Planting shrubbery covers up air conditioning units while adding color to the landscape. Central air conditioning keeps your home cool during the summer, but central air conditioners are generally big, square or round bulky units that detract from the beauty of your yard. While you can hide air conditioner units, you need to plan carefully so you don't affect the unit's performance. Leave adequate room around the unit for air conditioner service and replacement. Fences Fencing is a simple, affordable material to hide a central air conditioning unit. Use a fence that complements the home's architectural style or that matches your fence. If your back yard is enclosed with a white picket fence, for example, use the same type of fence to enclose the air conditioning unit. If you live in a log cabin, you might opt for a rustic fence made from weathered barn wood. If you choose to use inexpensive lumber, paint or stain it to match your home's exterior finish or the surrounding landscape. Garden supply centers also sell prefabricated fences so you don't have to build your own.

Install a single fence panel to screen the outward facing side of a central air conditioner unit or enclose the unit on three sides for more coverage. If you choose to enclose the air conditioner, hinge one side of the fence to allow access for repairs. Hedges and Shrubbery Hedges and shrubbery help to blend the air conditioning unit into the rest of the landscape. If possible, choose hedge plants that are native to your area. Camellia is a small evergreen tree that can grow 3 to 20 feet tall with large, colorful flowers that vary from white, pink, yellow and red. Lantana is a perennial flowering plant that grows from 1 to 6 feet tall and has aromatic flower clusters that are blue, white, red, yellow or orange. Plant hedges and shrubs approximately three feet away from the central air conditioner unit to allow room for plants to grow and to allow adequate room for air flow around the unit. Trellis Trellis panels come in either wood or vinyl, and generally in 4- by 8-foot sections. Paint wood trellis panels to match the surrounding landscape or the home's exterior finish.

Vinyl trellis panels come in several colors, including white, green and brown. Install a trellis to cover as many sides of the air conditioner unit as needed and, if desired, plant climbing, flowering vines at the base to blend the panels into the landscape. The foliage from the vines further conceals the unit behind the trellis. ac unit houstonWhen using trellis panels, place the trellis panel framework a minimum of three feet from the air conditioner unit to allow proper operation. quiet central ac units reviewsBox Cover Building a box cover allows you to completely conceal the air conditioning unit without restricting air flow. 3 ton vs 4 ton ac unitA box cover is essentially a box that surrounds the unit on all four sides and on top. Use slatted sides when building the air conditioner box cover to allow air flow into the unit.

Ideally, the top and one side of the unit should be removable to allow access for repairs. Use materials that match the surrounding landscape or the home's exterior finish, such as wood, vinyl or composite. Paint or stain wood box covers to match the home. Draw inspiration from other aspects of your landscape, such as furniture or fencing material, and choose a coordinating building material. References Your Houston Home Inspector: Hiding Those Unsightly Air Conditioning Units Photo Credits Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionThank You for visiting We are manufacturers of bespoke radiator and air conditioner covers. Ugly radiators and air condition units are a negative distraction for many home owners. Many of them could not find that perfect solution. It was both a surprise and a bonus for many clients to find a New York company supplying & installing wood finished radiator heat and air conditioner covers.How to Build an A-Frame Wood Cover for an Outside Air Conditioner

Air conditioning units installed outside can experience harsh conditions. In the summer, when they are working hardest, they sit in extremely hot sun. In the winter, they get covered with ice and snow. You can reduce the wear and tear on your air conditioning unit by building a simple cover that will protect it from the worst of the weather. Measure the dimensions of your air conditioner, and draw it to scale on a piece of paper. Draw an A-shape that spans the dimensions of the air conditioner without touching or crowding it. Measure the length of the two legs of the A. This will be the height of your two panels. Determine the width by measuring the width of your air conditioner and adding 12 inches. An average size to cover an air conditioner would be a panel measuring 36 inches wide and 60 inches long. Cut two pieces of 3/4-inch-thick plywood 36 inches wide and 60 inches long. Lay the two pieces of plywood on a flat surface with their ends butted together. Lay two hinges on the joint between the two pieces of plywood, with each hinge 4 inches from the edge of the plywood.

Screw the hinges onto the two pieces of plywood with 1/2-inch-long screws. Fold one piece of plywood over the other so they are lying flat together. Carry the assembly outside to the air conditioner, and spread the bottoms of the pieces of plywood out to form an A-shape. Position the assembly over the air conditioner. Measure the distance between the edges of the two pieces of plywood at a height of 24 inches off the ground. Cut two pieces of 3/4- by 2-inch wood to this length. Screw the two pieces onto the sides of the assembly with 2-inch-long screws, so they span between the edges of the two pieces of plywood, like the horizontal line in a letter A. This will stabilize the assembly and keep it from blowing over. : Central Air Conditioner Cover How to Conceal an Air Conditioner Unit Outside Ideas for Hiding an Air Conditioner How to Keep Outside Air Conditioning Units Shaded How to Cover an AC Unit for Winter How to Build a Soundproof Insider Air Conditioner Box