How to Screen a Neighbour's Extension

A neighbouring extension can completely change how a garden feels.

A previously open outlook may suddenly be dominated by:

• Brickwork

• Render

• Large windows

• Rooflines

• Balconies

• New upper-storey views

• A much larger building mass.

Sometimes the main problem is overlooking.

In other gardens, privacy has not changed significantly but the extension has become a visually dominant feature.

These are different problems and they do not always require the same solution.

Kirman Design creates bespoke garden screening schemes throughout North West England, using trees, planting, hedging, pergolas and structural screens to reduce the impact of neighbouring buildings while maintaining light, space and the character of the garden.

Start by Identifying the Real Problem

Before deciding how to screen a neighbour's extension, ask:

• Is the extension overlooking the garden?

• Is it simply unattractive?

• Which part of it causes the problem?

• From where do you notice it most?

• Is the issue visible from inside the house?

• Does it affect one seating area or the entire garden?

This should determine the screening strategy.

Our Garden Screening Ideas page explores the broader principles of screening unwanted views.

Overlooking Versus an Unwanted View

An extension may cause two separate issues.

Overlooking

New windows may create a direct line of sight into:

• Patio

• Garden

• Outdoor dining area

• Hot tub

• Main living spaces.

Visual Impact

The extension may simply dominate the outlook.

It might be:

• Too close

• Too high

• Architecturally unsympathetic

• Visually heavy.

Understanding which problem matters most will help determine whether you need:

• Privacy

• Screening

• Distraction

• A combination of all three.

Do Not Automatically Screen the Entire Boundary

A common reaction is to assume the whole boundary needs to become taller.

Often it does not.

You may only need to interrupt one important sightline.

A carefully positioned:

• Tree

• Group of trees

• Pergola

• Screen

may solve the problem much more effectively.

Screen From the Viewing Position

One of the most useful screening principles is simple:

The screen does not necessarily need to sit next to the extension.

Moving the screen closer to:

• Patio

• Seating area

• Main window

can often reduce the height needed.

This is particularly useful in smaller gardens.

Think About the Geometry of the View

Imagine a line between:

• Your eye

• The part of the extension you want to hide.

The most effective screening point may be somewhere between the two.

This can prevent the garden becoming surrounded by unnecessarily tall planting or structures.

Screening a Neighbour's Extension With Trees

Trees are often one of the best solutions.

They can provide:

• Height

• Softness

• Seasonal interest

• Shade

• Habitat

• Privacy.

Unlike a solid screen, they also allow the garden to retain depth.

Trees for Upper-Level Screening

Trees are particularly useful where the extension includes:

• First-floor windows

• Upper-storey glazing

• A raised roofline.

Lower boundary fencing may do little to address these views.

A tree canopy can provide screening at the height where it is actually needed.

Multi-Stem Trees

Multi-stem trees can be highly effective around:

• Patios

• Seating areas

• Garden rooms.

They provide:

• Broad canopies

• Layered foliage

• A softer character.

They can also create privacy without feeling like a rigid barrier.

Standard Trees

Standard trees can provide screening above an existing boundary while keeping lower-level space relatively open.

They can work particularly well where:

• Garden width is limited

• Lower-level light needs to be preserved.

Pleached Trees

Pleached trees provide a more formal approach.

Their trained canopies can create a defined screen above:

• Wall

• Fence

• Hedge.

They are particularly useful where a narrow planting footprint is required.

Evergreen Trees

Evergreen trees provide year-round screening.

They may be appropriate if:

• The extension is visually intrusive throughout winter

• Privacy is required all year.

However, large areas of evergreen screening can create:

• Shade

• A heavy visual effect

• Reduced winter light.

Use them carefully.

Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees can still provide excellent seasonal screening.

For many gardens, privacy is most important during:

• Spring

• Summer

• Early autumn.

Deciduous trees can therefore offer a good compromise between privacy and winter light.

Screening With Hedging

Hedging can help soften the lower part of an extension.

It may also improve:

• Boundary appearance

• Privacy

• Wildlife value.

