How to Choose the Perfect Fence for Your Backyard

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  The right fence safeguards your privacy while enhancing the beauty of your outdoor living space. It can become an integral part of your overall landscape design, uniting various areas of your lawn into one cohesive theme. If you’re a parent, it also protects your children — and perhaps your fur babies. How can you select the perfect one for your home?

It all starts with doing your research. Before you break out your landscape design software, you have to ask yourself the right questions and weigh your wants and needs. Here’s how to choose the perfect fence for your backyard.

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Fence for Your Backyard

Knowing the right questions to ask ensures greater satisfaction with your finished backyard fence. While it’s impossible to list them all, here are a few factors to consider.

1. What Is My Overall Aesthetic? 

If your home’s overall style is best described as modern industrial, with boxy lines and dark hues, a white picket fence will clash. Seek fence styles that mesh with your home’s overall aesthetic. Basic material choices include the following:

• Wood: The most popular choice.

• Stone: This classic style looks fantastic with a farmhouse aesthetic.

• Concrete block: This style predominates with southwest architecture.

• Metal: Although chain link is affordable, wrought iron can add artistic elegance.

• Living fences: Instead of produced materials, use a hedge or thorny plants like rose bushes or hawthorn.

2. What Type of Wood Is Best for My Climate?

You should choose your wood carefully, especially if you live in a wet, humid climate. Some species are more warp-resistant than others. For example, cedar is a popular choice because it resists warp and rot while containing natural oils that repel other sources of harm, like termites.

Redwood, cypress and pine are other common choices. If you aren’t going for a natural look, pine readily takes any color stain you prefer.

3. What Functional Needs Will My Fence Serve? 

People seek the perfect backyard fence for various reasons. Many crave greater privacy or want to contain their pets (or kids), but others must comply with the law.

For example, most jurisdictions require you to fence your backyard pool to decrease the accidental drowning risk. You’ll need to check your local ordinances, as some require self-locking gates and minimum height requirements to protect children.

Is your dog part bulldozer with his digging ability? A solid block fence atop a deep concrete footer can keep Fido contained.

Maybe your property features a sweeping view of nearby mountains or bodies of water. In such cases, you may wish to protect your aesthetic with a wrought-iron model that doesn’t detract from the vista.

4. How Much Maintenance Am I Willing to Do? 

Wrought iron, stone and concrete block fences often incur considerable upfront costs, especially if you have them installed. However, they require next-to-no maintenance other than checking for damage if the ground beneath them shifts.

Conversely, you occasionally need to repair and stain wood fences. You’ll need to remove mold and mildew every few years and use a pressure washer to remove debris. However, you can update the overall look of your lawn with a fresh coat of paint.

Living fences require the most maintenance — although you might delight in it if you are a gardener. You’ll need to trim your plants to an appropriate height and address any pest infestations or fungal infections. Some species, like bamboo, can grow up to three feet a day, keeping you active with outdoor chores.

How to Incorporate Your Perfect Fence Into Your Overall Backyard Design 

You’ve asked the right questions and chosen the perfect fence. How can you use it to enhance the overall look of your outdoor living space? Here are some fun ideas to make your backyard your favorite “room” at home:

• Expand your garden: You can use your fence as a backdrop for a hanging container garden. Attach a free wooden pallet from your local hardware store and various holders. Do you need some sage for your grilled turkey burgers? It’s a snap when you snip some from your hanging herb garden.

• Light it up: Color-changing LED string lights let you set a different mood every evening you sit on your back porch. A string of white lights highlighting a white-and-purple moon garden can create a peaceful nighttime meditation zone.

• Release your inner Picasso: Are you the artistic sort? Paint a mural! Better yet, invite the kids to add to it, creating a family collage of aesthetically pleasing “graffiti.”
• Attach decorative objects: Perhaps you’re more of a sculptor. Hang your metal creations with your fence as a frame. Even a repurposed watering can become a focal point.

You can also use fencing to separate areas for different purposes. For example, families who often travel sometimes fence in a dog run on the side of their home closest to the pet door to keep their fur babies comfortable when they go on the road. Those with considerable acreage might wish to enclose a smaller space as a kiddie play area, and meditative sorts might crave a special place for practicing yoga and chanting “om.”

Choosing the Perfect Fence

Choosing the perfect fence isn’t difficult if you know what to ask and mindfully consider your answers. The right structure can enhance your overall aesthetic while fulfilling practical purposes.

Use the above tips to choose the perfect fence for your backyard. The warm season has arrived at last — take advantage of the weather to beautify your property and enhance your privacy.

Click the links below for any posts you have missed:

Springtime Home Improvements to Consider This Year

A Step By Step Guide to Bedroom Interior Design Projects

How to Refresh Your Living Room on a Budget

The Main Types of Dishwashers for Your Home

4 Creative Ways to Upgrade Your Kitchen Backsplash

The Pros and Cons of Timeshare Ownership

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Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world!  Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!

Toodles,