Pros And Cons Of Picket Fences: Will They Suit Your Corner Lot Fencing Needs?

One of the interesting aspects of fencing a home on a corner lot is the additional fencing restrictions that come with it. While you will need to confirm this with your particular council, many councils in Australia place a restriction on the height of front fences on a corner lot as a way to make sure motorists have an unobstructed view before driving around the corner. Brisbane City Council, for example, limits the height of a corner lot fence to one metre. Picket fences suit these fencing restrictions, as they provide a low barrier for your property without obstructing motorist's views, but are they the perfect choice for your new fencing project? Discover the pros and cons of picket fences so you can determine if they are the right option for your home.

Material Choice

Picket fences can be purchased in both wood and vinyl options, and each one of these carries its own positives and negatives. Vinyl picket fences are easy to clean, don't rot or splinter and are low-maintenance in that they don't need to be sealed or painted regularly. However, vinyl pickets are not the strongest of fencing choices. So, if your children like to kick a ball around in the front yard, vinyl pickets are not going to stand up to the impact of a soccer ball. Vinyl is also not an environmentally-friendly option if this is of concern to you. The manufacture of vinyl does produce toxins, and vinyl products cannot be recycled.

Wood pickets are a natural product that is versatile when you want to change the look. Simply pull out the paint can and brushes, and you can have a new fence colour within a day. When wood pickets are broken, it is not difficult to find other matching pickets to replace it. However, wood pickets need more maintenance because they are prone to rot and decay if not cared for. Wood pickets need to be sealed annually to make them weather resistant. Additionally, if you live in a termite-prone area, your wood pickets could bring these pests closer to your home.

Privacy

A picket fence is not going to give you the same type of privacy that a privacy fence would. However, because your home is on a corner lot, you are never going to get full privacy for your front garden because of the height restrictions you are working with. The amount of space you leave between each of the pickets is up to you, so they can be as close together as you like. This will give some low-level privacy, but passers-by are still going to be able to see over the fence into your front garden.

There is no way to get around the privacy problem when it comes to fencing the front garden of a corner lot. So, if privacy is of concern to you, move your activities into the back garden where passers-by can't so easily see what you are doing.

Wind Resistance

One thing pickets fences do have in their favour is their ability to work well in areas that experience regular wind gusts, for example, if your home is located in a coastal area that deals with a lot of sea breeze. Because there are gaps between each of the pickets, the wind can pass through and continue on its way. Solid fences, by comparison, can be pushed over during periods of high wind, as the wind has nowhere to go but forward, and this force will push the fence over.

Picket fences are pretty to look at and certainly can solve the height issue that comes with enclosing a corner lot home. Your fencing contractor can provide further information about the different design styles available in both wood and vinyl options, and this information will help you to make the final decision before the fencing project gets underway. For more information, contact a local fencing company like Amazing Fencing

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Planning Your New Fence

Installing a new boundary fence on your property can be a big job, so you will no doubt want all the info you can find. For that reason, we would like to invite you to read the things we have published here. You will find articles about the pros and cons of different types of fence material, a guide to planning the depth at which each fence post should be inserted into the ground, and ideas which will help you to maintain your new fence. We may not work in the industry but we all love fences and we hope that our passion inspires you!

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