Choosing a fence is not as easy as it used to be. In the days when choice was more limited, the most popular option was the simple white picket fence: clean and traditional, it looked great with almost any style home. These days you have dozens of choices in terms of style, height, material, and color. Choosing a good combination of style elements adds appeal and value to your property, so it's not a decision to take lightly.

What's the Purpose of the Fence?

Why do you want a fence? The answer to that question is one of the most important factors that will determine the type of fence you need. Just as important, it is going to dictate more practical factors such as the height of the fence, and where and how large the openings in the fence will be.

In most cases, your fence will have several different purposes, which might include one or more of the following:

• Defining your property line
  
• Ornamental
  
• Provide privacy
  
• Keeping children or pets on the property
  
• Keeping neighboring animals out (depending on where you live, this might be dogs, cattle, deer, or other species)
  
• Block wind or sunlight
  
• Act as a sound barrier
  
• Act as a support for plants

At this point it's best to establish some other important aspects of the fence, such as how high you need it to be. This is going to depend partly on aesthetic factors and partly on the function you have in mind. If privacy is the goal, for example, you will likely want a higher fence than you might if it's purely ornamental.

Another thing that is important to keep in mind at this stage is that if you have a large yard, or one that has several different purposes, you may want to consider using two or more different fence styles.

Finally, when deciding things such as how high the fence will be, do not forget to consider building codes and how they might affect the type of fence you can build. It is also a good idea to check where your boundaries lie, so you don't inadvertently build a fence that's lying on your neighbor's property.

What's your Property's Personality?

The next decision is a simple one that involves looking at the architectural style of your home and making some basic choices about what to consider and what to eliminate.

The key here is thinking about what's going to look good on your property based on what's already there. Your fence needs will likely be different depending on whether your home is rural, suburban or urban, older or modern, brick or stone, wood or stucco. You might prefer a rugged, rustic look with a rough wooden fence, or a neat and tidy fence with clean lines made from stain-resistant materials.

Choosing Materials

You have three main choices, here: wood, metal, and vinyl. Depending on the fence's purpose you can sometimes rule out one or more of these three choices right away. Metal and vinyl, for example, are not always suitable privacy fences, as metal fences tend to be more open, and vinyl fences do not yet offer the wider range that wood does.

When choosing materials your primary consideration (apart from your budget) will probably be aesthetic, but there are some other important factors to keep in mind.

One of these is how much time you are willing to spend on maintenance. Are you willing to spend a day or so every few years repainting a wooden fence, or rust-proofing an iron fence? Do you live in a neighborhood where graffiti is a problem? If so, you may want to choose materials that do not lend themselves well to being spray-painted, or spend some extra money on paint that can be cleaned easily.

The materials you choose are also going to depend on the function of your fence, of course. If privacy or noise reduction is the most important consideration, you will likely prefer a higher fence that completely encloses the area. On the other hand, if you just want to prevent your younger children from wandering off the property, a lower fence that's partially open may suit you better.

All the choices you make in terms of material should be bound by the style decisions you made earlier, when thinking about your property's personality. Do not be tempted to change your mind, here. You might have fallen in love with the idea of a wrought-iron fence, but if you live in an ultra-modern urban home, that style is more than likely not suited to your property's personality.

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About Author: Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about topics pertaining to home maintenance such as Outdoor Equipment