It's expensive to "level" ground as it requires a retaining wall. A slope is the less expensive way of dealing with grade change. That said, you're probably stuck with the grade you have. But you indicate there's planting space that you control on the other side of the fence ...? You need planting on one or both sides that grows above the fence height. Large shrubs (8' to 16') strategically placed would screen out all of the unwanted view above the fence. The planting could be a mixture of shrub variety for a very casual look, or or it could be a single species (as long as the light conditions are consistent) for a tidier, more tailored look.

Hello again! I'm back and need someone to help me with the size and shape of a patio for our yard and with the placement of my children's playset. We just finished construction on our porch and deck and not even a week later the HOA rolled through to do their yearly inspections. They cited us on bare spots in the lawn. I guess they don't look back to see the "history" of the HOA applications for each home before they do the inspections. Anyways, my plan to deal with this is to up the timeline on adding a patio to our yard. I don't want anything super big or that puts me out on display in the middle of my yard. Our goal for the patio area is to make a connection between the deck steps and the basement areaway. The actual patio space will be used for some of my toddler's toys, possibly the grill (it's currently on the deck), and for either a propane or wood fire pit with chairs around it, the fire pit will not be built in. The next area I need help with is the placement of my children's play equipment. Where it currently sits I will not be able to add landscape timbers and mulch without being in the HOA's common area. Do I just move the playset 2ft forward and place the back timber on the lot line? Or do I try and angle the playset and group everything into one corner of the yard? The patio design I came up with... The current playset location... A potential spot in the corner of the yard...

Instead of removing the black walnut, you could remove the scruffy, small limbs at the bottom of its canopy and deal with future branches hanging lower as they come, over time. This would allow more light to serve screening plants that can be installed below the walnut. In other words, I don't think you need to get rid of the walnut in order to have a screen. And the walnut's size, because it is limbed up, does not consume much yard space. Screening is going to come best from large shrubs, which do not take all that long to grow, placed in front of the fence. As an example, whatever dark green shrub your neighbor has behind the right corner of your fence would be the type of plant sufficient to screen your view from the deck. Even they could be limbed up into trees to consume less yard space since you have the fence behind them. There are lots of shrubs that get this big and many of them flower spectacularly, or provide some kind of show, such as fall color. You could have all one kind or a mixture as you prefer. If you limb up some or all of them, you are creating an opportunity to put lower shrubs, perennials, annuals, groundcover, etc. below them. This is just an example. You can mix it up any number of ways. But don't make the bed too shallow. It needs to have 6'-8' depth min., not 3' or 4'. Let the bed acknowledge the tree by circling around it, not cutting close to or across it.

What's wrong with making a privacy screen out of an outdoor material such as Sunbrella? I made one using PVC tubing as a frame. I cut out the 4 corners to a depth of about 4". Then I folded over and sewed the resultant flaps to form 4 tubes. I used my buttonhole attachment to make 6" buttonholes every foot or so, a few inches in from the edge on both sides, then slit open the bound buttonhole--this was to let wind get through so the screen would not become a kite. I used some straight PVC tubing which I cut to size, plus some 90 degree elbows, to make a rectangular frame. At the bottom, I used 3-way PVC joints to allow insertion of a thick dowel I could cable-tie to my balcony railings. Voila! And such a fabric screen (the fabrics come in many attractive colors and patterns) would not weigh anywhere near 75 pounds. As a final bit of panache, I sewed a few pieces of silk leaves on the outside of my fabric screen to have it blend with the plants better. I guess other people liked my screen, as I won first place for "Best Balcony" from my apartment complex last summer!