2-inch gap) for strong visual privacy with moderate airflow — the most-common choice. Open spacing (3/4-inch gap or wider) for partial privacy with strong airflow through the screen, used when the screen is more about visual division than full block. We confirm the priority on the booking call so the screen does the job it is being built for.
Concrete-set footings on new-post installs — same as pergola spec
New-post privacy screens get the same footing treatment as our pergola builds — power-auger every footing to 24 to 30 inches below grade, pour concrete around a Simpson ABA or ABU post-base anchor set plumb in the wet pour, 48-hour concrete cure before the 4x4 cedar post is raised. Post spacing typically 6 feet on center. The footings keep the screen plumb against PNW wet-soil seasonal movement and any wind load on the screen face. A privacy-screen post on a buried 4x4 (the DIY shortcut) leans within 2 to 3 years; a properly footed post stays plumb for the life of the cedar.
Stainless ring-shank nails or stainless screws — galvanic-compatible with cedar
Cedar slats mount with stainless ring-shank nails (the most-common choice for the modern cedar slat aesthetic — fastener heads disappear into the slat face) or stainless screws (when removal-and-replacement of slats is a future need). Stainless is galvanic-compatible with cedar tannins; standard electro-galvanized nails or screws corrode against cedar tannins within 18 to 24 months and run black streaks down the slat face. We do not substitute the cheaper fastener because the failure mode is visible from the yard chair within two summers.
Top-cap trim and post caps on every screen
Every screen gets a 2x6 cedar top cap along the top of the panel — the top cap protects the end-grain of the vertical slats from weather, gives the screen a finished visual edge, and ties multiple panels into a continuous visual run. Cedar post caps (square flat-cut, ball-top, or custom profile) on every post. The trim work is what separates a cedar privacy screen that reads as planned yard architecture from one that reads as a quickly-erected defensive panel — and the trim takes maybe 60 minutes per screen run.
Property-line setback checked before any post-set
Most jurisdictions allow privacy screens within the property setback (usually 0 inches from the property line on a privacy fence-style screen, subject to specific city code), but some jurisdictions have a 6-inch or 12-inch setback from the property line, and most jurisdictions have a height limit (6 feet at the property line in most of Seattle, 8 feet allowed on rear-yard privacy in many jurisdictions). We confirm the setback and the height limit for your address on the booking call before any post is set, so the screen does not get red-tagged by the jurisdiction after install.
Estimate
Tell us what specifically needs to be screened (the neighbor's window facing your yard, the deck corner sightline from the street, the hot-tub enclosure perimeter, the HVAC unit at the side of the house, the trash-can or compost-bin area), the run length you need (a 12-foot section along the property line, a 16-foot run from the deck corner, a 3-sided U-shape around an HVAC), the screen style preference (cedar slat for modern vertical look, horizontal-board for Northwest contemporary, traditional lattice for classic-cottage), and the privacy-vs-airflow priority. We confirm the property-line setback and the height limit for your jurisdiction on the first visit.
Customer Reviews
Privacy screen and lattice reviews from real Handis customers.
16-foot horizontal-board cedar screen along our Ballard property line — the neighbor remodeled and the new second-story window looked straight into the hot tub. Handis set new 4x4 cedar posts in concrete, ran the screen 8 feet tall at 1/2-inch slat spacing for full visual block, top-cap and ball-top post caps. Two days, neat as a furniture build. Hot tub is private again.
Cedar slat screen on the corner of our deck in Bellevue — blocked the sightline from the street to our seating area without blocking the lake view at the other end of the deck. Vertical 1x6 slats at 3/4-inch spacing (airflow priority — we wanted some breeze through). Mounted on the existing deck rail, no new posts needed. One day install, $1,400 done.
24-foot horizontal-board screen along the full back of our Issaquah property line. Five new 4x4 cedar posts in concrete footings (Handis power-augered all five in an afternoon — heavy clay), 8 feet tall, 1x6 cedar boards at 1/4-inch tight spacing for full visual block. The neighbor's back yard is no longer in our sightline and the screen reads as planned yard architecture rather than a defensive fence.
Three-sided cedar slat U-shape around our HVAC unit on the side of the house in Mercer Island — the AC condenser was the loud ugly thing at the property line and we wanted it hidden. Handis built a 6-foot-tall U-shape, vertical 1x4 slats at 3/4-inch spacing (so the AC airflow is not restricted), open at the top for the AC heat exhaust. AC is invisible from the yard now and still cools the house just fine.
Traditional lattice screen between our patio and the neighbor's driveway in Magnolia — wanted the classic-cottage look to match the 1920s bungalow. Handis set the lattice panels in a 2x4 cedar perimeter frame between two existing cedar posts, 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Three years in the lattice has weathered silver to match the cedar everywhere else in the yard. Reads as if it has always been there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis privacy screen and lattice construction.