Is the ADU shown in the last pic - 3rd one - that story showing over top of shed? How much space is between back of shed & fence?

No a new one is about to be built 4ft from that fence line behind shed. Not shown. That other house just built up that second story as well, which looks in.

Hmm - can you edit the pic & circle where the ADU will be? Have the neighbors shown you the build plan for the side you’ll be seeing? The # of windows & type of windows might make a big difference. What’s the sun exposure on your back deck? Would you benefit from any shade?

The look at your backyard with the house in the back closer to the fence.

And, if you don't want curtains, perhaps a roman shade something like below can work for you so that it doesn't interfere with the opening of the doors..

Hmm the photos didn’t show

Which photos didn't show? If you are trying to post more, make sure you wait until they are no longer grayed out before you hit submit.

You can also look into adding a 2nd story to your shed to block that existing building. It wouldn't even have to be totally functional, maybe just for storage.

Sorry your photos did not show for me, they look grey

Can you try a different browser? They show up for me, and one person 'liked' them so I assume they show for others.

I just had to restart the app! Good suggestions. There is a local nursery that recommended and said they could easily install mature versions of this Japanese Blueberry hedge. It will be expensive but instant privacy.

Those are really pretty. I haven't heard of them!

They can get up to 60ft and can stay as narrow as 4ft wide I guess, we don’t have a lot of room so that is appealing. They flower in winter too. I like the more organic and looser feel than some of the other hedges.

But we need 10 of them at least to cover the 40ft fence line if we out them 4ft apart. And since it’s a two story, the windows up stairs will be ~16-18ft at their top. If I get them 15ft tall it will be like 15-20k for instant privacy. Might be the best thing though.

A solid line of plantings is likely not needed to block a view. It’s surprising to see how much an open line of plants blocks. If these plants are 4’ wide at maturity that’s 8’ apart on centers for a solid block. You could halve that - plant 8’ apart on center & still have a really good block of view. Whatever you do plant I would strongly recommend finding a place that has had these plants in ground for some years to see what the 5 year view will look like.

Can you post a photo taken from the back of the yard facing the house? I'm wondering if another consideration would be to refurbish the deck and add a pavilion top to it for shade. Then there would be roll down shades mounted on the yard side to give shade to the deck and block the glass doors from view. This might be a more cost-effective way to go vs all the expensive plantings you're considering.

When budget allows consider staining all the fence on your side in partnership with neighbors, so you have a nicer appearance going on.

I have no idea how would even try to plant huge trees for instant privacy in your yard . I think anice pergola idea wirh some nice outdoor drpes will be the best choice . You can do solar shades for daytime privacy and drapes for nightime but they will hamper access to the outside. I agree the fence is pretty bad so work on that for your enjoyment . .

Are you in CA? When we lived in LA someone built a 2-story house uphill from us and the new house looked into our patio. I got a chance to walk into the house while it was being built and took photos looking back at our house, which helped to get an idea of what plants we would need to block the view.

We chose Oldhamii Bamboo which is a clumping variety and not invasive. We bough large specimens to start with and they were 40 ft in a couple of years. The only issues is that they do drop leaves, so you have to be prepared for some yard work.

We have the Japanese Blueberry here in FL and I've never seen them grow as large as your nursery suggested.

This is from the back fence look back at the house

Looks like a decent size deck. If you like the idea, you could look into adding a pergola to the deck in front of the door area, and then have outdoor shades added to the yard side to have privacy when preferred. Plus you could string outdoor lights around the inside of it for evening fun. I've seen some nice-looking pergola kits at Sam's club and Home Depot.

The recommended trees look really nice. For an additional feel of privacy when enjoying your deck you can install a pergola.

We have been considering some cover for the deck, when we did the addition we didn’t think about it, ideal we would have had it integrated roof into the building. I’ll check out if that would create some privacy with the angle.

I would plant those blueberry hedges! Gorgeous! Lots of my neighbors have large plantings - ficus, etc -to block 30-40 foot tall mcmansions and they work! They grow surprisingly fast! I have texas ebonies in the back yard providing privacy.

Try to turn this into a good thing…with the plantings, you will have a beautiful private green back yard and you won’t see any of those neighbors. I love Olychick’s ideas too, but I wouldnt do the reflective window film because birds may fly into the glass.

I honestly hate how the cities are allowing these adu’s virtually on the property line now.

Yeah even if the Japanese Blueberry get to 20ft that will block view fully. They only get about 4ft wide total though, so I think they would be planted more like 5ft apart, not the 8ft stated above.

I also love the pergola idea, but we wanted something that would also block the rain and we got someone to come out and quote one of those that can open and close like big blinds and blocked the rain, very nice and gives you best of both worlds but wow it was expensive! Like 40k to cover entire deck. But they install really nice blinds too that can come down and add even more privacy like suggested.

The cheaper option would be a standard pergola and blinds that just has fixed structure.

Honestly I would do both of those if money was no object, but well it is ;)

Either way though with the plants and pergola going to take some cash but I agree would could turn it into a very nice positive if we get it right

I don’t know what climate you are in, but you could also get some plants in pots on the back porch. When things are closer to you, they don’t have to be as tall to block the view. You could even hang plants. In essence, create a little green shield.

To raise the height of the Japanese blueberries, you could build a raised planter…like three feet high, along the length of the fence, or just in the area of the adu.

So, nighttime is when you need privacy because your windows seem to be reflective when it’s light outside. Your room could easily accommodate a nice lightweight long flowy curtain mounted a few inches from the ceiling with the rod extending almost to the side walls. It could be hung on rings that slide easily and during the day they can hang on either side of the beautiful door without obstructing the door casing or the view. It would almost act as a picture frame for the door and make it really pop. At night if you’re feeling exposed you can quickly pull them together for privacy. I would opt for a color that matches the door casing and baseboards. Or you could use a fabric color that blends with the wall paint. Or a color that pulls from the rug. That is a nice door.

Maybe you’re still pondering the ideas but I want to mention any idea of having a roof cover added will impact the natural light you have now.

Privacy treatments for the door will help. But you also have a lack of privacy outdoors on your deck or in uour backyard. So you may want to focus first on adding outdoor screening as suggested and then see what, if any, additional privacy you need added for the doors.