three sided roof "privacy fence"

[MMW]

Built this for a three story apt. bldg. It is basically a fence that will conceal the a/c units so others cannot see them from the roofs of their bldgs. I kid you not, this is a town ordinance for this place. A/c units are 30" x 30" & fence is 66" tall x 11ft. x 10ft. so it's covering a small box with a large box.

I made the structure from 3 x 3 x 1/4" alum. posts, 1/2" plate feet, & 1.5 x 1.5 x 3/16" cross bars. Three sections that bolt together (front & two sides), hoisted up with rope on the outside of the building. Bolted through the roof with backing plates on the inside also. It will get covered with aluminum slats, kind of like louvers. Mostly migged with spool gun. Roof pitch is 8" over 10ft. The builder was impressed but said nobody is ever going to see it except the a/c tech.

[ryanjones2150]

So what about the fourth side? The people living on that side don't mind the horrible eyesore of an AC compressor unit?

[MMW]

I don't know. I just built it like I was told. Funny thing is there are three a/c units in a row front to back. This covers the first one only. In the pic you can see two of the hook ups coming out of the roof. The third one is farther back. From the front it will block the view but from the side you will be able to see two of them. Not my ordinance.

[Portable Welder]

MMW, Here in Michigan there is also a code that states: Whenever a roof top unit that will require routine maintenance is 10' or closer to the edge of the roof you are required to have a 42" guards rail with no vertical openings greater than 21".

So you have to measure from each corner of the hvac unit to the edge of the roof 10' out on a angle and make a mark on the edge of the roof.

So lets say the unit is 9' off the edge, your rail will have to be approximately 13' long.

This is probably a national code however.

Nice looking work by the way..

[Broccoli1]

I believe the screens are actually to hide the units from street view, that is why there is no 4th wall required here.