Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Your yard is an important part of your home; you use it for hosting parties, spending a quiet evening after work and even for attracting wildlife. In any case, most homeowners like to maintain backyard and front yard privacy. So today we will be discussing some inexpensive backyard privacy ideas and landscaping options to block neighbors out.

A fence or privacy screen is the easiest way to block neighbors’ view of your yard. There are a couple of things to consider when building a fence or screen- the height and location. The zonal planning rules regulate both these factors. If you plan on building a very high fence, you will need special permits for the same. Contact your town office before starting the project. In general, fences are great at blocking the view of your yard and help keep noise out. You can have wooden or metal fences these days. Brick fences are also great. Add vines and vegetation or other whimsical and personal details like finials ad post caps to a basic, plain Jane fence to make it stand out.

Vegetation

Shrubs and trees are inexpensive landscaping ideas to block neighbors. Evergreens are great too; they offer year-round privacy around your backyard or your BBQ area. You can also add sturdy shrubs around the evergreens to create an impenetrable privacy screen. Trees, shrubs and vines also provide shade and windbreak thereby reducing your cooling and heating demands.

Hedges

Planting a hedge, includes picking the right plant (How high will it grow? What kind of light does it need? How often should it be watered and pruned?) and then planting it. Various junipers and evergreens are the classic choices for hedges, but flowering bushes like lilac can grow 8 feet tall too.

Thorny buffers

Buffers made with thorny plants make great cheap ways to block neighbors view and keep trespassers away. Add them between your home and the alley, at the base of a window and any other place where you are worried about trespassers. Thorny plants like barberry come in various sizes and colors.

Climb Plants on a Trellis

You’ll need to diligently care for the plants as they grow and creep upward, but you won’t have to wait long for the plants to grow tall if use silver lace clematis, trumpet vine, climbing honeysuckle or hops.

Lattice privacy planters

These are cheap ways to block neighbors view. You can add plants in them like miscanthus grass that works well as it grows fast and tall. Lattice privacy screens with raise planting bed are great.

Curtains

Just as valuable in your backyard as they are in the bedroom, a few opaque panel curtains will both block your view of neighbors and further establish the sense of an outdoor room. If you’re able to mount them, curtain rods are the easiest way to keep your panels in place. Consider hanging curtains along the sides of a porch, pergola, or custom corner.

Metal

Corrugated metal is one of the more modern fencing options on the market. Its industrial quality seriously shields your backyard from curious onlookers while contributing yet one more texture to the common palette of stone, gravel, and concrete. Found at home improvement stores and purchased in budget-friendly sheets, these metal fences are also extremely durable, ensuring a long-lasting privacy solution for your space.

Wood

Common in neighborhoods across the country, wood fences are practically an outdoor staple. With a variety of woods to choose from, ranging from light to dark, and just as many style choices, wood fencing does more than boost backyard privacy—it also boosts design. Compared with other fencing materials, wood is also relatively inexpensive and, with proper construction and routine maintenance, long lasting. So long as you have basic woodworking knowledge, a DIY wood privacy fence is well within reach.