The front porch nobody sits on
Who can see me, and what would stop them?
Privacy is a geometry problem with a view cost. The useful answer is the smallest thing that interrupts the specific line that bothers you.
The line
People on the sidewalk has a clear line from 25 feet away, 1 degree below the seat. 1 other marked line is open as well. Halfway along that line a barrier would have to reach about 5 feet 11 inches. A 7 ft 3 in screen 7 ft 7 in out is the smallest thing that closes every line that matters. It costs about 50 per cent of the view you said was worth keeping.
| Who | Line | Distance | Above the seat | Bearing | Barrier halfway | Interrupted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People on the sidewalk | Wide open | 25 ft | -1° | 190° | 5 ft 11 in | nothing |
| The house opposite | Wide open | 59 ft | 8° | 178° | 10 ft 2 in | nothing |
From people on the sidewalk, from the side
The line, from the side
Eye to eye, at true scale. A screen near the seat can be short because the line is still low there; near the window it has to be tall.
The section, in a table
From the porch chair, nothing on the plan cuts the line to people on the sidewalk: it rises from 5 ft 11 in to 5 ft 3 in over 25 ft.
| What | From the porch chair | Height | The line |
|---|---|---|---|
| The porch chair (eye) | 0 in | 5 ft 11 in | Starts here |
| Porch rail | 5 ft 2 in | 3 ft 1 in | Under it by 2 ft 8 in |
| Screen A | 6 ft 4 in | 6 ft | Just closes it |
| Screen B | 12 ft 8 in | 5 ft 10 in | Just closes it |
| Screen C | 19 ft | 5 ft 8 in | Just closes it |
| People on the sidewalk (eye) | 25 ft | 5 ft 3 in | Ends here |
From the house opposite, from the side
The line, from the side
Eye to eye, at true scale. A screen near the seat can be short because the line is still low there; near the window it has to be tall.
The section, in a table
From the porch chair, nothing on the plan cuts the line to the house opposite: it rises from 5 ft 11 in to 13 ft 9 in over 59 ft.
| What | From the porch chair | Height | The line |
|---|---|---|---|
| The porch chair (eye) | 0 in | 5 ft 11 in | Starts here |
| Porch rail | 5 ft 1 in | 3 ft 1 in | Under it by 3 ft 6 in |
| Screen A | 14 ft 10 in | 8 ft 2 in | Just closes it |
| Screen B | 30 ft | 10 ft 1 in | Just closes it |
| Screen C | 45 ft | 12 ft 1 in | Just closes it |
| The house opposite (eye) | 59 ft | 13 ft 9 in | Ends here |
The smallest thing that closes it
A 7 ft 3 in screen 7 ft 7 in out
7 feet 3 inches high and about 8 feet 6 inches wide, standing 7 feet 7 inches from the seat, across the line from The house opposite and People on the sidewalk. That is roughly 62 sq ft of material.
Sized against every marked observer. Nobody of any weight is left with a view in.
Line open: how much of each line of sight into the seat nothing blocks, weighted by how much you said each observer matters; 0% is unseen. Marked view open: how much of the view you marked is still clear from the seat. Both are read off the plan, so they are as good as the heights on it.
Test it before anybody builds it
- The test
- Hang a sheet or hold up a board about 7 ft 3 in high and 8 ft 6 in wide where the plan puts the screen, for two evenings at the hour that bothers you.
- If it worked
- Sitting at the porch chair, you cannot see people on the sidewalk over it or round its ends.
- If it didn’t
- If you can still see people on the sidewalk over the top, it sits higher than the plan says; if you see it round an end, the zone is wider than drawn. Either way, nothing should be built to these numbers yet.
- Next evidence
- Photograph the view from the porch chair with the sheet up, from the same spot both evenings, and measure how high people on the sidewalk actually is.
Buy nothing yetA sheet held where this would stand, for two evenings, before a single panel is bought.
Every position tested
Close to the seat means short and wide. Close to them means tall and narrow, and usually not your land.| What | Height | Width | Material | Line still open | Marked view open | Still sees in | Whose land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A 7 ft 9 in screen 11 ft 4 in out 7 feet 9 inches high and about 8 feet 5 inches wide, standing 11 feet 4 inches from the seat, across the line from The house opposite and People on the sidewalk. That is roughly 65 sq ft of material. Neither short nor narrow. | 7 ft 9 in | 8 ft 5 in | 65 sq ft | 8% | 66% | nobody | your land |
An 8 ft 5 in screen 16 ft 5 in out 8 feet 5 inches high and about 8 feet 3 inches wide, standing 16 feet 5 inches from the seat, across the line from The house opposite and People on the sidewalk. That is roughly 69 sq ft of material. Being near the far end means real height, and it is the position most likely to be on somebody else's land. | 8 ft 5 in | 8 ft 3 in | 69 sq ft | 8% | 66% | nobody | your land |
A 7 ft 3 in screen 7 ft 7 in out 7 feet 3 inches high and about 8 feet 6 inches wide, standing 7 feet 7 inches from the seat, across the line from The house opposite and People on the sidewalk. That is roughly 62 sq ft of material. Neither short nor narrow. | 7 ft 3 in | 8 ft 6 in | 62 sq ft | 8% | 47% | nobody | your land |
Add 3 ft 10 in to porch rail Porch rail already sits on this line at 3 feet 1 inch. Taking it to 6 feet 11 inches closes the sightline without introducing a new object into the garden. A trellis or topper changes the wind load on a fence that was not designed for it. | 6 ft 11 in | — | — | 50% | 52% | People on the sidewalk, The house opposite | your land |
Line open: how much of each line of sight into the seat nothing blocks, weighted by how much you said each observer matters; 0% is unseen. Marked view open: how much of the view you marked is still clear from the seat. Both are read off the plan, so they are as good as the heights on it.
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