How much does a privacy screen cost in Sydney in 2026?

A published 2026 NSW price guide puts a timber or composite privacy screen at about $250 to $550 a square metre, and a typical 6 metre run at 1.8 metres high at $2,400 to $4,800 installed. Where yours lands depends on the material, the height, what it fixes to and how exposed it is to wind. The only reliable figure is a quote made after someone has looked at the site.

This guide sets out what published 2026 price guides say, and what moves a screen’s price up or down. When you are ready for a figure, our privacy screens page explains how we measure and quote.

What do published price guides say?

The figures below are from The Quote Yard’s NSW privacy screen guide (published September 2026, checked October 2026). They are its indicative NSW prices per square metre:

Timber screen

$250–$500per m²

Composite screen

$300–$550per m²

Aluminium slat screen

$200–$400per m²

The same guide puts a typical 6 metre run at 1.8 metres high at $2,400 to $4,800 installed. For a 6 metre timber run it gives $3,000 to $5,200 on the North Shore and in the Inner West, $3,300 to $5,600 on the Northern Beaches and $2,700 to $4,700 in the Hills District and Hornsby. It adds 15 to 30% for deeper footings on exposed sites, and $500 to $1,500 for a matching gate.

The Quote Yard is a quoting service, and these are its estimates rather than prices from finished jobs. Treat them as a starting point, not a quote for your screen.

What makes one screen cost more than another?

• Area. Screens are priced by their size, so height matters as much as length. Going from 1.8 to 2.1 metres adds about a sixth to the area.
• Material. Treated pine costs least, hardwood more, and composite battens usually the most.
• Batten size and gaps. Tighter gaps use more battens per metre. Wider battens cover more with fewer fixings.
• What it fixes to. A screen framed into a new deck, or fixed to a sound fence, needs fewer new posts than a freestanding screen on its own footings.
• Wind. A tall screen with small gaps catches the wind like a sail, so its posts, brackets and footings have to be sized for that, especially on balconies and raised decks.
• Finish. Timber is oiled, stained or painted, which is part of the price. Composite needs no coating.

To see how the batten width and gap change what a screen hides, try the screen planner on our privacy screens page.

Timber or composite?

Timber battens cost less to buy and can be any colour you like, but need a fresh coat every year or two in full sun. Composite costs more up front but only needs washing, and it can match a composite deck.

At Beecroft, we built an elevated composite deck with a timber batten privacy screen. At Birchgrove, the balcony screen is composite, matched to the composite deck.

Deck with timber batten privacy screen and wire balustrade, bush outlook, BeecroftUpper balcony composite deck with composite privacy screen and black railing, city views, Birchgrove

Will the screen need council approval?

Many screens in NSW are exempt development within limits on height and position. On a boundary, the height limit includes any top-up on the fence, and a screen on a heritage-listed lot, or a tall screen, may need approval. Balconies in a strata building also need the owners corporation’s agreement. We check the rules for your block when we measure.

Work on a shared boundary fence normally needs your neighbour’s agreement too. A screen fully on your side, on its own posts, is simpler, but it’s still worth talking to them early.

How do you get a real figure for your screen?

Send us a photo from where you sit and one of what you want to block, with a rough length and height. We then look at the sight lines, what the screen will fix to and how exposed it is, and give you a written quote.

When you compare quotes, check they cover the same things:

• the batten material, size and spacing
• the posts, brackets and footings, or how it fixes to the deck or fence
• the finish, if it is timber
• any gate
• removal of an old screen or fence top.

Also check the builder’s licence on the NSW Government licence register. Timbaland Carpentry holds NSW Contractor Licence 276621C in the Carpenter class.