How to Add More Privacy to Your Home and Backyard
March 25th, 2017
While nestled in the comfort of our own home or garden, we deserve to be able to enjoy a certain level of privacy. Privacy surely shouldn’t be a luxury on our own property. Yet sometimes, neighbours and outsiders seem ever too close. Homes are consistently being built closer and closer to each other, as well as to walkways and other public areas. While close proximity to neighbours can have benefits in terms of security, and close proximity to public areas and walkways can offer quick access to amenities, it can mean a deep compromise on privacy.
If you’re keen to make your home your own personal privacy retreat, it can be much more easily achieved than you might think. The following are some quick and cost-effective ways that you can secure the privacy you deserve in your home or garden.
Utilising plants
Planting tall trees and plants can be one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to redefine property borders and block lines of sight. To give plants a head start on growth or to combat poor soil, mound the soil so that the plants grow from a greater height, or use excessively large plant containers so that it’s easier to block a view.
If growing six foot tall plants and trees isn’t an option, consider working from the top down, for example hanging pots filled with vines from your porches, sheds, fences and garden features.
Block off sections
If securing privacy in the entire garden is too comprehensive of a task, seclude just one area. That way you have at least one area of the garden where you can sit, relax and enjoy some privacy. Form a pocket within the garden with trees, and place some garden furniture or a hammock within your self-made ‘enclosure’.
Utilise sheds, garages or playhouses in the garden to create your enclosure around. Such structures will naturally be able to offer greater shade and privacy to your enclosure.
Use lattice enclosures
Where you don’t want to or simply can’t erect a solid fence, gate or wall, lattice enclosures can prove a happy medium. They can close off a line of sight without closing the garden off completely. Use vines and plants to decorate the lattice and further increase your privacy.
Lattice fences are also widely used in conjunction with another type of fence or privacy enclosure. It doesn’t have to be lattice enclosures all round, but they can be a really great fixture for breaking up a solid wall or fence enclosure while still maintaining privacy.
Install a fence
In some cases, only a solid fence can provide the level of privacy required, especially where pool or patio areas are concerned. You may need to seek permission from your local council and/or neighbours before erecting, but fences can quickly and cost-effectively resolve many privacy issues. They require only a small level of space, with treated pine fences proving the cheapest and subsequently most popular choice. Unlike walls, fences aren’t a permanent solution, so can be easily swapped out for alternative solutions in the future.
Make use of privacy screens
Complete security and privacy can also be achieved through the use of privacy screens, such as the new CommandeX aluminium slatted privacy screens. These screens prove incredibly popular due to their modern aesthetic, being a much more attractive design than timber fencing. They won’t splinter over time, can withstand the elements and come in any vertical or horizontal size requirement. Their design is a direct complement to modern builds, so won’t deter from the overall design of your home like timber alternatives might.
Switchable smart glass
Rather than keeping the blinds or curtains pulled all day long, homeowners can utilise switchable smart glass solutions to maintain privacy on demand. While the initial cost investment may prove expensive, in the long term, smart glass windows and doors are a very cost-effective option, as they maximise energy efficiency. With the flick of a switch, the glass can turn from transparent to opaque in an instant. The glass can switch to varying levels of an opaque state, and can be switched to just enough level of opaque to obscure view, yet still allow a natural flow of light.
Make the most of the traditional hedge
Perhaps one of the most utilised ways of protecting privacy is through adding hedges to the property. Hedges aren’t the most practical solution if you live in a close knit urban environment, as they typically require at least 800mm width of garden bed to grow. However, if you can provide this level of space, growing or planting a hedge is certainly a worthwhile consideration. Bamboo hedges are always a good option as well, especially if tight on space, as they grow vertically – basically, they grow up rather than out.
Keeping your home private and secure
Making your home a haven of privacy just got a whole lot easier. If you even start by just planting a single tree to obscure some of the view, you can make a significant difference to increasing privacy in your home and garden.