Fences have taken a new turn to accommodate our nation of privacy seekers.
For all our front of togetherness, most of us have a real desire for our hit of the secluded world beneath the sky. A good fence can accomplish this and much more.
The redwood at left makes a striking backdrop for a garden; it screens out an unattractive view. The grape stake fence above, set between white-washed brick pillars, is showy as it contrasts with bright flowers.
In addition to making your outdoor living area, here are some other things a fence or wall can do:
- Define boundaries.
- Provide a physical barrier.
- Enclose children, yard, pets, or pool.
- Deaden sounds.
- Conceal unsightly views.
- Partition a large yard.
- Boost the resale value of the property.
- Offer some degree of climate control by filtering or blocking wind and sun.
- Prop climbing vines, delicate plants, and espaliered trees and shrubs.
Fences Can Add Beauty
Plan your fence carefully so it will not detract from the landscape; let it emphasize the most desirable features. But, of course, the design depends on what the fence is supposed to do.
The photos on these and the following pages show that fences and walls can be good-looking and hard-working simultaneously.
Before you add a fence or wall (especially a wall):
- Check with the local building regulations.
- Don’t forget. Your neighbor is getting part of the fence toe.
- Make sure he likes the idea.
He may even help with the labor or the bill. You can always build inside your property line if he doesn’t like it.
To help you plan a fence or wall that will add beauty and have a long life, I have evaluated six basic types: wood, wood panels, masonry, metal, synthetic and woven.
Facts About Wooden Fences
Types: Because of their durability, the different kinds are divided into two groups. Group I includes redwood, black locust, swamp cypress, swamp white cedar, incense cedar, and red cedar. Group II includes pine, spruce, larch, fir, ash, aspen, and maple.
Design versatility: Unlimited. Formal or informal designs. Harmonizes with all other materials and with any architecture. Redwood is at the head of the class due to its durability and designability.
Pre-built fence kits come equipped with everything, even the nails, so your fence can be as quick as it is good-looking. Paint, stain or leave natural. Wood improves in appearance with age.
Durability: Treat all in group II with preservatives. Paint or stain adds to the life of the fence.
Advantages: Sturdy, easy-to-build fencing. Lumber is best for enclosing large areas. Good plant background and support. Flexible enough to weave.
Disadvantages: Maintenance is required on most wood fences. Beware of termites, decay, and warping. Use rustproof nails to prevent stains. Allow for contraction and expansion in joints when planning construction.
Size: Use standard lengths to save money and material. 4 x 4’s for posts, 2 x 4’s for stringers. Sink posts ⅓ their length, spaced 8’ feet apart—costs of some kind (installation not included): three-rail fence and posts – 48 to 60¢ per foot.
Prefabricated stockade, 6′ high— $2.70 per foot. Picket, 4′ high, 1 x 3-inch pickets—about 20¢ per picket. Wood and woven wire, 3′ high—about 31¢ per foot.
Wood Panels For Fencing
Types: Hardboard, douglas fir plywood (exterior grade).
Design versatility: Just for fun, cut novel designs to perk up your yard or patio; fill the frame with varicolored panels, make a blackboard out of a special blackboard surface or paint it with blackboard paint, or make a movable planter screen.
Limitless design, many textures. Paint or stain. All plywood may be painted and all but plastic-overlay stained. One-eleven texture fir plywood is grooved like boards. Stained, it makes an attractive fence and weathers well.
Durability: Paint adds to the durability. Always buy plywood with the seal “Exterior grade DFPA.” Hardboard won’t rot, split or crack.
Advantages: Easy to work with. Tough. It holds paint or stains well. Quick to erect. Display plants against it.
Disadvantages: Paint or stain is necessary to prevent warping and helps weatherproof it. Give stringer support and firm upright posts to make it wind-resistant.
Size: Usually 4’ x 8′ panels, varied thickness. Cost of basic materials (you do the work yourself): Tempered hardboard, exterior grade 4’ x 8′, ¼’” inches—$5.40. One-eleven texture fir plywood, 4 x 8′, 5/8″$8.10. Exterior grade regular fir plywood, 4’ x 8′, 1/2″—$6.50.
Masonry Walls And Fences
Types: Adobe, brick, concrete, pre-formed concrete blocks, stone.
Design versatility: Plain and fancy barriers. Screen blocks are the most decorative. Create fascinating patterns by alternating sizes, ends, screens, and standard blocks. Some preformed blocks come in decorator colors.
Adobe and brick make warm-toned walls. Protrude bricks or blocks for shadow casting. Poured concrete makes an attractive low wall topped with wood fencing. Unmortared stone walls answer a desire for an inexpensive stone barrier with a natural effect.
Durability: Permanent. Weathers well except where the ground settles and causes cracking.
Advantages: Carefree. All, except stone, are simple to work with. Economical. Because of their size (8 x 8 x 16″), standard and preformed concrete blocks are the quickest to erect. For extensive fencing, brick and adobe are lighter and easier to lay.
Walls deaden sound and make a good plant background. It may be painted or left natural. It cuts clown on heat.
