Debra Lynn Dadd

Backyard Fences

QUESTION:

What type of material do you recommend for backyard fences? I would love a wood fence but they are so expensive. Many people are getting vinyl fences that can be made to look like wood. Is that a safe alternative?

POSTED BY CAROL :: NEW YORK USA :: 04/27/2009 2:38 PM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

Vinyl is PVC, which is not safe for people or planet.

Here are some options for backyard fences.

1. No fence. I come from California, where everyone has their entire property fenced along the property line. Here in Florida, many houses have no fences at all, and that is true for much of the South.

2. Hedges. Traditionally in England, they fence with "hedgerows," which are shrubs planted to form a barrier or to mark a boundary. These are little ecosystems in and of themselves. On my street, one house has a hedge across the entire front, and you cannot see the house at all. In my backyard, a previous owner had installed a three-foot high cement block fence, topped with about four feet of wrought iron. Then the neighbor on the other side planted a hedge which, while not completely dense, is thick enough for privact and about 12 feet tall.

3. Wood or composite (planks made from cement and wood chips) offer more immediate privacy, but both are expensive. The cement and wood chip plants will last longer.

Readers, any other ideas?

Debra :-)

COMMENTS:

We had the same dilemma...we have dogs, so we needed a closed in area. What we opted for was 8' x 4' panels of wooden trellis, connected with 4"x4" posts and 2'x4's strung horizontally to screw the panels into. We used the square design trellis rather than the diamond design so we had solid edges. It's much cheaper than a wooden board fence would be, and it lets the light through, which is nice...but still gives privacy, especially if you plant vines that will grow up it.

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: I've done this before too and it works great. Grow some tomatoes or cucumbers or green beans on your fence!

POSTED BY SAMANTHA :: OHIO CANADA :: 05/04/2009 5:16 PM

How about my new invention of fences of low self firing ceramic.... cheap and will last your whole lifetime and will not rot away as redwood does in 15-25 years...

POSTED BY MICHAEL COLLINS :: BIOTECTURES.COM :: BIOTECTURES.COM :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 05/06/2009 10:58 AM

Here in Hawaii we have used chain link fence, other types of metal fencing (comes in rolls but not as sturdy as chain link), plywood, redwood (the OLD TIME hardwood redwood was great - what is being milled now is NOT the same...termites love it, although they avoid the OLD TIME hardwood redwood of 50 years ago!)- all of which the elements here erode and rust, and with the wood, TERMITES just do it in! Many people here now are using the PVC fencing just because it does endure and doesn't have to be replaced so frequently. I am interested in Michael's Biotecture fences of low self-firing ceramic - will email him. Being way out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean DOES sometimes stand in the way of getting something to us without GREAT expense. But the product does sound interesting! Aloha, Les Adams

POSTED BY LESLIE ADAMS :: HAWAII USA :: 05/12/2009 7:28 AM

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