Hi Alex,

What a lovely space, lucky you!

My suggestion for both privacy and noise reduction from the neighbours would be to put in generous planter box with dense shrubs- they work both acoustically and will give you a lovely outlook, enhancing the experience of this indoor/outdoor space.

You could also explore a water feature to further distract from the neighbours- and add to the serenity!

I did something similar for my Queenscliff Unit project, you can check that out in the link below!

Cheers,

Jill

www.jilliandinkel.com

my suggestion would be a solid brick wall with full width lowlight double glazed sound proof sliding windows (about 750 of the floor and only about 600 mm tall so that you can look at your gorgeous palms from a seated position without seeing above the fence, also add matching sliding glass doors to completely enclose the space and paint the new wall a dark colour so the focus is on the view....and, if you don't already have some roof ventilation a ceiling fan and roof vent will make the space more comfortable when you need to keep it all closed up for privacy and the side fence needs to be tightened up to cover the gaps and also paint the whole fence in the darkest colour to highlight the palms...sound is like air and water and can squeeze through the smallest gaps so all this effort and expense will be a great investment in your peace and privacy

That's a problem shared by both you and your neighbour, If you have any relationship between you, god knows you just about know everything about each other living like that.

Speak to the neighbour about the possibility of building a brick/concrete taller wall on the boundary between the houses opposite both outdoor areas, and if you could add a sloping glass roof down to that wall, on both sides?, looks good

Doors on both sides for access to the rubbish bins and rear yard. This space will serve much better as an extension to the kitchen/living, are they on the same level, could the sliding doors be removed to expand the area. you would need to have an opening skylight for ventilation. and probably a ceiling fan cheers

It could end up being an internal courtyard with the new wall, remove the roofing but leave the pergola and replace after council inspection with see through panels

They look beautiful Julie and would give privacy but not stop the noise being next to each others small outdoor area

there are products that are see through sheeting that are supposed to be good for sound barriers...google twin wall transluscent sound screens for ideas for roof and walls

Hi Alex,

Love the space! And I agree with Jillian - plants are your best bet for privacy, noise reduction and aesthetic appeal. A lot of our customers use a mix of real and artificial plants so their privacy screens stay lush all year round.

Check out our site for some inspiration: www.evergreenwalls.com.au

Richard