DIY: Privacy Wall for Deck

I love having a deck, but mine is level with our next-door neighbor's windows, which are only 10 feet away.  We all do a good job of minding our own business, but I felt like we needed to add some height to the side railing so we have more privacy.

I didn't plan on tackling this project this month because I have so many other projects to complete, but I realized that I already had almost all the lumber I needed in my basement.  It took almost all day Saturday, and it would have been a lot easier if I had waited for Abe to help me (he was at school all day), but I managed to pull it together pretty nicely.   Eventually I'd like to have some honeysuckle or clemantis crawling all over the slats, but this summer I'll just stick with my potted herbs.

This is what the railing looked like before I added the privacy wall. When you walked out the back door you had a direct view of the neighbors' yards. I drilled holes in the railing and inserted wood dowels to connect the support beam of the privacy wall. I drilled holes that were too big because I didn't have another drill bit, but a lot of Gorilla Glue helped keep it strong. The final product! And the final product with stain!