
Fence Styles:
Choosing a Fence That Matches The Style of Your Home
When trying to figure out the fence styles that match the style of your home it is important to know that your options expand well beyond white picket fences. Here is a list of fence styles to get you thinking about what would look best with your home.
Wood Fence Styles
Wood fencing generally comes in three styles, picket, split, and privacy. Before choosing, you really want to think about the purpose of your fence, and that should drive your preference. If you just want an enclosure to contain your children or a small pet, picket fences are a great option. If you want something that is more decorative, split rail fences are a fantastic option, but they will only contain large animals that are unable to go over, or under, it. If you want to lock it down, and keep your children and your pets contained while also blocking out the view from neighbors, a privacy fence is going to be your best bet. Privacy fences tend to come in cedar and redwood most often, and their visual style can run from basic dog-ear style to highly decorative solutions with spindle and lattice work.
Great things to consider when choosing a wood fence: it has a natural look and goes with a lot of traditional home styles; it is often a very affordable option; you have the creative freedom to stain it or paint it; repairs are usually easily made with a trip to your local hardware or lumber supply store; and they can last as long as 15 years with proper care and maintenance.
Some not so great things that come with a wood fence include: having to spend a little time each year maintaining it; running the risk of rot and warping, especially in wet climates; and some can help foster a termite infestation if you don’t take precautions.
Vinyl Fence Styles
If you like the style of a wood fence, but are looking for a lower level of maintenance, vinyl fences are a good option. They suit the same purpose as the wood fences and often have more options because of how they are made. Some great reasons to want a vinyl fence are: They are well suited to a variety of home-building materials for color and style matching; they come in neutral colors and don’t require additional staining or painting; they typically require little to no maintenance to keep them up; they will not warp, rot, or attract wood-eating insects; they tend to come with a lifetime guarantee; they repair very easily; they can be easily treated to prevent discoloration.
Reasons you may not think Vinyl fencing is the best include: a higher price tag than wood; and depending on the quality they can look very plastic.
Chain Link Fences
The cost-conscious fence option, chain link fencing can be the most affordable fencing. It is typically available in gauges 9 to 11; a lower gauge number is a thicker, and more long-lasting, size. You will see chain-link fences in a variety of locations from homes to businesses to industrial parks. Its biggest benefits are its low cost and its ability to withstand all sorts of weather. The down-side to chain-link fencing is that it is hard to make it look attractive, and it provides no privacy at all.
There are modifications that can be made to chain link fencing to add privacy and make it a little more attractive, if needed.
The Deck and Fence Experts at Excel Fencing and Decking in Baltimore County Maryland