Architecture and home design advances every day, and now we have all sorts of technology and fancy additions we can install to our homes. You can select your choice of music and have it follow you from room to room, turning your entire house into an automated surround system, and sometimes, people in different rooms can play their own music.
You can use a similar programming pattern to automatically switch off the lights as you leave a room and switch them on when you walk into the next one. The internet of things offers networked online access to appliances ranging from your fridge to your toothbrush. You can erect a pre-fab house in a few weeks, something that would previously have taken years.
Still, with all these advances in the construction sector, a fence is still just a fence. You want it to mark off your boundary, showing your neighbour where they’re not allowed to step. It deters unwanted guests, or at least slows them down, and allows you to enjoy your outdoor space without worrying about strangers peeping at you. So what do your 2018 fencing options look like?
Crystal clear curvature
Curved glass fences suggest boldness and elegance, because even though they’re up to 10mm thick and reinforced with a safety film, they still feel psychologically fragile, and it seems like a bold move to use it for fencing. On the other hand, it implies a kind if exhibitionist tendency, because glass just seems like a ‘naked’ choice for fencing. Even if you frost the glass, smoke it, mist it, or tint it, it seems to invite outsiders to take a peek.
It can be an attractive option though, especially if you have a gorgeous view. Many modern beach house or eco-houses use glass fences, and they don’t have to be rounded. They’re good for wide patios or for poolside areas. If you have glass on your perimeter, you can have solid walls for the house itself, to step up your privacy quotient.
Stainless steel structures
Another way to give your house a modern touch is to use stainless steel. Often, when people talk about stainless steel fences, they’re mentally picturing tubular balustrades. Tubular fences are the vertical pole fences that you see in many corporate spaces, while stainless steel fencing is made from wire-thin horizontal cables, coiled around each other and threaded through posts made of metal or wood.
Like glass fences, they give your yard a clean, up-to-date minimalist look, and like glass balustrades, they offer very little privacy and a gorgeous view. They’re good for ventilation though, so just like their glass counterparts, they’re popular in beach residentials. They’re easy to maintain, because you just need to wipe the wire and ensure that the supporting poles are treated against weather, salt, and pests. You can also electrify them, though they’re not ideal for perimeter fencing.
Plastic panel paradise
PVC panels are often touted as the most convenient fencing option. They come in a massive choice of colours, so they can match any decorative theme you want. They can be fully interlocking for privacy reasons, or gapped if you want better ventilation. Even the gapped versions offer more privacy than steel or glass, and the gaps assist air circulation in humid areas. They don’t corrode or rust, and can be cleaned with a plain hose.
If your PVC fence accumulates dirt that’s a little more stubborn, you can clean it with detergent and a soft brush before rinsing it off with clean water. It’s easy to install, though you’d probably have to talk to your neighbour, in case they don’t want to be hemmed in by brightly coloured plastic. Maybe they could paint their side a different shade.
Tall timber towers
Despite the amount of care and attention that wooden fences need, we’re still drawn to them. It’s probably a nostalgia thing, because they’re open to water damage, pest infestation, and you can’t even wash them easily. You may have to repaint them or oil them to keep them moist, and they’re not as sturdy as other types of fences.
Still, in terms of aesthetics, timber fences are probably the most beautiful choice, whether you coat them in oil paint or varnish and stain them, letting their natural attractiveness shine through. Be sure to source high quality pre-treated wood, and if you’re not good with your hands, have it professionally installed. It needs more careful handling than plastic or tubular fencing, and you don’t want it to collapse in two days.
