Hardscape Design Ideas

How to Build a Lattice Screen

Hide garbage cans or anything else you don’t want to display with a lattice screen.

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Filed under: Fences, How To

Figure G

If you have something in your yard you’d like to hide, such as garbage cans or an air-conditioning unit, go ahead and hide it?with a decorative lattice screen. You can build one in a weekend. Here’s how to do it:

Materials and Tools:

2-by-4-inch boards
wood stakes
landscape fabric and pins
decomposed granite
hand tamper
8-foot-long pressure-treated, rot-resistant 4-by-4-inch posts
1-by-8-inch boards
shovel
cement
cobblestones
4-by-8-foot sheets of architectural-grade lattice
circular saw
1½-inch-wide strips of redwood lath
1-by-1-inch redwood trim

Step One: Establishing the Layout

Make sure that the area to be screened is level. Measure the object to be hidden and double the size to allow easy access. Hammer in stakes to mark the perimeter of the area.

Step Two: Pouring the Base

Using 2-by-4 planks, make a simple frame to hold in a decomposed granite base by placing the planks against the stakes. Grade the site 2 to 3 inches below the top of the frame. Pin down landscape fabric inside the frame to prevent weeds from growing. Pour decomposed granite into the framed area to 2 inches thick and rake it out smooth and level. Wet the surface to set the granite, and use a hand tamper to pack it down.

Figure C

Step Three: Building the Framing

Mark where the posts will go. For the 6x3-ft. screen pictured, the two outer posts are set 3 feet from the fence and 6 feet apart. The third post is set up against the fence, behind one outer post and at the opposite end of where the screen opening will be. Dig holes for the posts, about 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide to allow enough room for concrete. Place a cobblestone into the hole to elevate the post off the dirt at the bottom of the hole. Set the post in the hole, and while holding it in place, have an assistant check that it’s plumb. Secure it temporarily with braces. Pour a couple of bags of cement into the hole, add water to a thick consistency, and mix it with a scrap stake. Set the other posts in the same way. Let the concrete set overnight before removing the braces.

For the kickboard, measure between each set of posts and cut 1x8 boards to fit. Slide them into place, between the posts on the ground, and screw them to the posts. For the bottom rails, cut 2x4’s to the same length as the kickboards and center them on top of the kickboards. Attach them with screws.

Figure D

Cut the posts to about 4½ feet tall. Cap them with 2x4 top rails with ends cut at 45-degree angles. Attach with screws.

Figure E

Step Four: Installing the Lattice

Use a circular saw to cut the lattice to fit between the posts and the top and bottom rails. Attach 1½-inch-wide strips of redwood lath to the inside faces of the posts to hold the lattice in place. You don’t have to nail it; just make sure it fits snugly. Attach more laths to the screen along the bottom rail for added detail. Top the laths with 1-by-1 redwood trim to make a layered molding for an attractive recessed look. Secure the panels from the inside by nailing more redwood strips along the top, bottom and sides.