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
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.
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.