What to Know Before You Decide
To get privacy for a hot tub that neighbours can see into, put a roof structure over or beside the tub, such as a pergola or gazebo, and add roll-up screens on the sides that are overlooked. Because hot tubs get used at night with lights on, choose a dense fabric: SheerWeave 4800 or the fully opaque Soltis Proof 502.
This guide explains why a fence rarely solves it, what the screen needs to mount to, and which retractable privacy screen fabrics still work after dark.
Why doesn't a fence fix hot tub privacy?
A fence blocks people standing at ground level. The view that bothers most hot tub owners comes from higher up: a second-storey window next door, a neighbour's raised deck, or a townhouse balcony that looks straight down into the yard. A fence of any legal height sits well below those sightlines.
Fence height is also limited by municipal bylaws, and the limits differ across the GTA. Our guide to privacy screens versus fences covers where each one works.
Does the hot tub need a pergola or gazebo first?
Usually, yes. A roll-up screen hangs from a housing that needs a solid, straight surface above the opening, such as a beam, a header or a fascia. The fabric then runs down guide channels on each side, which need a post or wall to fix to.
If the tub already sits under a pergola, a gazebo or a covered patio, screens can usually be added to it. If it sits in the open, the structure comes first. A roof also helps with the view from above, which a screen on the sides cannot block on its own.
Which screen fabric still gives privacy at night?
This is where most hot tub screens go wrong. Mesh screen fabrics hide you during the day because it is brighter outside than inside. At night, with lights on around the tub, that reverses: people outside can see silhouettes and movement through the more open fabrics.
- SunTex 90 (10% openness) and SunTex 95 (5%): fine by day, not enough at night with lights on.
- SheerWeave 4800 (1% openness): good night privacy. Most movement is not clearly visible from outside.
- Soltis Proof 502 (fully opaque): complete privacy day or night, regardless of lighting.
Which sides should be screened?
Only the sides that are overlooked. Sit in the tub in the evening and note where the windows, decks and balconies are that you can see. Those are the sides that need a screen. The rest can stay open for the view and the breeze.
A screen also does not have to come all the way down. It can stop at the height that blocks the sightline, which keeps more of the yard visible from the tub.
Will steam and splashing damage the screen?
The coated polyester fabrics we use shed water rather than soaking it up, and they wipe clean. Raise the screens when the tub is not in use so the fabric can dry, and see our guide to cleaning and caring for retractable screens for the routine that keeps them looking new.
Manual or motorized?
One screen on one side works well with a manual crank. If two or three sides need screening, motorized Somfy screens can all drop together from one remote, which matters when you are getting into the tub in the dark and want the space closed in one step.
What to send us for a quote
- Photos of the tub area, taken from the tub, showing the windows or decks that look in.
- Photos of the structure over the tub, or a note that there is none yet.
- Rough width and height of each side you want screened.
- Whether you use the tub mostly in the daytime, at night, or both.