How to Build a Privacy Trellis

A trellis helps provide privacy in your backyard or garden from neighbors or curious gazers. Instead of investing in a wall or privacy fence, this functional yet decorative structure provides privacy and supports climbing vines, thus creating a vertical garden. This lush green wall is a cost effective way to enhance the look and appeal of the exterior of your home and garden. With the right tools in hand, you can build your own trellis instead of purchasing it from a store.

2, 8-foot long 2-by-4 pretreated lumber
Prefabricated 4-by-8 foot lattice trellis sheet
Measuring tape
Marker
Handsaw
Carpenter’s level
Earplugs
Protective eyeglasses
Drilling machine
2-inch galvanized wood screws
Powdered chalk
Post-hole digger
Gravel
Shovel

Instructions

- 1
  Determine where you want to install the privacy trellis so you can determine an appropriate height. Ideally, a 6-foot high trellis provides privacy without giving the enclosed area a fort-like appearance. However, decide the height depending on your requirements.
  Also decide what material you want to use. You can build a trellis from wood, PVC pipes, metal stakes with wire running through them or bamboo poles. However, pre-treated wood is the best option since it has a natural look that blends well in a garden.
- 2
  Purchase two 8-foot long pre-treated 2-by-4s for the vertical posts of your trellis and a prefabricated 4-by-8-foot lattice trellis sheet from your local hardware store or home department store.
- 3
  Lay the prefabricated lattice trellis sheet on the ground. Measure 6 feet in length and mark the spot with a marker. Extend the spot to the other end by making a straight line with a marker.
  Use a handsaw or circular saw to cut over the marked line on the lattice sheet carefully.
- 4
  Lay both the 2-by-4s on a flat and even ground, parallel to each other, four feet apart. Place the lattice sheet over them, ensuring their tops are even and aligned. Use a carpenter’s level to make sure they are all level. The additional 2-feet of each 2-by-4 will go deep into the soil to support the trellis and hold it upright.
- 5
  Wear your protective eyeglasses and earplugs and drill several 2-inch wood screws into the lattice sheet to connect it to one of the 2-by-4’s placed under it. The last screws should be 2-feet above the lower ends of the 2-by-4s.
  Repeat the procedure to connect the other side of the lattice sheet to the second 2-by-4.
- 6
  Measure and mark the location on the ground for the trellis poles with powdered chalk. Use a post-hole digger or a narrow shovel to dig two 2-feet deep-holes.
- 7
  Place 4 to 6 inches of gravel into the hole to hold the trellis poles upright and ensure proper rain water drainage.
  Lower the trellis into the holes carefully. Use a shovel to add dirt back into each hole, and tamp the surface down to remove any air pockets.

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