Need to cover/fence one side of open pergola

JillyC8

Hi, does anyone have any DIY solutions on how to fill the gap on one side of my wooden pergola? I am not a DIY person as such and can't afford a carpenter. The gap is 8ft 6 and I can't find any fence panels wide enough. I need to fill the gap as I have a nosy neighbour and the fence between our gardens is broken (but it's her fence so I can't do anything about it). The floor is concrete so I need a solution that doesn't involve attaching to posts that I can do myself. Would I need to buy planks of wood cut to the right length and attach to the pergola posts with brackets? Is this possible? Sorry if I'm being a bit dim

BarelySentientAI

Put hooks on the top bar of the pergola and hang a sheet.  Then, if the fence gets fixed, you would be able to take it down again.

JillyC8

BarelySentientAI said:

Put hooks on the top bar of the pergola and hang a sheet.  Then, if the fence gets fixed, you would be able to take it down again.

I hadn't thought of that ... only thing is the first top bar is about a foot away (inwards) from the external posts ... I will try and add an image for context (hopefully below). You can see my rubbish attempt at using trellis/bamboo to create a fence but it's not practical and is falling to bits after only 18 months.

JillyC8

Plus there's no way the fence will get fixed. My neighbour is elderly and has left it like that for years. He is quite hostile about it :-(. I've offered to pay for it but he has refused.

BarelySentientAI

Something like this for them?


Only put a bit of it through the wood and that could make it hang 6 inches away.

Or what about putting a wire between the two vertical pieces and hanging from that?

JillyC8

That is a great idea actually ... I was hoping for something a bit more solid/permanent but it would certainly be something to look into. Thank you for your input!

BarelySentientAI

JillyC8 said:

That is a great idea actually ... I was hoping for something a bit more solid/permanent but it would certainly be something to look into. Thank you for your input!

It can look pretty permanent if you do it with an opaque / tough fabric, something like canvas.  Less permanent than trying to put posts into the concrete.

Weights or another wire at the bottom together with a heavy fabric can stop it blowing around too much if that becomes a worry - it doesn't have to look flimsy like that picture.



For something more permanent, I think you already have the answer.  Timber across where your bamboo is, either screwed into the frame (more common) or on brackets.  You can buy it pre-assembled into large screens like a fence panel so you only have to fasten one piece.



Can also do the same with anything else that you can buy in a large piece.  There are some really good-looking but really expensive options that I've seen with metal sheets.  https://www.luxuryscreens.co.uk/product-category/decorative-garden-screens/



You would just need to make sure the panel was the right side to fasten onto your pergola posts, then you wouldn't need any new ones.  These aren't so moneysaving options though.

kipsterno1

Does that area get a lot of wind? If it does fixing something solid to the pergola might add additional forces that the post weren't designed for.

JillyC8

BarelySentientAI said:

JillyC8 said:

That is a great idea actually ... I was hoping for something a bit more solid/permanent but it would certainly be something to look into. Thank you for your input!

It can look pretty permanent if you do it with an opaque / tough fabric, something like canvas.  Less permanent than trying to put posts into the concrete.

Weights or another wire at the bottom together with a heavy fabric can stop it blowing around too much if that becomes a worry - it doesn't have to look flimsy like that picture.



For something more permanent, I think you already have the answer.  Timber across where your bamboo is, either screwed into the frame (more common) or on brackets.  You can buy it pre-assembled into large screens like a fence panel so you only have to fasten one piece.



Can also do the same with anything else that you can buy in a large piece.  There are some really good-looking but really expensive options that I've seen with metal sheets.  https://www.luxuryscreens.co.uk/product-category/decorative-garden-screens/



You would just need to make sure the panel was the right side to fasten onto your pergola posts, then you wouldn't need any new ones.  These aren't so moneysaving options though.

These are amazing solutions that I'll definitely look into. Thank you so much!

JillyC8

kipsterno1 said:

Does that area get a lot of wind? If it does fixing something solid to the pergola might add additional forces that the post weren't designed for.

That is a very good point; the fence does get battered about a bit. It isn't overly exposed but the storms we've recently had have broken some of the pieces of the trellis away and it's now leaning in as you can see. I guess I would need something that's flexible in that case, to avoid stressing the posts.... lots to look into.

ThisIsWeird

If it's easier, you can replace the missing or damaged fence, provided you keep your posts on your side of the boundary.
Unless there's good reason to suspect otherwise, you can assume that your neighb's fence is sitting on their side of the boundary line, with their posts just touching it. So you position your new posts so that their backs are touching this same 'line', so your posts will now be sitting on your side, so fully on your property. The two fences will be 'overlapping' where they meet, but that shouldn't be an issue.
He then must not touch your fence.