I work at TimberTech Decking and we have some great tools that might help if you are looking to go the deck route. Check out our Deck Designer online http://timbertech.com/idea-starters/deck-designer/default.aspx. If you have other questions about low-maintence decking - check out Straight Talk. You can ask your candid decking questions and get honest answers from the experts at TimberTech. Here is a link that might be useful: Straight Talk Forum

Link two was the same photo as link one. Third link went to page not found and forth link was just a Houzz search page. The links do not look correctly done. One foot width is so narrow you might be best off building a tall trellis and planting an evergreen vine. Those below look custom built, but you can buy 4x8 ft trellis panels and sandwich them between upright posts for a similar look. While there are some tall, narrow shrubs that might work such as Cupressus sempervirens "Stricta" or Juniperus virginiana "Skyrocket", most will eventually get 2 to 3 ft wide and will take years to grow tall enough to begin to give any privacy.

Gevork, my sis lives in carlsbad and has a small backyard. she packs a big punch w/a lot of foliage though. I'm posting it so you can see what's she's planted against her fence, and the type of hardscape and garden stuff she uses. Here's her front. (it's a rather small house) behind that fence is a nice patio/courtyard she does a lot of succulents, plumerias, ferns and a bazillion others! If you did succulents, like she's done here, they don't require a huge amount of tending. you have the perfect climate for them. add some hardscape like a path, rocks, pebbles, birdbath, fountain, plant a few fruit trees, or container plants. (there's a huge nursery she goes to in Escondido ) here's the back This one is mine. another option against your fence could be something easily done by you with a raised flower bed. I did the teak wood path myself and used flagstone/pebbles with it. our styles aren't too far apart! i

It is high but contractors/remodelers in this area can name their prices, then you get in line for a date. I contracted cabinet painters in November; their first open date was mid-March. My friend who kept telling her husband they should screen in the deck while it was being built, thus cheaper, feels vindicated for being right, but not enough to spend that much!