As a professional window tinter here in Tasmania , I've often solved many of these types of situations with an application of a decorative opaque / frosted film to the glass balustrades with an added suggestion of using light weight plant holders hooked onto the stainless top rail ;if safe to do so ; to increase the overall privacy height as well as doing same to the end/ side walls . I believe doing it this way will allow you a wider choice of smaller & cheaper plants to choose from rather than having to use up valuable floor space with larger pots and equally taller and more expensive plants which may also limit the choices suitable for the location . Photo included here is one showing only a portion of each panel of glass done starting from the lower edge of the glass going up part way by approx 600 mm. which still allows the scenic views over the neighbours roof lines. As you have have a situation with high buildings overlooking you as well ,does make the situation harder to offer the best alround and cost effective way to solve your particular situation ,but I hope this may be of use . As much as I like decorative mesh screens as a suggestion , I believe the deco film option can be the cheapest option whilst providing extra glass protection by shatter proofing the glass . Gary ,Protek window tinting & blinds (Tasmania )

People are either not getting the correct advice or not listening to good advice when using consultants. And pool consultants should be included here. The garden beds that are being left between pools, decking etc are far too narrow. Home owners are then looking for the magical plant that only grows .5 metre wide. This is impossible! To get the appropriate height with the required width of .5 metre is just not going to work. Ongoing pruning will be required and people can't be bothered.And please understand, bamboo is NOT the panacea for width problems as so many think. If you want healthy plants, then you need to allow for garden beds to be a MINIMUM of 1.5 metres wide to allow for a plant to grow 3 or more metres tall. 2 metres wide is better, but most won't allow this. If the yard is too small to accommodate a pool or large expanses of decking then my suggestion is to rethink how you manage the site.

Juli's examples look perfect and my suggestions would include three separate zones starting with an entry area at original tiled floor level including the hot water heater (the wiring and heater can be painted to match the wall as long as the identifying details are still visible}. there's space for bins (garbage, recycling, compost or worm farm?) and raised gardens beds in troughs not in ground and then a step up to a deck, level with inside and a pergola that can include adjustable shade cloth and/or waterproof permanent roofing depending on sunscreen and privacy needed all year..the depth of the pergola (from house to fence will depend on local council and any body corporate conditions but even partial shading will be worthwhile and can include horizontal and/or vertical screens, climbing plants or hanging pots ...all the planting should be in deep troughs or pots and the problem with bamboo should be discussed with neighbours as control should be on their side of the fence and any bamboo that keeps sprouting away from the parent plant will be a constant problem for all the neighbourhood and needs to be removed permanently... the last unroofed zone includes the clothesline barbq and space for extra chairs...my choice for the flooring would be one of the composite decking products that are cooler on bare feet and the pergola could be built out of narrow powder coated steel...both more expensive than some other options but once installed should be low maintenance and an excellent investment in the quality of your family's outdoor lifestyle

So the top pic is the before , the bottom is the after ? Maybe plant some tall trees again haha . The fence looks pretty tall , so I can't see too many privacy issues , unless they are real creepy . There are some white wooden horizontal railings that can be seen over the black -- if you feel you need more height , go for something like that , but done in the charcoal tone . Or is it a different fence you are asking about ? Just an observation though -- with the fence and gate looking like that , next project will have to be doing the brown railings on the house in the charcoal too , but then the gutters will need a tweak , and on it goes . . . . . . . .