5+ Practical Tips on How to Shield Yourself from Nosy Neighbors at the Dacha

We tell how to protect your rights to privacy and at the same time not violate the rules of good manners.

How to hide from neighbors? Fences and green plantings

Building or renovating a house, as well as planning a garden plot — the best time to consider all details. You need to think ahead.

You should take into account not only the wind rose and the sun's altitude above the horizon in different seasons. There are requirements for fence height and transparency. Especially where they border adjacent plots. Discuss all aspects of fencing with your neighbors right away. Don't neglect the three rules of good neighborliness: negotiations, compromises, and acceptance of another point of view.

Who said that a low and permeable fence for light cannot be used to plant a protective green belt? Just don't place fruit trees or spreading shrubs here, even if the plot is compact — this gives an extra reason and temptation to come closer or reach over the fence.

Windows, terraces, and porch

The first line of defense: the outer perimeter, gates, and entryways. The second: approaches to the house and openings through which light and air enter.

Moving the porch or entrance to a terrace is too expensive and costly. But it can be disguised with trellises covered in climbing plants, thereby providing shade where needed. They are also useful if the windows you spend a lot of time in face the street. Less dust too.

For terraces and balconies, as well as window framing, louver screens and foldable blinds-shades can hide you from prying eyes. Don't forget about awnings and gazebos, decorative supports above windows for fast-growing climbing vines.

Those who love a 'green' lifestyle will surely appreciate the idea of using solar panel panels as a canopy.

Garden paths

When a path leads straight to the house, a stranger's gaze follows it. But if you soften the paths and hide their turns among trees, shrubs, and flower beds of varying levels, you can avoid curious glances. If you still want straight lines, consider diagonals.

Arbors, gazebos, and tents

If possible, move open relaxation areas under a roof. Planters with trees and aromatic herbs in combination with other vertical greening techniques will be very useful and shield you from unwanted looks.

On the ground level, you can set up barbecue zones, post-lunch siestas, and evening gatherings. Rain protection (awnings, tents) here will also help you hide from neighbors.

If you don't want to build a roof or awning, the 'fence within a fence' technique works well for such corners. The shape of the fence depends only on your imagination.

Evergreen trees planted closely to form a living wall with trimming. Vertical planters or lattice walls topped with flower boxes. Gabions, wicker fences. Even textile screens: removable, easy to wash, and breathable. Not necessarily rectangular: choose a sail shape and imagine you're at a seaside resort.

Winter garden

Where it's cool and damp, a standalone or attached structure with built-in ventilation solves several problems at once.

First, to block sounds: glass does a great job here. Second, to maintain a comfortable microclimate: some people not only have lunch or drink coffee but also sleep under a glass roof, gazing at the stars. Third, to delight yourself with plants that don't survive outdoors and use them as natural screens from unwanted glances.

More quick solutions

When the season is about to start, there's no time for radical changes. Let’s recall mobility.

• A four-slope garden umbrella-tent can be framed with foldable trellis-shades. To ensure stability, they are attached to plant containers, but in a way that allows the structure to be dismantled in minutes. Add removable curtains or mesh screens, and a summer pavilion is ready.
  
• A frame with wicker or slats can be mounted on wheels and moved as desired, following the sun or wherever you wish.
  
• Foldable wicker or perforated screens can be moved from place to place almost instantly and placed wherever needed.
  
• Another solution, albeit not as fast — build a space divider that can serve as a woodpile for firewood and kindling and solve other storage tasks simultaneously. Decorative and functional.
  
• An opening for an open shower-fountain with a transparent water wall behind which you can hide. A good idea where water is not being economized.
  
• Even slats of the right size, inserted into the cells of a simple mesh screen, can add privacy.
  

What about soundproofing?

Capital external fences and utility buildings on the perimeter of the plot work even better than green plantings. But ideal results come in combination: add a layer of soil and a solid carpet of plants to the supporting structure using vertical greening techniques, and you get a sound-absorbing construction with an additional bonus of thermal regulation.

With latticed or mesh fences, it's more complicated. When dacha houses are placed too close to each other, even the sound of a powerful air conditioner can cause a migraine. For such cases, special sound-absorbing coverings made of multi-layer materials with various fillers have been developed. Visually, they look like quilted blankets.

+ 3 more tips

• It's not advisable to keep uninvited guests at a distance using thorny wire or broken glass. But opuntia, which requires only a small amount of soil in a container above the fence, is both decorative and an excellent guard.
  
• In stone outer walls or the base of a lighter fence, experienced gardeners recommend setting up something like a shelter for beneficial insects — for example, bees. Hollow dry stems, cones, and wooden planks with drilled holes will help. Bees not only pollinate plants on your plot but also deter nosy neighbors.
  
• If passive protection doesn't work, fight the disturbance of peace within the bounds of the law: tips can be found here.
  

Photo on the cover: Design by Olga Sobko.