Monster deck

[LilyTheMink]

Hi I am hoping for some advice on a deck i have just had built. It main purpose was to straddle a drop in the garden levels - on the left the top of the handrail is 120cm from the ground and on the right going along the fence, its 270cm drop.
Theres a 1m gap between the fence and the deck, obvious with that steep gradient.
My issues are many. But I cant work out how to nestle it into the landscape. And to screen the views of neighbours' houses when you are on it.
The garden is mainly deciduous although there are evergreens in gardens around. Its fairly traditional as well, not modern. Our house is similar to the red brick one you see - ie Victorian.

Idea 1. Replace the ballustrade with a lighter, criss cross design and possibly paint cream- which will match the paint on the house windows?

Idea 2. Plant some hedging between the deck and the fence that will grow along level with top of pergola - eg leylandii but better, or griselinia littoris.

Any others ideas welcomed.

You wont offend me as I pretty much hate it!

Did you get planning permission for it? I think technically you should for any platform that is higher than 30cm above the ground... second going round to neighbours and asking for their input. Also - climbers in pots of the decking will cover it quicker while those in the ground catch up.

*on the decking

I think your best bet is growing things from pot on the beck so that they are already at a good height. Put trellis in the far corner and get pots. I'm going to try to draw it for you.
I'm trying to work out how you ended up with a deck you hate? Did it just appear overnight?

If you're in the UK you need planning permission for that.

I would do this, while waiting for Bigger things to grow form the bottom. My bamboo drawings look like pampas grass...anything big an tall could go in there really. Start by going to ndn and saying sorry. Then explain your idea and see if they have any ideas. By the looks of it, they have a hedge, maybe they can just allow it to grow taller there?

Wisteria grows like a weed, it’s one of the fastest growing plants you can buy.

Personally I’d paint it first off. I’d go a dark brown shade. Blend it in, but a wood stain obvs not a paint. Then I’d have lots of plants round it and on it, in pots.

My friend put her decking in and it looked like yours. As soon as she stained it, it blended in and looked much classier.

Thank you for all the comments and ideas.
This is idea I have come up with- basically cut the deck in half and retain only the covered part. Move the handrail to the new end. Put steps down directly opposite fence.
Then plant around so it is enclosed (not engulfed) and you dont see the neighbours houses. You sit looking over our garden and house.

That seems like such a waste - sorry, but it does. It just stands out so much because it's new. It'll look wonderful once you've got some climbers in, some pots with tall stuff and, if you can afford it, some pleached trees behind it.

Or a trellis.

Definitely wisteria. Or a huge climbing rose.

Gosh I’d not do that. Just stain it ans put pots on it. Why would you reduce it? It just stands out because it’s Unstained wood.

Is your issue that you can look over your neighbour's garden - and you don't want to?

Or that you think your neighbour hates the fact you can look over their garden?

Because if I were your neighbour I would love you to suggest enclosing it with trellis - that would be much the best to me. And you growing screening climbers, grasses, bamboo etc in pots to further obscure it.

But I'm not 100% sure why you hate it - can you clarify exactly what it is that's the issue?

If you chop it in half and leave the highest part, how does that help?

It's just like a newly decorated room that you're not sure about... needs 'dressing' with pots, lights, plants and it'll be fabulous.

What about some solidago (golden rod) along the back. It grow tall but then disappears in winter (for you to have a tidy up etc). Looks pretty and would soften the gap

It would help to chop off the part that is difficult to put a trellis on. The orientation of where you sit would turn to face over our own garden instead of looking back at their house.

This would be for me and for them. Although they haven't complained, I have spotted her once or twice and I feel awkward.

So many things - eg solidago - would not reach the required 3-4 meters. It really is trees with bare trunks we need because for the first 2-3 meters, you can't see anything. A nice bushy thing below that height would be totally unseen.
Climbers have such a long way to go up the back - again that 2-3 meters before they even reach the floor level. Yes I can grow them out pots, but then they are limited as to how much they can grow unless you get huge pots. And I would forget to water!
Anyway, landscaper is getting back to me with a price to chop in half!

But you can face your chairs whichever way you like, and put the trellis up all along the side if you want too as well - I'm not seeing how that would be an issue.

It just seems a bit of a nuclear option, to me, to chop it.

If you grow bamboo in deep planters on the deck, it will grow tall enough to make a screen, no problem. Your landscaper could construct them...

You can also hang a strategic shade sail.

If I were you I'd paint/stain it, trellis, dress it properly and plant some screening in planters on the deck and live with it this summer, experimenting with things to see what works.

If you still hate it, then you can chop it about then.

Chopping it in half is complete madness and doesn't actually solve anything. You can still do the rest of what you proposing while leaving the actual deck intact. It would be much cheaper and easier to add another pole at the lowest end so that it's easy to trellis the whole of the side, and remove the side/add steps as you want.