However, a hedge alone may not be tall enough to address upper-storey overlooking.

Combine Hedge and Trees

One of the strongest combinations is:

• Hedge at lower level

• Trees above.

This creates layered screening without relying on one very large plant.

Layered Planting

Layered planting may include:

• Trees

• Large shrubs

• Smaller shrubs

• Perennials

• Groundcover.

This creates visual depth.

Instead of seeing:

fence → extension

you see:

planting → trees → filtered background

This can dramatically change the perception of the neighbour's building.

Shrubs for Screening

Shrubs can be useful where the extension is visible at lower level.

They can soften:

• Walls

• Fences

• Side elevations.

Large shrubs can also create a more natural transition between garden and boundary.

Climbers

Climbers can soften:

• Trellis

• Screens

• Walls

• Pergolas.

They are especially useful where planting space is limited.

Screening With a Pergola

A pergola can provide highly effective localised privacy.

Our Pergolas for Privacy page explores this in greater detail.

A pergola may be positioned around:

• Dining

• Seating

• Outdoor kitchen.

It can interrupt views from neighbouring windows without screening the whole garden.

Why Pergolas Work Well

A pergola can provide screening both:

• Vertically

• Overhead.

This makes it particularly useful where the extension overlooks the garden from above.

Use a Pergola Near the Seating Area

Rather than trying to screen a first-floor window from the boundary, it may be more effective to create a more private outdoor room around the main seating area.

This can require less height and create a more attractive result.

Slatted Screens

Slatted screens can provide:

• Filtered privacy

• A contemporary appearance

• Support for planting.

They work particularly well around:

• Patios

• Outdoor kitchens

• Seating.

Their effectiveness depends on:

• Slat spacing

• Orientation

• Viewing angle.

Solid Privacy Screens

A solid screen can provide stronger privacy where required.

It may be useful immediately around:

• Hot tubs

• Dining terraces

• Intimate seating areas.

However, large solid screens can make gardens feel enclosed.

Use them selectively.

Trellis and Planting

Trellis can provide a lighter alternative.

When combined with climbers it can create:

• Soft privacy

• Seasonal interest

• Less visual weight.

It can be especially effective where complete screening is unnecessary.

Garden Privacy Ideas

Screening an extension is only one part of creating privacy.

Our Garden Privacy Ideas page explores wider techniques using:

• Trees

• Planting

• Layout

• Structures.

Sometimes repositioning the main outdoor living space can solve the problem more effectively than adding more screening.

How to Screen an Overlooking Window

Where the extension contains a specific troublesome window, targeted screening may be the best approach.

Our How to Screen an Overlooking Window page explores this problem in more detail.

The solution may depend on:

• Window height

• Distance

• Garden orientation

• Your main viewpoint.

Screen the Window, Not the Entire Building

If one window is the problem, screen that particular line of sight.

This may require:

• One tree

• One pergola

• A short screen.

It can be much more successful than planting a continuous wall of evergreen trees.

Hiding the Extension Rather Than Screening It

Sometimes privacy is not the issue.

The extension may simply be unattractive.

Our How to Hide an Ugly View page explores how to deal with unwanted views more broadly.

Complete concealment is not always necessary.

Redirect the Eye

A strong garden can draw attention away from the extension.

This might involve:

• Specimen tree

• Water feature

• Sculpture

• Strong planting

• Architectural feature.

The goal is to make the extension visually less important.

Create a Better Foreground

One of the most effective strategies is to create something attractive closer to the viewer.

For example:

• Multi-stem tree

• Deep planting border

• Pergola

• Water feature.

The eye naturally focuses on the foreground rather than the building behind it.

Garden Planting Ideas

Planting can transform the perception of a boundary.

Our Garden Planting Ideas page explores how planting can create:

• Depth

• Structure

• Seasonal interest.

A deep planted border often screens more effectively than a narrow line of plants.

Avoid Thin Screening Borders

A narrow strip along the fence may not provide enough depth.

