Making The Right Fencing Choices For Your Home
The right fencing choice is paramount to your enjoyment of your home. It should be aesthetically pleasing while offering the right level of security. It must be in keeping with the rest of your property, and suit your personal circumstances. Where your home is situated, how overlooked you are by neighbours and whether you have pets or children are all areas to consider.
The first thing to think about is where the fencing is to be placed - at the front or back of your house? Front garden fences tend to be lower and more decorative, whilst those at the back are taller, for security. Next, consider the overall style of your home and garden. A quaint, crescent-style picket fence will work fine for a cottage garden backing on to rolling fields and perhaps less so for a town house on a modern development. Similarly tall, solid fencing panels may be overpowering on a small back garden, but work perfectly in a large modern home.
You also need to think about your overall garden theme - if it's still being landscaped, think about what you want the end-result to look like. Are you going for the cottage look, or a more contemporary feel? Do you want acres of colour and sculpted flower beds, or are you happier with the minimum-effort approach of gravel and planted containers? As with expansive lawns, this can look a bit severe if teamed with plain, solid fencing - but looks wrong with traditional open styles. Trellis-top solid fencing panels are a good compromise, and will soften the contours.
If you are an insular person or have young children, you'll again want solid fencing that offers plenty of height and privacy. Yet it can still be aesthetic. We at Wickes have a large range of solid, but decorative fencing panels as well as more utilitarian willow and whitewood ranges, to suit both classical and modern gardens.
If privacy isn't an issue, but the local population of cats and foxes is, you need to ensure your fence discourages climbing and protects at ground level. Fencing accessories, such as the gravel boards we sell at Wickes, can help here. Although remember, the tallest, sheerest barrier in the world won't keep a really determined moggy out - though it will deter burglars.
Most people are torn between strength and security, and a lower-level, more aesthetic approach. However, there's no reason why you can't combine both. Use reinforced, solid panels, perhaps softened with trellis screening, in the most vulnerable areas and something like a Bristol trellis or Cambridge arch style elsewhere. For security, your fencing panels need to be at least 5 ft tall. For general aesthetic purposes, 3 - 4 ft is the ideal. Anything lower than 3 ft is perfect for adding form and style within your landscaped area.
Remember also that fencing panels are ideal for hiding unsightly areas such as compost bins, as well as providing shelter from the weather. This is especially true of seaside gardens. Decorative fencing can also be incorporated into features like pergolas or seating areas - so be adventurous!
The first thing to think about is where the fencing is to be placed - at the front or back of your house? Front garden fences tend to be lower and more decorative, whilst those at the back are taller, for security. Next, consider the overall style of your home and garden. A quaint, crescent-style picket fence will work fine for a cottage garden backing on to rolling fields and perhaps less so for a town house on a modern development. Similarly tall, solid fencing panels may be overpowering on a small back garden, but work perfectly in a large modern home.
You also need to think about your overall garden theme - if it's still being landscaped, think about what you want the end-result to look like. Are you going for the cottage look, or a more contemporary feel? Do you want acres of colour and sculpted flower beds, or are you happier with the minimum-effort approach of gravel and planted containers? As with expansive lawns, this can look a bit severe if teamed with plain, solid fencing - but looks wrong with traditional open styles. Trellis-top solid fencing panels are a good compromise, and will soften the contours.
If you are an insular person or have young children, you'll again want solid fencing that offers plenty of height and privacy. Yet it can still be aesthetic. We at Wickes have a large range of solid, but decorative fencing panels as well as more utilitarian willow and whitewood ranges, to suit both classical and modern gardens.
If privacy isn't an issue, but the local population of cats and foxes is, you need to ensure your fence discourages climbing and protects at ground level. Fencing accessories, such as the gravel boards we sell at Wickes, can help here. Although remember, the tallest, sheerest barrier in the world won't keep a really determined moggy out - though it will deter burglars.
Most people are torn between strength and security, and a lower-level, more aesthetic approach. However, there's no reason why you can't combine both. Use reinforced, solid panels, perhaps softened with trellis screening, in the most vulnerable areas and something like a Bristol trellis or Cambridge arch style elsewhere. For security, your fencing panels need to be at least 5 ft tall. For general aesthetic purposes, 3 - 4 ft is the ideal. Anything lower than 3 ft is perfect for adding form and style within your landscaped area.
Remember also that fencing panels are ideal for hiding unsightly areas such as compost bins, as well as providing shelter from the weather. This is especially true of seaside gardens. Decorative fencing can also be incorporated into features like pergolas or seating areas - so be adventurous!
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