Privacy concern

[Deschodt]

There is probably no silver bullet but maybe one of you thought of something clever...

I want more privacy. My garage faces the street... I already put up a short fence and tall(er) hedges to take care of the right and left approaches. Dead on though, anybody with wrong intentions can see exactly what is in my garage when the door is open, and I don't like that much...

Doesn't help that there is a car stacker and a couple old porsches, it attracts too much unwanted attention, and makes it harder to get rid of sollicitors or missionaries.

I've fantasized about a side entrance instead (no room to turn), some sort of one way curtain, but it would probably defeats the purpose of fresh air and light. More light inside and keeping the door closed is an option, just a little claustrophobic one... I have a wrought iron gate about 2 car lenghts away from the garage door. Can't grow plants on that, it's movable.... Often I open the door 1/3 of the way up - only... Not expecting miracles here, but you never know ;-)

Ideas ?

 

[babzog]

Make the gate taller and install privacy panels on it.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Section(s) of tranlucent material on a rolling frame(s), placed several feet out from the doorway? Built kind of like a clothing rack, maybe?
I am on a high traffic perimeter road with way too much traffic passing by to leave me feeling comfortable, especially at night with the door open, and my shop is 165 feet from the road. There is no obsrtuction of view in one direction. There is a wide open field there. House blocks the other direction. Like being on display on a lighted stage. I WILL find a permanent solution, other than keeping the door closed.

RJ

 

[kbs2244]

Do a search for garage door screens.
They are meant to keep out bugs.
But some are non-seethrough.

 

[66HertzClone]

What about the screens I've seen offered for open garage doors? Won't make it invisible, but would certainly cut down on the detail on could see.

 

[rodnok1]

Build a screen for the side with stacker on in first off. agree with taller gate or similiar. And don't forget to sit in driveway cleaning shotguns and drinking lots of beer on a regular basis. Another help to to babysit(dogsit) any friends big *** mean looking dog for a weekend or two, chain the dog up in front of the garage where everybody can see. It won't take long and you'll have a rep...

 

[ddawg16]

THAT is the exact reason we bought a house with the garage in the rear.....

I can understand how you feel....I really enjoy having my garage door open and no one can see what I'm doing.....

 

[65EFI5.0]

Dont know what your site is like but can you install a smaller overhead door in the side anyway. You dont have to drive through it but you can open it up for light and air while having the main door down and avoid talking to anyone!

 

[Stuart in MN]

Keep the garage door closed.

 

[scoutkid]

Just in the process of putting up a 6' privacy fence around my property (shop included) as we speak and my neighbors are apparently PISSED. I live in a neighborhood where everyone has 3' chainlink fence, they are all VERY nosey, I can't stand it!

Plus the wife isn't a big fan of everyone just watching us grill/party/eat/read outside. So up the fence goes!

I still really like the idea of a screen, if only to keep the door open and bugs out in the summer!

 

[Torque1st]

I hate chain link fence, -**** grows in it...

Occupant- Do you have the room to add some sort of tall fast growing hedge backed up with some slow growing but dense evergreen screen?

Deschodt- How about putting up one of those tube frame canvas covered carports with sides? Put it up sideways to the shop and only put the far wall up. It would screen everything. Give you a covered area to work and great ventilation. You can set it up by yourself in about 30 minutes then open your door. Make sure you have some buckets full of sand or something to hold it down in winds.

 

[Mickey O]

Hire a bikini model to stand on the other side of the property (could get a manikin), no one would be able to tell you what's in your garage.

 

[BetterDays]

Can you either provide pics or a layout to give me a better visual.

I have an idea in my head, but it will depend upon a few things.

 

[Rosco]

A friend of mine has the same issue with his 3 car garage. He put up black-out screen with a sliding screen door. Never has to move it unless he is pulling his car out, and then it only takes a few minutes. Looks really good, keeps bugs and nosey neighbors out, good breeze and privacy except at night when the garage lights are on. There are several companies who sell really dark screen material, made especially for the south/southwest sun.

There are other garage screens that are held in place by velcro, but do not look as appealing as a tight screen.

