3 Simple Ways to Add Privacy to Your Garden

If there is one thing many homes lack, it would be that element of privacy.

Not only are homes getting closer and closer together as the need for housing increases, but there is also traffic on roadways to be concerned with. On a lovely summer afternoon, you only want to get out and enjoy the fresh air, but that’s hard to do with onlookers able to see your every move.

There is no need for concern because you can easily add privacy to your garden, sometimes on a single weekend, with a DIY project for those handy with a few tools.

Here are some simple suggestions to get you started.

1. Install a Wooden Privacy Fence

One of the best features of a wooden privacy fence is that wooden walls with decorative garden gates are relatively less expensive than other fences.

They cost less to install and offer a more significant visual barrier between your home and the outside world than a cast iron security fence. That’s the difference in a nutshell.

A privacy fence offers a high level of security but also helps prevent the outside world from looking in.

A metal security fence does offer privacy from intrusion, but you haven’t eliminated the ability to see into your garden.

With locking wooden garden gates matching the type of fencing you choose, you have both security and privacy – the best of both worlds.

2. Plants Around the Property Line

This is also a lovely idea, the only problem being that it could take years for plants to grow tall or thick enough to afford any level of privacy.

Some homeowners use shrubs to form a line of bushes around the perimeter of their property while others use layers of plants over a stretch almost impossible to walk through. For example, one row of bushes closest to the interior would then be bordered with flowers, rock gardens, and other greenery throughout several meters.

No matter how you plan it, this type of privacy fence can take a very long time to create and is not helpful to someone looking for immediate privacy from those peering in.

While you could always purchase plants that have matured more at nurseries, those would be expensive if you were lining any great distance around the property.

In other words, this is not the type of privacy fencing for anyone in need of security or for those in a hurry to keep the outside world where it belongs – outside!

3. Stone Walls – Alone or Topped with Fencing

While stone or brick walls offer the maximum visual security, they can be one of the most expensive types to build. It generally takes a stone mason or bricklayer to build and can take a lengthy time.

One alternative which many homeowners have opted for is a combination of brick or stone walls topped with wooden fencing, most often of the picket variety.

This can offer some visual privacy and an extra layer of security. The bottom half of the fencing around the property would be done in stone or brick, and from a distance, although it is only about a meter tall, onlookers would have difficulty seeing in.

The fence on top could offer security, but if you want privacy, you might want to choose another type of fencing material. An opening would be left at the walkway where a wooden gate could be installed, but the rest of the fence would have a stone or brick bottom with a wall along the top. It’s an exciting concept.

Simple and Easy Are Not the Same

Ultimately, it pays to understand that a simple solution isn’t always the most straightforward answer to the need for privacy.

Installing a wooden garden fence is easy for a DIYer and a simple solution to the problem. On the other hand, a stone wall is a simple solution but not necessarily an easy thing to accomplish.

Most hobbyist DIYers wouldn’t begin undertaking a project like this unless they had some form of training or experience with masonry or bricklaying.

If cost and speed are an issue, you will find that wooden garden fences offer the most significant privacy for the minor investment. Just remember that the more work you can handle yourself without the services of a professional, the cheaper the job will be.

Now it’s up to you to figure out just how much privacy you need and which options best suits your needs.