The primary reasons someone is concerned with privacy fence height includes, establishing a solid perimeter on their property, keeping animals and children inside the yard, fence height restrictions, and making sure others stay out. Another reason why people install a fence? To create some privacy.
Why Privacy Fences are Popular
People buy privacy fences because they want to enjoy and relax outside and wish to do so without having others observing their every move. Face it, we spend enough time posting our every move on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram; sometimes I think people need a break from all that and remember what it’s like to spend time outdoors without the whole world noticing you. Privacy fences offer that nice bit of seclusion.
One of the biggest questions we get asked is what are privacy fence height requirements, and what are the fence height restrictions? The answer often depends upon where you live!
Restrictions For Privacy Fences
Figuring out the privacy fence height and fence height restrictions depends upon where you live. Contrary to what most homeowners would like to build on their property, there are often local laws or homeowner association guidelines that dictate what fencing materials you can use to build a fence and how high the fence can sit on your property.
Before building a privacy fence, you need to do your homework and research the restrictions and the process for installing a fence. True, some of these fence height guidelines and laws are difficult to enforce; however, all it takes is a complaint from your neighbors and the next thing you know, you could be tearing out one privacy fence that’s seven or eight feet tall and building a new one that meets local code—all on your own dime!
Bottom line: Be smart and follow the laws and local HOA guidelines so you build just one privacy fence!
How Much Privacy (Fence) Do You Want?
Some folks want total privacy from their neighbors so that they never see them when they’re in their yard. Others just want to have a fence that reduces the noise level so they can enjoy some quiet outdoors. The big question we always ask is how much privacy do you want once we know the limitations that local laws and guidelines dictate.
Most homeowners prefer as much privacy as the guidelines allow; a six foot tall fence often does the trick. Some townhome developments allow you to build a seven foot tall fence where the last twelve inches are meant for lattice work, giving you an extra bit of added privacy and noise reduction. If your local laws and guidelines permit it, the best fence for creating privacy and reducing the noise level is a vinyl fence.
Lately we’ve seen many new townhome developments in the Maryland area require privacy fence. If you’re looking to move into one of the new housing developments in eastern Frederick, you’ll see that every home in the Wormald-built sections comes with vinyl privacy fence as part of the standard base price on all their homes! This is great news for homebuyers as they don’t have to worry about paying for the fence once they have a mortgage!
In addition to knowing how high you want the fence to be, another major decision is deciding what fence materials to use. Wood fences are great if you want (and can have) a more natural look. You can seal and stain the fence to meet your liking and can choose from various styles of wood like stockade fences, board on board fences or board and batten.
If you want to build just one privacy fence and never replace it in your lifetime, consider a vinyl privacy fence. Vinyl is roughly five times stronger than wood and acts as a great sound barrier. Its flexibility also makes it much more resilient to strong wind, rain, and other extreme weather. If you never want to deal with the fence other than soaking it with the hose while you water your flowers, then a vinyl privacy fence is the best thing your money can buy.
Ready to Buy a Privacy Fence?
If you’re ready to build a privacy fence for your home, our staff can work with you to design the perfect privacy fence solution to meet your needs and your budget. Click on our online chat feature to the left to get started or contact us today.
While the weather’s still nice out, feel free to stop by our headquarters in Frederick, Maryland—we’re still open for business until noon on Saturdays!