 

[BetterDays]

A friend of mine has the same issue with his 3 car garage. He put up black-out screen with a sliding screen door. Never has to move it unless he is pulling his car out, and then it only takes a few minutes. Looks really good, keeps bugs and nosey neighbors out, good breeze and privacy except at night when the garage lights are on. There are several companies who sell really dark screen material, made especially for the south/southwest sun.

There are other garage screens that are held in place by velcro, but do not look as appealing as a tight screen.

I was trying to find this on the net..
Rolls into the garage frame so that it is out of siight. Rollers on both top and bottom. One big flippin' screen door to let air in and prying eyes out.

 

[ZRX61]

I have the same problem. One *cure* I've thought about is fencing off the driveway on the garage side of the house & planting bushes which will grow to 10ft or more thereby blocking the direct line of sight from the street. This, coupled with moving the driveway entrance to the other side of the front yard, will render my garage invisible from the street. It means that instead of a straight run from the street to the garage the first 50ft of driveway will cross the frontyard at about 45deg..,. but the loss of greenery will be offset by losing 25ft or so of the original driveway which would then become lawn (or most likely dust as I live in the Mojave Desert)...

 

[ironheadtom]

Can you post a pic of what you have now?

 

[mdbeck1]

... I have a wrought iron gate about 2 car lenghts away from the garage door. Can't grow plants on that, it's movable....

Put a flower box down low on the gate and plant virginia creeper or your other ivy of choice.

 

[trbomax]

I had that issue when I lived in ohio.Easy fix,I just put central air in the garage and never opened the door.

 

[BillB99SVT]

A quick google found these two -
http://www.screenex.com/extreme.html
http://www.stoett.com/product_panorama

 

[Deschodt]

I like the idea of a privacy mosquito netting, 2 for one !!! Thank you, I knew someone would think of something I did not know existed !

I don't have great pictures of the layout but those 2 angles should help get an idea...

 

[ironheadtom]

Nice place. I personally don't think your garage is a huge attention - getter unless you live in a bad neighborhood. The cars in your driveway are the biggest thing I see. I'm not seeing any giant brightly colored toolboxes and your gate is a deterrant for sure. The screens seem like a neat idea , though. I've never seen one before. My neighborhood's not the best, but my garage is at the end of a longer driveway, so I built a wood gate across it. My next purchase is one of those "protected by Smith and Wesson " signs.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Put a flower box down low on the gate and plant virginia creeper or your other ivy of choice.

Beat me to it, I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled down thru the suggestions. A long narrow planter attached to the bottom of the gates. Would be unique.

Charles

 

[e-tek]

Can you post a pic of what you have now?

He doesn't trust us!!!!

 

[ironheadtom]

He doesn't trust us!!!!

Well, Yeah

 

[mdbeck1]

Beat me to it, I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled down thru the suggestions. A long narrow planter attached to the bottom of the gates. Would be unique.

Charles

Great minds think alike....

 

[texmln]

First, change the posts on your driveway gate to match the stucco of your home. Then add a metal or wood gate with a solid face like one of these:

The gate will look more like part of the house rather than a fence around the property and give you tons of privacy.

 

[nate379]

Maybe I just think I live in a safe bubble but it's not something I have worried about. In the summer the garage stays open most of the day usually.

Though if someone is driving by house either they live in the cul de sac or are lost... or are the G-D Jahovah's witnesses. You'd think after drawing a shotgun on them twice so far they would stay bugging me!

 

[Deschodt]

Those are only pictures I had that showed the layout of the driveway/garage/gate... The cars have changed somewhat (and there are more) and they're a little more "eye grabbing" now, even more so since the car stacker was installed..... granted we're not talking a Ferrari collection here, but I don't like drawing attention, period. (had a stupid neighbor forward the annoying salesguy of the week to my house, "you can't miss it, he's got all those porsches"- not nice ! exactly what I am trying to avoid)

The gate rolls between (and is kept vertical by) 2 metal posts with rollers, I can't plant on it, the plant would get crushed and the planters not fit.... Also I cannot put a fence/gate higher than 4ft, city code... this bell shape gate is close enough to breaking that rule as it is... No, I think the screen is a brilliant idea, besides we do have mosquitos galore, I just need to price this out... I just did the garage high lift kit, a 4 post lift, I can't spend another thousand right now ! ;-) I'd like to see how private those really are though.