Where space allows, create deeper planting using:

• Trees

• Shrubs

• Perennials.

This makes the screening feel like part of the garden rather than a defensive measure.

Use Planting in Layers

A layered border might contain:

Upper Layer

Trees

Middle Layer

Shrubs

Lower Layer

Perennials and grasses.

This creates a much more convincing screen.

Screening With Ornamental Grasses

Tall grasses can help filter lower-level views.

They provide:

• Movement

• Texture

• Seasonal interest.

They work especially well around:

• Seating

• Contemporary gardens.

They are not usually sufficient for high-level overlooking on their own.

Screening With Bamboo

Bamboo is sometimes suggested for rapid screening.

It can provide:

• Height

• Evergreen foliage

• Movement.

However, some forms can spread aggressively.

Species selection and long-term management are essential.

Do Not Choose Plants Only for Speed

The fastest-growing plant is not necessarily the best screening plant.

Fast growth can result in:

• Constant pruning

• Excessive width

• Difficult maintenance.

Choose planting for its mature performance.

Screening and Garden Light

Screening inevitably affects light.

A continuous wall of evergreen trees may make the garden:

• Darker

• Cooler

• More enclosed.

This may be particularly problematic in smaller gardens.

North-Facing Gardens

Shade is especially important in north-facing gardens.

Our North-Facing Gardens page explores how limited light affects garden layout and planting.

Avoid solving one problem by creating another.

Evergreen Versus Deciduous Screening

Ask:

Do you really need full privacy in January?

If the garden is mainly used between spring and autumn, deciduous planting may provide enough screening while allowing winter light.

Screen the Main Outdoor Living Area First

Privacy usually matters most where people spend time.

This may be:

• Patio

• Dining

• Outdoor kitchen

• Hot tub

• Lounge area.

Focus screening resources on those areas.

Privacy Around Outdoor Dining

Our Garden Design for Outdoor Dining page explores how dining areas can be positioned for:

• Privacy

• Shelter

• Views.

Moving the table by several metres can sometimes make a major difference.

Outdoor Living

Our Outdoor Living Garden Design page explores how:

• Seating

• Pergolas

• Planting

• Screens

can combine to create more private outdoor spaces.

Outdoor Kitchens

A neighbour's extension can feel especially intrusive if it overlooks an outdoor kitchen or entertaining terrace.

Our Garden Design Around an Outdoor Kitchen page explores how these spaces can be positioned within the wider garden.

Hot Tub Screening

Privacy becomes even more important around a hot tub.

Our Garden Design Around a Hot Tub page explores how:

• Screens

• Pergolas

• Planting

can create a more private setting.

Fire Pit Areas

A fire-pit terrace may benefit from a degree of enclosure.

Our Garden Design Around a Fire Pit page explores how seating and planting can create a more intimate atmosphere.

Create a Garden Room

Rather than screening the entire garden, consider creating a private outdoor room.

Our Creating an Outdoor Room page explores how:

• Pergolas

• Screens

• Trees

• Planting

can define a more enclosed space.

This can be particularly effective in overlooked urban gardens.

Screening a Small Garden

Small gardens need careful handling.

Our Small Garden Design page explores how compact gardens can remain open and well proportioned.

Avoid surrounding a small garden with:

• Tall evergreen hedging

• Solid screens

• Dense planting.

This can make the space feel much smaller.

Use Localised Screening in Small Gardens

In a compact plot, screen the:

• Main seating area

• Critical window

• Most intrusive part of the extension.

Leave the rest more open.

Screening a Medium-Sized Garden

A medium garden may allow enough space for:

• Tree planting

• Deep borders

• Pergolas.

Our Medium Sized Garden Design page explores how different garden zones can work together.

Screening a Large Garden

Larger gardens provide greater freedom.

Our Large Garden Design page explores how:

• Tree groups

• Hedging

• Garden rooms

can create privacy over a wider landscape.

A neighbour's extension can often be absorbed into the background rather than completely hidden.

Screening a Long Narrow Garden

Long gardens can make a neighbouring building feel like the obvious end point.

