7 Questions to Help You Pick the Right Front-Yard Fence
Choosing a front-yard fence should be a calculated decision — a fence changes the way your home is seen, affects the layout of the landscaping and lasts, typically, the life of your home. And with the hundreds of fencing options out there, it’s no small hurdle to find a fence that fits your home. Andrea Nilsen of Nilsen Landscape Design and John Hreno of Terra Ferma Landscapes know the dilemma well, and they helped compile these seven questions to consider when choosing a front-yard fence.
Preliminary Questions
The first four questions consider the particulars of your situation and what design elements are already in place.
1. What do you want from your fence design? If the fence’s function is to define the property line, keep in children or animals, or be an aesthetic complement to the house, then the best choice may be a lower fence that is both functional and can connect visually with the entire house. If you’re looking for privacy, a higher fence is needed — 6 feet is the typical height for a privacy fence. A privacy fence will have a less direct visual connection with the house and usually engages more with the second story.
Hreno also asks, “Is [the fence] intended to be a strong visual, or should it disappear? Does it have a dual purpose, or should it be an art object?” Considering your overall aspirations will help narrow your fence options from the start. Also research local regulations before you begin your fence design. Know height restrictions and where, legally, the fence can be set.
Shown: A horizontal board-on-board privacy fence blocks the home’s first-floor view but connects visually and stylistically with the second story.
2. How do you and guests approach your home? “It’s all about that glimpse over the fence,” Nilsen says, emphasizing the need to consider how people approach your home. Go out and see what your house looks like from the sidewalk and across the street. Then think of how you approach your home and how you will see your fence from inside. As Nilsen says, often “you are seeing [your fence] from within, rather than from beyond.”
There’s a big difference between an overhead CAD drawing of your yard and the real view from the street, so go outside and get the actual perspective.
Shown: A low, semiprivate fence allows foliage to grow in front and behind the fence, giving both the homeowners and neighbors good views.
3. What’s your home’s style? The next step is to evaluate your home’s architecture. Look at its style and palette of colors. For fencing you usually want to stay within a home’s theme. Nilsen says the best designs take the home’s style and carry the notion through.
Nilsen also sticks with an easy design formula. She says, “Simple home, simple fence; ornate home, ornate fence.” It sounds elementary, but it works.
Shown: This white picket fence complements the traditional style of the wood-shingled Cape Cod.
7 Questions to Help You Pick the Right Front-Yard Fence
7 Questions to Help You Pick the Right Front-Yard Fence
