What’s a Fence For?
Fences are a popular addition to many houses in the United States of America. Used primarily to enclose areas of space that belongs to a private citizen as part of their private property, fences have been a part of real estate in the United States for as long as the country has been around; used to denote boundaries in large land purchases for farms and ranches initially, fences soon became popular additions to houses across the country. To this day, fences are a staple of most houses in both rural and suburban areas, including wherever possible in urban areas. However, not all fences lend themselves well to all areas: take Atlanta, Georgia for example.
For houses in the more urban parts of Atlanta, there are very limited options available for installing a fence. If a house is in the more rural parts of Georgia, there’s all the freedom in the world to put any kind of fence up really, and in the suburbs they’re practically an essential. To understand the different situations behind getting a fence, it’s important to know the differences between the various kinds of fences available for installation:
Farm Fencing: As the name implies, farm fences were originally intended for enclosing farmland and acting as boundary markers between plots of land. Nowadays, these kinds of fences are still only really installed at farms, though houses in small towns nearby rural areas tend to use them as well.
Wood Fencing: An extremely popular choice, wood fences tend to be taller than other kinds of fences usually found around homes. The famous “picket fences” were originally made of wood, although other materials have been used in the same style in recent times. Wood fences are sturdy and dependable, making them popular choices for homeowners.
Aluminum Fencing: Aluminum as a material for building fences is a relatively recent option, and a very common choice for homes that are closer to urban areas than those deep in suburbs and rural areas. Relatively cheap and easy to maintain, it’s understandable why aluminum is found on so many properties.
Wrought Iron Fencing: Wrought iron fencing is usually custom-made, and while very sturdy and stylish, they’re relatively very expensive to install. Wrought iron fences definitely send a message about the inhabitants of a house, and are very popular in suburbs.
Vinyl Fencing: Vinyl fencing is actually five times stronger than wood fencing, and although it’s very expensive to install, it’s relatively easy to maintain and lasts for a long time, making it a very popular material for homeowners.
PVC Fencing: is the cheapest kind of fence to install, but the tradeoff is that it’s not the sturdiest of fences. It grants a great deal of privacy and is very easy to maintain, which makes them another popular choice.
Chain Link Fencing: Chain link fencing is mostly used by the government to fence in public parks and is more used by industrial entities to enclose property than private citizens in residential areas. They offer very little privacy but are very cheap and require almost no maintenance.
Electric Fencing: Electric fencing is the same aesthetically as chain link fencing, except that the chain links have an electric current running through them. This makes the fence extremely painful and dangerous to touch, and adds high levels of security to the area the fence encloses. Used almost exclusively by government and corporate bodies, it’s very rare for a residential area to be enclosed with an electric fence.
While each kind of fence has its own set of pros and cons, there are some general pros and cons that any fence will have, and they’re good common denominators to consider when figuring out if a fence is a good addition to make to a property.
The Pros and Cons of a Fence
The Pros
Increased Privacy
Most kinds of fences offer the owner a higher level of privacy by obstructing the view of people on the outside to the actions of those in the property. While not all fences offer the same level of privacy, many of them offer almost total obstruction of the view into a property from the outside.
Increased Security
While not all kinds of fences offer the same level of privacy due to their designs and materials, most all fences increase a property’s security. The main factor that determines how much security a fence adds to a property is mostly how tall the fence is, and that is easily adjusted based on consumer specification. While not all properties need the added security depending on the area, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Cosmetic Appeal
Many fences can be made to the buyer’s specifications to a certain degree, and adding a fence to a property can really pull a house or plot of land together.
The Cons
Cost
Depending on the size of the fenced in area, installing a fence may be a costly endeavor. This can be either mitigated or exacerbated depending on the kind of material the fence is made with. Comparing rates from different companies can help keep this cost to a minimum, but there’s also the cost of maintenance to consider. Depending on the weather in the area, certain fence materials may require more upkeep on the fence to keep it looking nice and functioning at full capacity.
Maintenance
Depending on the material a fence is made out of, it may need regular maintenance at varying intervals. Different fence materials need different kinds of maintenance, so it’s important to take note of what kind of upkeep a fence needs and plan accordingly.
The Bottom Line
In this day and age, a fence isn’t really needed to enclose farm animals or mark property. However, fences go a long way to making a house feel like a home, on top of making a house look great. With the right match of house architecture and fence style, the compliment between the two can really make a house look that much better, and if it can be afforded, a fence is a solid addition to any rural or suburban house.
