Backyard Oasis

Fencing is one way to get the privacy and security that you want in your home. With wood fencing, you get the added advantage of having a great appearance that you don’t get with metal fences.
photo credit: fauxto_digit

Wooden fences are designed in many styles and with different materials, so you need to choose a fence that fits your own landscaping and has the functionality that you also need in your home. The function of the fence is its primary reason so don’t ignore this.

Depending on the homeowner’s end goal and the style of the house itself, wood fences can sometimes fill the need for both form and functionality. For instance, if your chief purpose is to have a semblance of privacy or to add visual appeal to your home, there are many wooden fence styles that can address these requirements.

However if you need a lot of security, then you will probably need to consider a metal or stone fence. These are much more secure, although the aesthetic appearance is not as good as the wood effect.

If the wood fence design is more important, then here are your choices.

Look at the list and choose the one that best fits your needs and the style of your landscaping.

• Picket-style fence. This type of fencing provides quaint charm most suitable for cottage-style homes and those with landscape designs leaning towards English garden themes. Picket-style fencing also comes in a variety of types of which the most popular are dog-ear spaced picket, French gothic spaced picket, and the pointed top spaced picket.
• Split-rail wood fence. Perfect for a country feel, ranch-style homes and those with landscaping inspired by the Southwestern US design should find a good fit with the split-rail wood fencing. The best material for the split-rail style is the Western red cedar wood.
• Log wood fence. This style showcases the true beauty of wood and best matches houses designed with a rustic theme. While most are installed as vertical panels, horizontals log panels are also not uncommon.

Wood Fence Designs: When Functionality is Top Priority

Wood fencing may be a good choice for its aesthetics but on a more practical level, wood fences best serve two principal functions: privacy and durability. For these two important uses, several wood fence designs may be used:

• Stockade fence. With the wood slats vertically aligned without spaces in between and the tops pointed out, stockade fencing is one of the most appropriate wood fence designs when the intention is to afford absolute privacy from the outside.
• Solid board fence. This style of fencing is also great for privacy as it gives a complete barrier to sight. Not only this but it also gives you a noise barrier as well as some security. If you want to improve on the design features, then you can also add latticework to this fence.
• Latticework fence. These fences are very popular as they give users both privacy and also allow for sunlight to penetrate. Besides this, they also provide space for air to blow through as they have diagonal shaped spaces throughout the fencing. If you want, you can also place the openings vertically or horizontally to create square openings instead.