Our Long Narrow Garden Design page explores how internal planting and screens can interrupt long sightlines.

This can prevent the extension from becoming the main focal point.

Screening a Wide Garden

Wide gardens may allow several separate lines of screening.

Our Wide Garden Design page explores how different activity zones can sit alongside one another.

Privacy may only be needed around one part of the garden.

Screening on a Sloping Garden

Levels dramatically affect overlooking.

A neighbour's extension may appear more dominant if your garden sits:

• Lower

• Higher

• On a steep slope.

Our Sloping Garden Ideas page explores how level changes affect views.

Steep Gardens and Screening

Our Landscaping a Steep Garden page explores how terraces and planting can reorganise steep sites.

A tree planted on a higher terrace may provide effective screening with less mature height.

Retaining Walls and Screening

Retaining walls can help create planting levels.

Our Garden Retaining Walls page explores how walls can structure sloping gardens.

Raised planting can sometimes improve the screening effect.

Screening After Your Own Extension

Your own extension may change how neighbouring buildings are perceived.

Our Garden Design After House Extension page explores how new:

• Glazing

• Patio positions

• Views

can change the garden relationship.

A previously insignificant neighbouring extension may become much more visible from a new set of doors.

Landscaping After Building Work

Our Landscaping After Building Work page explores how gardens can be rebuilt following construction.

This can be an ideal opportunity to redesign privacy rather than simply replace the old planting.

Screening in New Build Gardens

New-build gardens often face close neighbouring development.

Our Garden Design for New Build Homes page explores how:

• Tree planting

• Screens

• Garden layout

can build privacy into the landscape from the outset.

Allow Screening to Mature

New planting does not always provide instant privacy.

A good scheme may combine:

• Immediate structural screening

• Larger specimen plants

• Longer-term planting.

This can provide an attractive transition as the garden establishes.

Period Properties

A highly contemporary screen may not always suit an older house.

Our Garden Design for Period Properties page explores how new landscape features can relate to historic architecture.

In some gardens, trees and hedging may provide a more sympathetic solution.

Listed Properties

Where the house or surrounding historic structures are listed, the wider design may require additional consideration.

Our Garden Design for Listed Buildings page explores the heritage context in more detail.

Country Properties

Larger rural gardens may be better screened using:

• Tree groups

• Hedging

• Woodland-style planting

rather than domestic privacy panels.

Our Garden Design for Country Houses page explores how screening can retain the relationship with the wider landscape.

Family Gardens

A neighbouring extension may overlook:

• Children's play

• Patio

• Trampoline.

Our Family Garden Design page explores how privacy can be integrated into a wider family landscape.

Screening Trampolines

If the extension makes the trampoline particularly visible from neighbouring properties, planting can help integrate it.

Our How to Hide a Trampoline in a Garden page explores targeted screening around play equipment.

Dog-Friendly Gardens

Dogs may react to activity in neighbouring windows or gardens.

Our Dog-Friendly Garden Design page explores how selective screening can sometimes reduce visual triggers.

Accessible Gardens

Privacy solutions should not obstruct accessible routes.

Our Accessible Garden Design page explores how planting and structures can be integrated while maintaining clear movement.

Wheelchair Accessible Gardens

Our Wheelchair Accessible Garden Design page explores how paths, turning and planting should work together.

A privacy screen should never create a narrow pinch point on an important route.

Low Maintenance Screening

Privacy planting should suit the maintenance level you want.

Our Low Maintenance Garden Design page explores how mature plant size can reduce unnecessary pruning.

Avoid Permanent Hedge Cutting Problems

A hedge planted too close to:

• Fence

• Wall

• Narrow path

may become difficult to maintain.

Design enough space for future access.

Screening Without a Lawn

A lawn-free garden can provide more room for layered planting.

Our Low Maintenance Garden Without a Lawn page explores how planting can soften harder landscapes.

Deep screening borders can become a major feature.

Screening and Garden Lighting

Screening planting can become part of the evening garden.