 

[Bevis]

My pole barn is pretty much open...prone out some hoodies with a 12ga. and word gets around that you don't wanna mess around with that guy.

 

[babzog]

First, change the posts on your driveway gate to match the stucco of your home. Then add a metal or wood gate with a solid face like one of these:

The gate will look more like part of the house rather than a fence around the property and give you tons of privacy.

Yup... and replace that low, open, iron fence with a 6' - 8' tall privacy fence. Should seclude you nicely from the rest of suburban hell.

 

[aar0s]

Larson screen doors makes a screen for garage doors, also.

 

[Deschodt]

It doesn't have to be pretty... I just saw a home depot $40 screen (takes 2x) that you attach to hooks....I'm wondering if I can devise a clever contraption to attach that suitably dark screen to the inside bottom of the garage door's lower panel.... When the door is raised, I could unhook and unroll this screen (wrapped around a pipe or something), and then roll it up and fasten it back to the bottom door panel when not required.. Could work... I don't think it'd block anything but I have to see.

 

[s_ontario]

Josh Temple of DIY House Crashers helped a couple / she was cute redo their garage into a workout gym
and they installed a garage door screen that rolled up inside the garage above the overhead door (autoroll) and this screen was a privacy screen you could see out clearly but you couldn't see in

http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/garage-gym/50286.html

 

[mdbeck1]

It doesn't have to be pretty... I just saw a home depot $40 screen (takes 2x) that you attach to hooks....I'm wondering if I can devise a clever contraption to attach that suitably dark screen to the inside bottom of the garage door's lower panel.... When the door is raised, I could unhook and unroll this screen (wrapped around a pipe or something), and then roll it up and fasten it back to the bottom door panel when not required.. Could work... I don't think it'd block anything but I have to see.

Do you have a link to the screen? It might help us come up with ideas....

 

[onewaydave]

My niece's house was invaded by a 3 story townhouse build just across the fence from her back yard. She was worried about the occupants eyeballing her in her yard. No problem, I said. just buy a telescope and put it on the porch pointing at the bedroom windows up there and they will cover those with blinds and never look out.

For the garage problem, buy a surplus M-60 and point it at the street just in front of your garage. Won't be as asthetic as the bikini model but probably cheaper and less likely to get you in trouble. Well, strike that last comment.

 

[mdbeck1]

How about an old boot, a large bear trap, with the bone from a cow sticking out and broken off? Padlock the trap to the fence in broad sight of the street.

 

[supertooljunkie]

Fab up a security gate on rollers that will block the driveway when you are not using it. Then use a keypad or proximity switch to go in or out. Northern Tool, Tractor Supply,, ect., have the turnkey kits, or parts to build your own.

 

[lilredex]

I have a similar garage setup that is in the back (single drive) which puts it about 120 Ft back from the sidewalk. I have a couple of big old vans (daily drivers) parked end to end in front of the garage door, and that pretty well blocks much of the view from the street, also blocks off a nosey neighbour, to the side, to boot. Something else I have noticed in my area, a drive through carport on the side of the house, really stiffles the view of the garage at the back of it.

None of this will likely help you, as you are very close to the street, but might be ideas for others.

 

[kizer]

Only thing I can honestly think of is if you make an effort to hide what you have some might make an effort to look in other ways that might be even more distructive.

I have a buddy with a jeep and he blacked out all his windows so others could not see in. Mine has the factory windows and you can easily see all my junk. His has been broken into twice once his back window broke and the sad thing is his drivers door was unlocked and hell the passenger side window was rolled down. Mine never because they could see right in and they didn't see anything they liked.

Personally I would get an alarm system if you are truely worried about the contents walking away with a motion sensor. I pay $19 a month and I have I think 20+ windows and door monitored. I have one in my garage, but mine watches the windows and everything is wireless so its easily to add or remove and no wires to cut. Good luck trying to open up the unit and bypass it because the alarm will sound instantly. You can get them realitively cheap with monitoring.