Outdoor A/C units may not look great and might affect in a negative way the design of your yard because, let’s face it, they are not the most aesthetically pleasing. There are various and accessible options available if you want to hide your A/C equipment. The unit can be surrounded by a fence or a screen, or you can conceal it with plants, build a shed, or another type of enclosure around it.

No matter which choice you make, it’s important to make sure the A/C unit is accessible for maintenance and has proper airflow. While hiding the unit can make your yard look better, it’s essential to ensure that your A/C unit is operating in a correct and efficient manner.

We’ll now take a look at each of these choices in more detail and provide you with some advice on how to pick the ideal option for your yard. This guide has everything you need to efficiently and aesthetically conceal your air conditioning unit, whether you enjoy DIY projects or gardening. Continue reading to find out more about how to hide your outdoor air conditioning unit while improving the looks of your garden.

Build a Fence Around the Unit

This is the simplest and least expensive method of concealing your outside A/C unit. All you have to do is build a fence that will go around the unit in this way, concealing it from the eyes of your guests or neighbors. You can buy the needed materials from any hardware store and also do this project by yourself.

For this project, you can use an already-built fence, or you can purchase some planks and some nails and then start building it from scratch. It all depends on your DIY skills and your willingness to do so.

You should consider using a color that complements your yard while hiding your A/C unit effectively. From our experience, bright colors work best since they give the illusion of a more open and luminous space. Also, you can install a screen on the fence in this way, making it more opaque and better at concealment.

Build a Raised Bed or Planter

Placing some big wooden planter boxes around two sides of the A/C unit will successfully hide it while it is still easily accessible, and it also looks so much better.
After you’ve installed the boxes, you may plant whatever flowers and plants you want. Yet, you should consider the height of the plants and the level of light they need to survive. You want the plants to be tall enough to cover your A/C. More than that, it is important that the boxes are also tall enough to hide the unit.

Remember that the air near the A/C unit will be hot, so choose plants that can tolerate this amount of heat.

As we said before, you must make sure that your newly built planter won’t stay in the way of your A/C unit in terms of proper functionality. So, be careful and leave some space for maintenance and ventilation.

Use Shrubs to Camouflage the Unit

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of building huge planter boxes, you may just plant them in the soil around the unit. You’re fine to go as long as you manage to provide adequate space for the plants to develop without restricting ventilation. Consider tall decorative grasses, flowing shrubs like roses and lavender, or miniature decorative trees like dwarf Korean Lilac or Lavender Twist Redbud.

Remember to maintain the unit clean if you are planting a tree or a shrub that loses blooms or leaves. Regular proper AC maintenance might assist in accomplishing this.

Build a Shed or Enclosure

If you have the room and are willing to spend a little more time and money, you might build a shed or enclosure to entirely cover the air conditioning unit. Not only will this hide the device, but it will also add an additional layer of weatherproofing. You can also use the extra space to store items that would otherwise be lying around your garden.

But building a shed might also mean that you will need some extra assistance since it can be a bit challenging to build it entirely on your own. Hopefully, you can buy a pre-built shed. There are plenty of options on the market to choose from. The easiest to assemble are the plastic ones. All you need are the appropriate tools and a lot of patience.

Use Lattice Panels

If you want a more decorative type of concealment method for your outdoor A/C unit, you should try installing some lattice panels around it. These panels are easy to find since you can buy them at any gardening or hardware store. They are also the most accessible method on our list up to this point. There is no need to build anything or plant anything in order for the panels to successfully hide your unit.

Obviously, if you want to give them an even more aesthetic appearance, you can plant some climbing plants around the panels. These little buddies will use their vines to climb around, making your garden an even greener paradise.

If you plan to use climbing pants you should bear in mind that there should be enough space for the A/C unit to maintain the airflow. Also, you should be careful when watering the plants and try not to also water the A/C.

Build an “A/C House”

Building a wooden hut is a creative way to both decorate your yard and also hide your outdoor A/C unit. And what is great is that you have the choice of building this structure with a standard gable roof or coming up with your own completely unique design.

Constructing this kind of cover is a good idea since it can provide some protection for your A/C unit. Snow will slide off of a roof’s slope more easily, and it will also protect your air conditioner from the sun.

Additionally, you have the option of painting your AC house a variety of shades and adding ornamental features to the top. One aspect to keep in mind is that the covering should be liftable so that you can remove it for routine tune-ups.

Use Garden Ornaments

There is a chance that somewhere in your shed you have a garden gnome, a flamingo bird, or other garden ornaments that you are not using anymore. If you want to hide your A/C unit in a creative and unique way, you should consider giving your outdated yard ornaments another shot.

This can work well with any type of ornament, from ceramic and stone ones to ones made of wood. Anything can work as long as it is not electric, since this can cause troubleshooting for the A/C unit.

So, take off the dust from those ugly gnomes and bring them into your garden again. Place them around your outdoor A/C unit and try some of the craziest layouts for your yard.

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