Solid fence or panel
Gives the clearest line-of-sight block. Check local height limits, post/foundation design and wind load before increasing height.
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How tall should your privacy screen be?
Calculate the actual sightline from a neighbour's window, raised lot, balcony or road to your patio or seating area. Move the screen and test different heights before you buy a fence, panel, hedge or pergola screen.
✓ Uses your measurements✓ Interactive 2D sightline✓ Metres or feet✓ Nothing is uploaded
Enter the geometry
Measure from the place you want to protect. For a window, use the highest point you need to hide rather than guessing a standard storey height.
Examples only — replace them with your measurements. Current setup: Elevated window.
Measure eye level in the seated or standing position you care about.
Height above the other ground level: window top, balcony eye line, road viewer, etc.
Horizontal distance along the sightline.
Distance from you—
Moving a screen closer to the protected area often reduces the height needed for an elevated sightline.Tested screen—
Ground levels & planning buffer
Use + for higher ground and − for lower ground.
Example: +0.5 means the neighbour's ground is 0.5 m higher.
Added above the exact line to allow a small visual margin. It is not a structural safety factor.
Measure the viewing point, not a generic fence height. This tool answers a geometry question. It does not decide whether that height is permitted, structurally safe or appropriate for wind exposure.
Use the height result with the right kind of screen
The geometry is material-neutral. A calculated height tells you where the sightline crosses the screen — not which product is safe or permitted.
How the privacy-screen height calculation works
The calculator treats the problem as a side-view geometry model. It draws a straight sightline between your selected eye level and the point you want to hide, then calculates where that line crosses the proposed screen position.
Core geometry
line height at screen = eye height + (target point height − eye height) × (screen distance ÷ total distance)screen height = line height at screen − screen-ground level + chosen planning bufferTarget height means the point you need to hideFor an upper window, measuring the top edge gives a stricter result than measuring its centre.
Ground levels use your position as zeroEnter positive values where the screen or neighbouring ground is higher than your viewing area.
The sightline is straightThe tool does not model curved terrain, multiple walls, trees, slat angles or a wide three-dimensional viewing area.
The buffer is visual, not structuralIt adds clearance above the line only. It is not a wind, foundation or engineering safety factor.
Measure in this order
- Sit or stand where privacy matters and measure your eye height from that local ground/deck level.
- Choose the exact highest point you want to hide: a window edge, balcony eye line, road viewer or similar.
- Measure the horizontal distance from you to that point.
- Measure where a screen could realistically sit between the two points.
- Record any ground-level difference. If terrain changes abruptly, measure the screen location separately instead of assuming a continuous slope.
- Test several screen positions before deciding to make the screen taller.
Example: an elevated neighbour window
With the default example, your eye is 1.2 m above your patio, the selected point on the neighbouring window is 5 m above its ground, that ground is 0.5 m higher, and the target is 18 m away. Putting the screen 5 m from you requires roughly the height shown in the live result. Move it and the diagram recalculates immediately.
What the result does not approve
Saudi municipal, compound, landlord and project requirements can limit height or affect how a screen may be installed. A taller or more solid screen can also create substantially higher wind loads. Use the number as an early planning input, then verify the actual site and applicable requirements before construction.
For a Saudi project, continue with our permit and safety guide, pergola and garden-shade cost guide, or contractor quote comparison.
Privacy screen height FAQ
How tall should a privacy screen be to block a neighbour's window?
There is no single correct height. It depends on your eye level, the height of the viewing point, both ground levels, the total distance and where the screen sits. Use the highest point you actually need to hide.
Does putting the screen closer to me help?
For an elevated viewing point, usually yes. A screen close to the area you are protecting intercepts the rising sightline earlier, so it can often be shorter than a screen close to the neighbour.
Should I enter the centre or top of a window?
Use the top edge if you want the whole opening hidden from that viewing position. Use the centre only if blocking the central eye line is enough for your use case.
Can I use the result for a hedge?
Yes as a geometry target for foliage height, but the calculator does not predict growth, density, pruning, seasonality or how long the hedge will take to close.
Does this confirm the height is legal in Saudi Arabia?
No. The result is only the height needed for the measured sightline. Check the relevant municipality/Balady guidance, property conditions and structural/wind requirements before installing a tall screen.
Planning a pergola or shade as part of the privacy solution?
Once you know the line you need to interrupt, compare the geometry with the available shade/pergola layout instead of automatically making the boundary screen taller.
Plan a pergola budget Open the shade cost calculator