Hot Tub Privacy Designs For Your Backyard

So you bought a hot tub for your backyard, but you're a little hesitant to use it because you can see into your neighbor's yard when you're in it, and you're certain they can see you while you're soaking. Unless you have a serious exhibitionist streak, you probably want to consider some hot tub privacy designs, lest the neighbors try to invite themselves over to play.

The first thing to consider is that hot tub enclosures aren't really built with privacy as their first priority. They're usually designed to allow easy installation by just placing the tub and wiring and plumbing parts in, but that doesn't mean hot tub privacy designs don't exist.

Let's start with some landscaping ideas for privacy. Trees and bushes around the perimeter (of the tub, or even the entire yard) are obvious choices to screen your hot tub. But trees and bushes can take time to grow and fully-grown specimens are expensive. They also tend to shed leaves which can clog the filtration system of the hot tub if it's not diligently cleaned.

A little considered alternative is running bamboo. It is adapted to a variety of climates, from arid desert-heat to marshy-wet or snowy-cold, and makes for an excellent screen. Because it's a grass and not a tree it grows quickly and spreads to surrounding areas if it's not contained with a rhizome barrier (which should be laid down lest the bamboo spread to your neighbor's yard). Well-kept trees and bushes and landscaping can add dramatically to a home's value.

Taller fences (say six foot or more tall), when they're opaque, are a reasonable solution, and can be as simple as adding a foot or two of decorative cap to an existing fence, making cost relatively minimal. If you're surrounded by hurricane fencing, though, you'll want to consider other options if you don't want to build a whole new fence.

A discrete or even movable wooden screen that surrounds the tub is likely the cheapest option, but also the most claustrophobic. Leaving a space open facing your house for entry and egress, you can minimize this feeling. Or you can make the screen translucent for an airier feel. You just need to ensure you light it from the outside or from a variety of angles in the interior to avoid casting shadows visible to onlookers.

Even if you have an in-ground hot tub, or don't even own a hot tub at all, you can benefit from these hot tub privacy designs and get a bit more privacy as many of these same ideas can be used to make your entire yard that much more private and secluded.