Metal Fences Are For Security not Privacy

Why Metal fences are not the best to use as privacy fences, but serve other security and aesthetic purposes.

A fence is simply defined or identified as a human-constructed barrier or boundary between two or more properties. Fences have been around for ages and have been used for different purposes by different individuals. They are mostly used as boundaries to separate objects, lands, properties, etc.  or different things as the case may be. They could be used to deter potential burglars (no matter how small) or to keep animals away from your home.

Uses of fences

Security
Fences give a true and physical sense of security as they prevent intruders, burglars, trespassers and makes you feel overly safe on your property.

Privacy
A lot of homeowners love to have friends over and eat out back on a picnic table or porch setting. Having a fence keeps people from just walking up on you while you’re entertaining. It gives you much-needed privacy as well as a sense of security.

Aesthetic Purposes
Fences could be used to beautify your homes or make them more attractive. When designed for these purposes, they generally give homes an elegant and classy look.

Types of fences
The characteristics of fences, and in particular the privacy features of fencing, depend largely on the material from which the fence is constructed.

There are different types of fences to prevent or deter people/animals from trespassing on your property, and these include wooden fences, metal fences, vinyl fences, etc. Each of these types of fences have their various benefits and disadvantages as they serve different purposes, but this article focuses on metal fences and why they are discouraged as a source of fencing for privacy.

Metal Fences
Metal fences are generally made from metals such as wrought iron, steel, aluminum, ornaments, etc. and give a true sense of security compared to different kinds of fencing materials used because of their strength, durability, maintained visibility and are not easily vandalized.

Metal fencing try to create a balance between aesthetics and privacy, but there are a lot of drawbacks which are listed and explained below:

Cost
Metal fencing is great when used for security or aesthetic purposes but are not ideal for privacy use due to their high costs. Metals are generally expensive to procure compared to wood fences(commonly used for privacy fences) and are not the best fencing choice when erecting fences on a low budget.

Visibility Problems
Metal fences have huge visibility problems as intruders, trespassers or even your next-door neighbors could easily see through your property depriving you of your much-needed privacy just when you require it. They generally make bad choices when fencing for privacy purposes as most metals have tiny or large holes in their designs which makes it relatively easy for people to see through compared to other forms of fencing.

Attracts vandalism
Inasmuch as metal fences beautify homes and are more secure, they are not ideal for privacy use as they encourage would-be thieves or burglars since they see through your property giving them visibility access to things they could possibly steal or vandalize.

Difficulty in installation
Metal fencing is generally better than wood or other forms of fencing as they are durable and easily maintained but the difficulty in installing them coupled with the fact they are expensive and see-through makes them not so great for privacy uses.

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Planning your New Fence

There’s much more to planning and installing a new fence than simply “planting” a couple posts from your local hardware store and nailing boards to them.  To avoid making a costly (or life-threatening) mistake, you should always take the following steps:

1. Check with your local city planning office to find out what type of fence you are allowed to install.  Most localities publish their fence restrictions online. In general, restrictions are for public safety and usually deal with height and distance from public right of ways.  For example, as shown in the link above, you wouldn’t want your visibility restricted by a fence when approaching an intersection, so some localities don’t allow you to build right up to the corner of your lot even though it is your property.  Violators of these restrictions will be made to move or lower their fence to comply or be faced with a recurring monetary penalty until such a time when the fence is brought into compliance.
2. Call Miss Utility before you dig.  It’s not just a catchy jingle, it could save your life!  Power and gas lines running to your house are supposed to be 30″ – 36″ deep, which shouldn’t interfere with most fences, but this is not something to bet your life on.  For a number of reasons (e.g. final grading, landscaping, error during installation) these utility lines could be shallower.  You can call 811 to request utility marking on your property.  You can also go online to make a request.  Miss utility will locate and mark all public utilities on your property, usually within 48 hours.  They mark each utility (gas, water, electric, cable) with different color paint.  If you must dig near a marked utility, you should take extra caution and never use a piercing tool like a breaker bar or post hole diggers.  Keep in mind, these markings are only valid for a certain amount of time, usually about 25 days.  If the marks fade, or you suspect your utilities were not marked correctly or at all, you can often request a 3-hour locate from Miss Utility.
3. Some localities require your new fence to be marked on your plat. Your plat, if you have one, can often be found with all the other real estate documents that you received when you purchased your home.  If you do not have a plat, or can’t find it, a property survey is recommended, especially if you want to build along your property line.  You can either pay the surveyor to construct a new plat from scratch, or, to save money, you can simply ask them to locate your property lines in the vicinity of where your fence will be installed.  A plat (or survey) is need during installation so that your fence ends up in the right place.  The last thing you (or your neighbor) wants is to have to move your fence because it was on your neighbor’s side of the property line.

Find answers to other common questions about fences here.

My Fence Guys is a licensed contractor in the state of Virginia.

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