28 May Making Your Privacy More Private
No matter the circumstances of your home, everyone enjoys a certain degree of privacy. Maybe things changed and neighbors made their own improvements giving themselves a beautiful secondary porch outside their upstairs master bedroom, that just happens to create a slightly uncomfortable overview of that space around your own pool and/or sunbathing area. Maybe when you moved into/built your home, the space between other homes and your own was larger back then than it is now as more homes were built. Some folks get along with their neighbors better than others, but no matter the personal feelings you each live in your own homes for a reason. So when you need to make your space a little more, well, yours…there’s a number of different ways to go about. Not all of your choices focus on keeping others out, but sometimes that’s exactly what you want.
It’s easy for people to instantly imagine a 10’ wall of brick, surrounding your property creating a “fortress of solitude” only accessible to you and your family. Normal circumstances don’t usually call for this however. Maybe you just want a little separation while at the same time making your own yard a little nicer to look at. A good choice in this kind of situation is some shrubbery. This doesn’t mean planting an entire forest at your property line but you do have a few different options. For a clean look maybe you go with a privet hedge as your main choice. The nice thing about those is most can be kept short, just for a line of separation or you can let them get a bit taller to keep outside eyes off your goods. Either way be prepared to break out some trimmers every so often as it takes a bit of work to keep them looking nice and shapely. If plants are your thing but you like the look a little more than the constant trimming work maybe a staggered selection of evergreens and perennials will be a little more to your liking. If you position some of the larger/taller varieties just right you may get the added bonus of some shade on a patio or porch along with breaking up the view from a neighbor’s upstairs window. This option tends to be a little more forgiving in the maintenance department as well as making the division of properties look more natural as if it’s more mother nature’s doing than the actual blocking of wandering eyes that it may be.
If nature or upkeep isn’t really your thing maybe a more man-made structure would suite you better. Walls or fences of sorts tend to be nicer in the “keeping out” department but often aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing of the options. Choices have changed a lot though as paint and stain colors are practically infinite if you go with wood, leaving you every option to match with your home if wanted. The combo of the fence with a few of the shrubs we already mentioned, near walkways and entry/exitways is also a nice touch to break-up the hard visual a fence gives your yard. Fence and wall scenarios also have a smaller “footprint”, if you will, than their more natural brethren leaving you more space for yourself once installed, than if you were to go with the plants, garden or shrubs route. Other than general upkeep over the years, fences and walls are practically maintenance free after the initial installation is complete, so this may be the best choice if you want quick and easy with little to no worry down the road.
These are just a few of your choices and really just scratching the surface of all the options themselves. Hopefully it does get the ideas flowing and makes you think of other ways to, although create privacy for yourself, make your home seem more inviting and appealing at the same time. Let’s be honest, you may be picky about who gets to see things on the inside of your house, but when they do see it from your perspective you’re going to want it to look as nice to them as it does to you.
