Constructing a lattice screen for a home garden doesn’t require much in the way of special skills or tools. Build one wherever you need a bit of privacy. The lattice won’t block gentle breezes and, like this one, can be used to frame a view of favorite garden blooms.

What You’ll Need:
Three 4x8-foot sections of prefabricated plastic lattice panels
Four 8-foot cedar or treated-wood porch posts
One 1x4x8 and two 1x4x6 cedar or treated-wood boards
1 quart exterior primer
1 quart exterior white paint
Oval picture frame, about 18 inches across
50-pound bag pea gravel
1 box 1 1/2-inch galvanized screws
1 box 1-inch galvanized screws

Tools: circular saw , tape measure, paintbrush, marking pen, carpenter’s level, shovel or posthole digger, tin snips, electric drill with 1/16-inch bit and screwdriver bit, clamps

Editor’s note: You may wish to use the new generation of preserved woods that are marketed under names such as Wolmanized Natural Select, ACQ Preserve, and NatureWood. CCA-treated wood, which uses arsenic as a preservative, has been phased out.

To Make Lattice Screen:
1. With the circular saw, cut 12 inches off the bottom of two porch posts. These will become the end posts of the screen.

2. Cut the two 1x4x6s in half, creating four 3-foot pieces. These will become the top and bottom rails for the two side screen panels. Cut the 1x4x8 in half, creating two 4-foot pieces for the center panel rails.

3. Prime and paint the oval picture frame, the rails, and the posts.

4. Determine the location of your lattice screen. Mark the locations of the four posts. The two posts that support the center panel should be 48 inches apart on center. The two end posts should be 36 inches on center from the center posts. Angle the side panels inward slightly, if desired, to create a screen with more of an enclosed feeling.

5. Dig each post hole 18 inches deep. Pour 2 to 3 inches of gravel into each hole. Place one of the center posts in one of the center holes and backfill with soil. Tamp the soil down to secure the post. With the carpenter’s level, check and recheck that the post is plumb. Set the other center post and the end posts in the same manner.

Note: For more permanence, pour in concrete instead of backfilling with soil. Plan on using two 50-pound bags of cement mix. Mix according to directions. With scrap lumber, brace each post into plumb position. Pour in concrete and round off at the top of each hole to help keep water away from the posts. Let the concrete cure for 24 hours before doing any other work.

6. With the electric drill and 1/16-inch bit, drill two pilot holes in each end of the center panel top rail. Switch to the screwdriver bit and attach the rail to the posts with
1 1/2-inch screws. The top edge should be flush with the top of the center posts. Attach the bottom rail for the center panel so that it is 3 inches above the ground. Attach the rails for the side panels in the same manner.

7. Measure each panel opening, from the top of the top rail to the bottom of the bottom rail and from the center of each post. With the tin snips, cut each lattice panel to size. On the center panel, position the oval frame where you want the cutout. Trace around the inside of the frame with a marking pen. Cut out the oval with tin snips, as shown above. Clamp frame in place; drill pilot holes on back of rails, posts, and frame. Using the 1-inch screws, attach lattice panels on the back of rails, posts, and frame. Put screws every 18 inches or so.

8. To finish, touch up with paint any of the wood surfaces that may have become marred during construction. Paint over the screw heads on the back of the screen.