Our Garden Lighting Ideas page explores selective lighting of:

• Trees

• Shrubs

• Screens.

Lighting should make the garden more attractive without illuminating the neighbouring building unnecessarily.

Screening and Water Features

A water feature can create a strong alternative focal point.

Our Garden Water Feature Ideas page explores how water can add:

• Movement

• Sound

• Reflection.

This can help redirect attention away from a neighbouring extension.

Screening and Wind

Large solid screens can alter airflow.

This is especially relevant on exposed sites.

Filtered screens and planting can sometimes provide a more comfortable solution.

Screening and Drainage

New deep borders should still respond to:

• Soil

• Drainage.

Our Garden Drainage Installation page explores wider drainage considerations.

Wet clay soil may influence which screening plants establish successfully.

Garden Screening in North West England

Screening a neighbour's extension in North West England requires consideration of:

• High rainfall

• Clay soils

• Shaded gardens

• Urban density

• Exposed sites.

The solution should respond to the local site rather than simply copy an image from another garden.

Screening Neighbour Extensions in Lancashire

Lancashire gardens may combine:

• Close suburban housing

• Rural views

• Heavy clay.

Screening planting should be chosen for local conditions as well as privacy.

Screening Neighbour Extensions in Cheshire

Larger Cheshire gardens may offer enough space for:

• Specimen trees

• Pleached trees

• Deep planting borders.

These can soften substantial neighbouring extensions without making the garden feel enclosed.

Screening Neighbour Extensions in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester gardens often face:

• Close neighbouring properties

• Loft conversions

• New extensions

• Upper-storey windows.

Targeted trees and localised screens can be particularly effective in compact plots.

Screening Neighbour Extensions in Merseyside

More exposed locations may require:

• Wind-tolerant screening plants

• Robust structures.

Screening Neighbour Extensions in the Ribble Valley

Larger rural gardens may benefit from:

• Tree groups

• Hedging

• Naturalistic planting

rather than a highly domestic privacy screen.

This can help preserve landscape character.

Do I Need a Garden Designer?

Professional garden design can be particularly useful when an extension creates multiple sightlines.

Our Do I Need a Garden Designer? page explores when design input can add value.

A designer can analyse:

• Viewing angles

• Tree positions

• Seating

• Garden levels

• Light.

Choosing a Garden Designer

A good designer should not automatically recommend:

• Tall fencing

• A row of evergreen trees.

They should first ask:

• What needs screening?

• From where?

• At what height?

• During which seasons?

Our How to Choose a Garden Designer page explores what to consider.

Questions to Ask a Garden Designer

Useful questions include:

• Could a single tree solve the problem?

• Should the screen sit closer to the seating area?

• How much winter light will be lost?

• What will the planting look like when mature?

Our Questions to Ask a Garden Designer page provides a wider checklist.

Preparing for a Garden Design Consultation

Before the consultation, take photographs from:

• Kitchen

• Living room

• Main patio

• Seating area.

Mark which parts of the extension you want to reduce visually.

Our How to Prepare for a Garden Design Consultation page provides a wider guide.

You can also read What Happens at a Garden Design Consultation?.

What Information Does a Garden Designer Need?

Useful information may include:

• Extension position

• Window heights

• Boundary location

• Garden orientation

• Existing trees

• Important views.

Our What Information Does a Garden Designer Need? page explores the wider design brief.

Do I Need Garden Drawings?

Where screening relies on precise positioning of:

• Trees

• Pergolas

• Seating

• Screens

drawings can make sightline relationships easier to understand.

Our Do I Need Drawings for My Garden? page explains the wider benefits of design drawings.

Professional Landscaping

Structural screens and specimen planting need careful installation.

Our Professional Landscaping page explores why quality construction matters.

Landscape Construction

Our Landscape Construction page explores how:

• Screens

• Pergolas

• Paving

• Planting

can be coordinated through the build.

Garden Groundworks

Large trees or new structures may require careful ground preparation.

