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Privacy Fence
A Privacy Fence is a Great Way to Extend
your Home’s Living Space While at the Same Time Creating an Outdoor
Retreat
By Mark J. Donovan
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A privacy fence is often one of the
key components in creating an outdoor living space. Privacy fences are ideal for
patios and decks to enable homeowners to decompress from the hustle and bustle
of a hard day’s work and to escape from the everyday noises inside the home,
e.g. dishwashers, televisions, etc. There are a number of off-the-shelf privacy
fence design options to choose from including wooden privacy fences and vinyl
ones. In addition, evergreen shrubs can serve as privacy fencing, however they
may need a few years of growth to be effective if you buy them too small. |
A privacy fence can
also be useful in smaller backyards or building lots where there is a lack of
shrubbery and natural viewing obstructions along the property lines. Moreover
privacy fences can serve dual-purposes. For example they can act as a screen to
prevent others from viewing into your yard and they can also function for
keeping things in your yard, e.g. children and pets.
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The standard height for an
off-the-shelf vinyl privacy fence or wooden privacy fence is typically around 6
feet. However, you can sometimes customize them a bit to extend them higher. In
addition, you can come up with your own custom privacy fence design to achieve
your own particular style and height. Often homeowners who come up with their
own privacy fence design use a combination of solid material along the lower
2/3rds of the fence and lattice on the upper 1/3rd. In other cases the entire
privacy fence may be constructed out of lattice sandwiched in between fence
posts.
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When building a wooden privacy
fence it is important to use material that will not rot or decay over time,
such as treated lumber or wood types that are naturally rot resistant. In
addition, regardless of the wood type, the wood should be sealed in some way
to prevent moisture penetration. Also, if you elect to paint the privacy
fence make sure to paint all sides of the lumber, including freshly cut ends.
Moreover, make sure to use non-corrosive fasteners to build the privacy
fence, such as hot-tipped galvanized and/or stainless steel nails or screws.
Using other types of fasteners could very likely result in ugly stain marks
showing up on the privacy fence as the fasteners slowly corrode. Even worse,
the privacy fence eventually could collapse.
Another major concern when building a privacy fence is wind. A large
vertically standing solid surface is easily susceptible to wind damage.
Consequently make sure to install the privacy fence posts at least a couple
of feet down into the ground and preferably set them in concrete. In
addition, by using lattice or coming up with a privacy fence design that
includes adjacent/staggered vertical lumber pieces that are at angles to each
other, wind can more easily flow through the privacy fence and reduce the
risk of it being blown over or damaged.
The use of evergreen shrubs is also a great way to create a privacy fence,
particularly if you are building a privacy fence around a patio or deck.
Though evergreen shrubs can be expensive using them in a small area such as a
deck or patio limits the damage to the wallet.
Whatever your plans and privacy fence design ideas are, you should first
check with your local building code enforcement officer to see if there are
any restrictions on installing a fence, even a small privacy fence. Towns and
cities frequently have strict rules on their construction, such as their
height and set-back requirements. You may also want to check for any local
covenants or restrictions that may exist if you live in a housing
development. Another advantage of using evergreen shrubs as a privacy fence
is that they are typically exempt from local ordinances and covenants for
privacy fence construction.
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