Keeping your dogs in or securing your pool, masking a street view or blocking the chilly wind, keeping the deer out or getting a bit of privacy in your outdoor space, whatever is the reason behind fencing your house, you need to make sure you make no mistakes in choosing the right fence. Of course, there is the space you need to consider, but there are also a few other factors you need to keep in mind. Here are a few of those:
Gaining Privacy
Putting up a fence can give you the true privacy that you deserve in your outdoor space. However, you have to make sure you choose a fence made of solid material to achieve this goal. Also, make sure there is no space between the boards. You will have to keep in mind, the slope of yours and your neighbour’s yard, local building codes whichever are applicable, and the position of your seating areas, in order to finalize on the height of the fence.
If you are not for having a tall fence all around, you can consider a stepped design that will give you the privacy that you need. Make sure the fence is taller around your seating area. You can lower the fencing beside your lawn.
Ease of access vs security
If you are more concerned about the ease of access, you could do away with the gate. Instead, you can install many offset fences and create a path that blocks the street view. If security is your priority you would need a fence with a taller height and a lockable and sturdy gate. Go for a height of 8 feet at least. You may want to use some flush boards to make sure no potential intruders can climb the fence. Make sure there aren’t any horizontal rails outside the fence.
Block the breeze
If your main goal of fencing is to block the chilly winds, you can consider a glass or a transparent plastic garden fence. It will give you the view and block the strong breezes without letting you lose the light. Make sure there isn’t much gap between the boards.
Masking the Street View
If your home is on a busy street you may want to pick a fence that provides you adequate privacy, while allowing some light in. Frosted glass may be ideal. Make sure the gaps in between the boards are very small. You can also go for a fence with a lattice-like design. Layer the fence with some lush plantings for extra privacy.
Keeping your dogs in
Before choosing a fence that can keep your dogs in, it is very important to understand your dogs. Are they diggers or jumpers? If they jump how high can they go? Are they always looking to escape from your yard? A fence of 3 to 4 feet height should do for smaller dogs that don’t jump. But if you have larger dogs you may want something taller. If your dogs dig, make sure you bury your fence 6 inches under the ground. Alternatively, you can also place hardscaping along your fence line.
If your dog gets excited and barks upon seeing cars, cats, or pedestrians, go for a solid fence that will block those visual cues.
Keeping the Deer Out
Did you know that deer can jump a height of about 8 feet? Normal fencing is not going to keep the deer out of your garden beds. Go for a solid privacy fence or consider attaching netting to your existing fence. You can also plant large hedges along one side of your fence to make it significantly wider.