Our Garden Groundworks page explores the hidden construction behind a successful landscape.

Choosing a Landscaping Company

Where the screening solution includes:

• Structural screens

• Pergolas

• Large trees

• New borders

good workmanship matters.

Our How to Choose a Landscaping Company page explores what to look for.

Complete Garden Design and Build

A neighbouring extension is often the trigger for reconsidering the whole garden.

Instead of simply adding a screen, the project may create:

• Better seating

• Deeper planting

• Improved privacy

• New focal points

• Stronger outdoor living.

Our Complete Garden Design and Build page explains how the whole garden can be redesigned and constructed as one coherent project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to screen a neighbour's extension?

Usually by first identifying the exact unwanted sightline, then using trees, planting, pergolas or structural screens at the most effective location.

Do I need to screen the whole extension?

No. Often screening the most intrusive window, roofline or elevation is enough.

Are trees good for screening an extension?

Yes. Trees are particularly effective for upper-level views and can provide a much softer solution than tall fencing.

Are evergreen trees best?

Not always. Evergreens provide year-round screening but may also reduce light. Deciduous trees can be a better balance in many gardens.

What are pleached trees?

Pleached trees have trained canopies that form a more formal upper-level screen and can be useful where planting width is limited.

Can I use a pergola to block overlooking?

Yes. Pergolas can provide particularly effective localised privacy around seating and dining. See Pergolas for Privacy.

Can I screen a first-floor window?

Often, yes. Carefully positioned trees, pergolas or screens can interrupt the sightline. See How to Screen an Overlooking Window.

Should I put the screen on the boundary?

Not necessarily. A screen closer to the main seating area may block the same view at a lower height.

How can I hide a large brick extension?

Layered planting, trees and a strong foreground focal point can reduce its visual impact considerably.

Can planting hide an extension completely?

Sometimes, but complete concealment is not always necessary. Softening and redirecting attention can produce a better garden.

Can I use bamboo?

Potentially, but choose carefully because some forms spread aggressively and may require containment.

How quickly can screening plants grow?

Growth varies significantly. It is usually better to choose a plant for its mature suitability rather than speed alone.

Will screening make my garden darker?

Potentially. The effect depends on height, density, orientation and whether evergreen or deciduous plants are used.

How do I screen an extension in a small garden?

Use targeted localised screening rather than surrounding the entire garden with tall barriers.

Can I create instant screening?

Structural screens, pergolas and larger specimen planting can provide more immediate results while other planting establishes.

Can a water feature help?

Yes. A strong focal point can redirect attention away from the neighbouring building.

Can I move my seating area instead?

Sometimes repositioning the seating is one of the most effective privacy solutions.

Can screening also improve the garden design?

Absolutely. Trees, pergolas and planting can add shade, structure, seasonal interest and outdoor rooms as well as privacy.

Does Kirman Design design screening for neighbouring extensions?

Yes. Kirman Design creates bespoke privacy and screening schemes throughout North West England using trees, hedging, planting, pergolas and structural screening.

Do Not Let the Neighbour's Extension Design Your Garden

When a new extension appears, it can be tempting to make every garden decision around hiding it.

That can result in:

• Oversized screens

• Excessive evergreen planting

• Lost light

• A garden that feels defensive.

A better approach is to ask:

Which part of the extension genuinely bothers us?

From where is it visible?

Is the problem privacy or appearance?

Can one tree interrupt the sightline?

Would moving the seating help?

Could a pergola create a private outdoor room?

What should become the new focal point?

How much light do we want to retain?

And what will the garden look like once the planting matures?

The strongest solutions balance:

screening + light

privacy + openness

trees + structures

immediate impact + long-term growth

concealment + distraction

problem solving + good garden design.

The objective is not necessarily to make the neighbour's extension disappear.

It is to create a garden where the extension no longer controls what you see, where you sit or how private you feel.

If a neighbouring extension is affecting your garden in Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, the Ribble Valley or elsewhere in North West England, contact Kirman Design to discuss a bespoke garden screening, privacy and landscape design solution.