The first impression of your home from the street is what we describe as curb appeal. Because fences are one of your property’s most visible physical elements, they play a strong role. Our front yard fence ideas can help you choose the right fence to add curb appeal to your property.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Front Yard Fence
Style preferences vary, but good design never goes out of style. When installing a front yard fence, make sure it’s cohesive with your overall aesthetic.
In other words, a modern metal fence paired with a traditional farmhouse might look amiss. Similarly, a white picket fence may not be the best choice for a modern landscape.
In addition to your property’s design style, you should also consider the vibe of your neighborhood. While individualistic touches can help a property stand out, clashing with your location’s general look can detract from curb appeal.
Finally, a front yard fence should allow for some degree of visibility and air flow. Tall, solid privacy fences are great for backyards and pools, but they can make a front yard unappealing. However, wooden or metal pickets, wire mesh, and other permeable fence types project a sense of invitation to passers-by.
These five front yard fence ideas incorporate good design principles that are guaranteed to add curb appeal to your property.
Celebrate Tradition with a Picket Fence
Almost nothing says “tradition” like a picket fence. The classic white picket fence is an iconic feature of small towns and symbolizes the American dream. In fact, the phrase “two kids, a dog, and a white picket fence” has long been the standard description of making it in the United States.
While America is changing, there’s still a nostalgia for tradition in many places. Enclosing your front yard with a picket fence reminds people of simpler times. It brings to mind flower gardens, summer barbecues, and friendly neighbors.
White picket fences perform the primary job of setting boundary lines and keeping kids and pets safe. They also project the ideal of peaceful neighborhoods and happy, successful families. If you’re looking for front yard fence ideas that are strongly rooted in tradition, a white picket fence may be right for you.
Modernize Your Landscape with Metal
If you want to create a more contemporary feel, a metal fence is a great choice for your front yard. While there are many traditional metal fencing styles, this material has come a long way from historic wrought iron fences.
Today, both steel and aluminum offer lighter, more durable, and more affordable metal fencing alternatives. Metal pickets have a cleaner look than wood, blending well with modern design styles.
Additionally, metal fences are highly customizable. Picket spears, insert panels, spirals, circles and other design choices offer a wide variety of looks. Your fence can blend in with your landscape, even acting as a trellis for vining or flowering plants. Or you can make your metal fence the center of attention.
Metal also works well when mixed with brick, stucco, or stone columns and supports. Thanks to design flexibility, there are metal front yard fence ideas to suit almost any landscape.
Add a Rustic Feel with Split Rail
If you prefer the quaint, casual appeal of country living, a split rail fence is a great choice. Because wood is a natural resource, it tends to add warmth and character to any property.
While they’re not designed to keep people or pets in – or out, split rail fences can be used for casual property markers. They also make great backdrops for flower gardens and hedges. You can plant a row of hydrangeas or sprinkle wildflower seeds along a split rail fence line to create a colorful living border.
Split rail fences are one of the most natural-looking wooden fence types. If your goal is to make your landscape appear rustic, woodsy, or to reflect a countryside setting, a split rail fence might be ideal for your front yard.
Create a Living Fence and Accent It with a Gate
If you love plants and vegetation, a living fence is one of our favorite front yard fence ideas. You can create a living fence by planting a dense row of shrubs and trimming them to a uniform height.
You could also install a picket, chain link or wire fence and use it as support for climbing vines. English ivy, clematis, wisteria and rambling rose all make excellent choices. These plants add color, visual interest, and even smell while helping create a physical boundary.
Adding a decorative garden gate, with or without an arbor, brings charm to your living fence. It also invites visitors to stop and smell the roses – sometimes literally. This storybook combination is guaranteed to boost curb appeal.
Combine Fencing Materials for the Best of Both Worlds
Fencing materials don’t have to stand alone. Some of the most interesting front yard fence ideas combine metal, PVC, masonry or wood fences. Done correctly, a fence can even contain three.
Mixing fence materials allows you to add privacy to areas like patios or porches, while maintaining an open, friendly feel. You can also create more sheltered areas for delicate flowers and bedding plants.
By combining fence materials, you can customize the height and layout of your fence design, creating a truly individual property feature. Top a low masonry wall with metal pickets or add a punch of color with a painted wooden gate. The possibilities are almost endless.
Work with a Professional
As long as your fence doesn’t violate neighborhood codes or clash with the overall feel, its design can be as individual as you wish. Curb appeal is great, but unless you’re thinking of selling, personal satisfaction should be your main goal.
A professional fence installation company can help you decide which fencing materials and design might be right for your property. If you have questions or are looking for more front yard fence ideas, contact First Fence of Georgia. We build fences – and relationships – from the ground up.