Disadvantages: Stonework, walls over six feet, and poured concrete above three feet require skilled hands and equipment. Solid walls sometimes block air circulation and form frost pockets.
Size: Adobe, 4 x 8 x 16″. Brick, 4 x 8 x 2 5/8″. Pre-formed concrete, 8 x 8 x 16″ or 4 x 8 x 16″ are most popular. Stone varies depending on the kind. Costs of some kind (installation included): A 4-inch thick common brick wall—$1.25 per square foot.
Pre-framed screen blocks 70¢ to $2 per square foot, depending on the design and thickness. An 8- to 12-inch thick stone wall—$1.75 to $2.50 per square foot, depending on the price per ton in the stone selected.
Metal Fencing Materials
Types: Aluminum panels, galvanized steel panels, aluminum or steel chain link, and woven wire.
Design versatility: More practical than attractive. Dress up chain link fences by weaving plastic strips or colored Venetian blind slats through the links. Aluminum panels come in several styles: louvered, basket weave, vertical staggered, vertical spaced, and grooved. Baked enamel finish, many colors.
Corrugated aluminum and corrugated galvanized steel can be painted. The metal panels are best as pool and patio enclosures and yard dividers. Woven wire and chain link are sturdy support for roses and other climbers.
Durability: Long lasting. Won’t rust, warp or rot. Paint corrugated aluminum or galvanized steel for years of wear and keep it off the ground to prevent corrosion. Chain link is one of the most popular durable fences.
Advantages: Aluminum panels are carefree; they never need painting. Come in a kit, ready to erect, lightweight, and easy to work with. Chain link provides security and lets you see-through.
Corrugated aluminum, left unpainted, reflects heat onto drying clothes or catches warmth from the barbecue to make cookouts comfortable.
Disadvantages: Cold looking. Panels can be dented. Firm support is essential. Chain link and woven wire are fine for extensive fences but not the other types.
Size: Aluminum panels, 6′ wide and 4 to 6′ high. Wire fences come in cut lengths or 100-foot rolls. Costs of some kind (installation not included): Chain link (posts included), 11 gauge, 4′ high – 80¢ per foot.
Woven or welded wire (posts not included), 11 single gauge pickets, 4′ high-28¢ per foot. Aluminum panel requiring frame to be mounted in (including installation) —35 to 70¢ per square foot.
Synthetics For Fencing
Types: Fiberglass Panels, Plastic Screens, Plastic Webbing
Design versatility: The screen affords a translucent fence or panel that blurs the landscape and makes an ordinary background interesting. Mix well with bamboo, reed, or lumber. Webbing makes a basket weave fence that tightens with age.
Flat or corrugated colored fiberglass panels lighten and brighten solid materials, serve as a contrast to plantings, and silhouette plants if backed by lighting.
Durability: Plastic panels with a fiberglass core are the most durable of the three. They are so new that their lifetime is a guess. Grid structure keeps them taut and helps them wear longer. Webbing is considered weatherproof.
Advantages: Privacy with a minimum of material. Saw, nail, and drill with ordinary tools. Variety of colors to choose from. Carefree. Easy. Quick. Best as a partition or section of fencing. The screen is the cheapest temporary privacy provider.
Disadvantages: Not for windy and severe weather areas. Colors may fade in time. Not childproof. A tall panel or screen needs support at 3-foot intervals to avoid bowing. Anchor firmly in the ground. Check instructions on chemical sprays before using them near plastics.
Size: Corrugated panel 8’ to 12’ feet long, 26” to 40” inches wide. The flat panel comes in a 50-foot roll. Screening is in rolls, 25’, 50’, 100’ feet, 28” to 48” inches wide. Webbing is 6” inches wide in a roll of 50 feet or more.
Costs of basic materials (you do the work): Corrugated fiberglass panel, 6 oz., 96″ x 40″$15.50 each. Translucent screening (wire mesh coated with cellulose acetate), 4’ x 25′ roll—$13.45 each.
Woven Fencing Facts
Types: Reed and bamboo
Design versatility: Comes in rolls which can be used in many ways if you want a quick, easy-to-erect screen. The curved fence goes up quickly—color and texture contrast with plants and other fence materials.
Bamboo’s jointed appearance is less monotonous than reed. Fine for a temporary summer fence in Northern climates. Make a corner of your garden Oriental with this for the background. Cover a chain link or wooden fence with it. Paint or leave natural.
Durability: Bound with rustproof steel wire. Supposed to give at least five years of service. Attach by staples or short pieces of wire to a wood or metal frame. Weatherproof. Bamboo has more strength than reed.
Advantages: Lightweight, versatile fence. Filters light and air. No maintenance. Good for yard dividing. Light vines can tackle it.
Disadvantages: Not as private as it appears. Neighbors can see through into the lighted patio. Not childproof. Better suited to a warm climate rather than severe weather areas. Firm support is necessary.
Size: 6 x 15′ and 6 x 25′ rolls. Costs: Reed screening, 6 x 15′ roll, $6.15. Split bamboo, 6 x 15′ roll, about $5.
44659 by Pat Turpin