3 Surprising Benefits Your Privacy Fence Provides

You have a solid relationship with your next-door neighbors. You enjoy the casual wave and friendly “hi”
as you pick up the newspaper or grab the mail. You regularly invite them over for games and movie nights. And
you trade recipes back and forth with almost reckless abandon.

However, recently you’ve wondered whether you should install a privacy fence. You don’t want your
neighbors to feel shut out of your life, and you don’t want to imply that you need to see less of their
smiling faces. But many other members of your community have opted for the installation, and you can’t
decide if you should follow suit.

Fortunately, a privacy fence offers more than just privacy. When you install new fencing, you can enjoy
all of the following benefits.

1. Increase in Home Value

If you plan to sell your home in the near future, a fence may be just what you need to close the contract
a little faster. Homeowners with pets or young children may be more likely to buy your home than a similar
property with less security.

However, your fencing material also plays a key role in your return on the investment. Chain link fences
are more affordable, but they don’t add much to the resale value. In contrast, concrete privacy fencing and
solid wood fencing can garner as much as 50% of the labor and material costs.

2. Street Noise Reduction

Does your home sit next to a busy street, highway, or freeway? If so, you likely hear a lot of noise from
the incoming and ongoing traffic. As cars and trucks zoom by, the resulting sound may keep you from enjoying
a good book under your favorite tree or listening to the chirp of local birds.

A solid privacy fence can dramatically absorb and reduce street noise, leaving you with a quiet oasis in
your own yard. In fact, a good fence could lower your ambient sound by as much as 6 to 10 decibels.

But keep in mind that your fence’s construction determines its ability to deflect sound. A high privacy
fence with no gaps between the planks will effectively block noise while a low chain link fence would have
little to no effect at all.

3. Defined Property Boundaries

At a glance, you might enjoy how your yard seamlessly merges into your neighbor’s adjoining yard. The wide
open space gives your kids and your neighbor’s kids plenty of room to run, play, and enjoy their time in the
sun.

But if you plan to sell your home, you’ll want to account for every square foot of property that you own.
The more land you have, the higher the total resale value. And if you don’t know where your property ends and
where your neighbor’s yard begins, you’ll need to hire an expert to survey the land.

A privacy fence gives you clear-cut boundaries so you can calculate your total square footage. Just make
sure that your new fence doesn’t overreach your lines and extend into your neighbor’s property. Otherwise,
you may be in for a lawsuit for adverse possession.

Enjoy Your New Fence

Although a privacy fence primarily hides you from particularly nosy-or overly friendly-neighbors, it has a
lot more to offer you and your family. When you install a new fence, you can enjoy all of the above benefits,
as well as increased security, enhanced containment (for children and pets), and improved aesthetic appeal.

If you’d like to see what else a privacy fence could do for you and your family, talk to a fencing
contractor about available options.