Air conditioners (AC units) are essential for countless homes and families. But AC units are not known for being the most attractive devices. In fact, many homeowners get frustrated when seeing those big gray boxes in their yards. If you have an AC unit in your yard, you probably wish it would just disappear.
Well, you can’t exactly get rid of your AC unit or magically make it vanish. It’s also important to be able to access it if you need to call an air conditioning repair service for essential maintenance or repairs. However, there are still plenty of innovative and effective ways you can hide your AC unit from view—or at least make it less of an eyesore.
Here are some smart design hacks that will help to hide AC units and beautify your property.
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Easy AC Unit Fence or Screen
You don’t need to spend a fortune to hide an AC unit. Pre-made AC unit screens or privacy fences are available at local home improvement stores and online. The Zippity Outdoor Products privacy screen is a great way to hide an AC unit. The attractive white fence is decorative and stylish enough for any home. Made from weather-resistant vinyl, it is backed by a 10-year warranty, and it never needs painting or other maintenance.
Another easy choice is a Castlecreek Air Conditioner Wood Fence. This lattice fence is made of solid fir that can be painted or stained to match any exterior look. The lattice design allows airflow to the AC unit, and it comes with two ground anchors to increase fence stability.
A do-it-yourself fence is another option. It is a relatively simple DIY project to build a custom fence to hide an AC unit. With just a little effort and a bit of DIY experience, any homeowner should be able to put together a simple wooden cover or fence-like structure to go around the AC unit. Customize your new fence with paint and a few nearby plants.
AC Covers with Flower Boxes
Take a DIY fence a step further with some flower boxes. Build a sturdy fence to hide the AC unit. Then build some flower boxes and attach them to the fence.
Another idea is to build a fence that’s also a shelving unit. Then you can simply add your flower boxes to the shelves. Plant seeds or plants from the local nursery—or even flowering plants from Amazon. The result is your own little vertical garden all around the AC unit. This is a clever way to hide the unit and brighten your backyard in the process.
AC Unit Pallet Planter
Start with one or more wooden pallets, which you can sometimes get for free. Then add plants that can grow between the slats of wood. The wooden pallets are the perfect size to cover the unsightly AC unit. And the plants dress the pallet up to create a living screen.
Imagine your friends and neighbors praising you for your fence of beautiful growing plants. Then imagine their faces when they learn what you hide behind your Pallet Planter. You can even make your own “pallets” with wood that matches your house.
Cement Block Planter Wall
Here’s another DIY idea. Get some classic cement blocks and a few sturdy wooden planks. Line up the blocks and planks to form a kind of bookcase structure around your AC unit. Then place potted plants on each of the shelves. You can even place small plants inside the gaps in the blocks.
To spruce up your cement block planter wall, you can paint the blocks and shelves any color you like. The result is a colorful display of potted plants that effectively hides the AC unit.
Hide Your AC Unit with Plants
You don’t need to build a fence or any kind of structure to hide your AC unit. You can simply use Mother Nature to do most of the work for you.
Examine your landscape and decide to create an AC unit garden. Dwarf evergreen trees are a good choice, because they remain green all year. Plus, they will never outgrow the space. Ornamental grasses are another great choice. Flowering shrubs such as dwarf hydrangeas are another way to turn your ugly AC unit into a colorful focal point in your yard. One of the best places to buy all kinds of plants online is Nature Hills Nursery.
DIY Seat with Built-in AC Fence
Wake the carpenter up that is deep asleep inside you. If there is no luck here, call a carpenter and tell him to build an AC unit fence that will also serve as an armchair or a simple chair.
Hey, if you are buying a seat, why not order a table and a couple more chairs. That way, you can spend time with your family and friends. But here’s the thing. You have to make sure your AC is not too noisy. Otherwise it will spoil the joy that you are planning to have with friends and family.
AC Covers for Winter
No matter how you decide to camouflage your boxy AC unit, don’t forget to protect it from the cold winter weather. A removable winter cover for your air conditioner is always a good idea to protect it from snow and freezing rain. A wide variety of winter covers are available from Amazon. Check stock and prices.
Since we are on the “hide AC unit” topic, you might also want to read 5 HVAC Tips to Save Energy.
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