While there’s many perks and privileges of owning your own home here in the UK, owning your own holiday house is on another level. Call it home ownership 2.0. Reason being that the whole purpose of a holiday home is different.
Unlike your base in the UK, holiday homes aren’t a place for you to flop into bed after a hard day’s work at the office. Neither are they somewhere to be cluttered with kid’s toys and graffitied with wax crayon. They’re somewhere to relax, detox and kick back in the sun – essentially your own private space, with no distractions, no interruptions, no nothing. Hence why equipping your holiday home with a good quality fence is such a ‘need to know’ subject, as it’s most commonly the barrier that keeps this privacy intact.
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Although, before you jump into the various different types of fences, there are a few things you should consider…
- Current trends – If your holiday home is suburban then chances are the majority of houses in the area have the same types of fencing. This could perhaps be for a practical reason or simply for uniformity. Either way though, it’d be wise to check before splashing the cash.
- Impact of plants – While plants do look great growing up a fence, many species have the ability to cause serious damage. So by being clued up on which type of fence is hardy enough to cope with the plants in your area, then you not only have less hassle in the future, but you also make a far more wise investment.
4 types of fences for the ‘yard’
Perhaps fences made of Aluminium
Although we don’t see many of these in the UK, this type of fence is far more popular in the US. Why? Because it’s a rust-free metals, which makes it ideal for tropical areas where humidity levels are high and the air is salty. Aluminium fences also disperse heat really well, which makes them a pretty safe bet if you have young children or a pet. As for maintenance, the majority of these fences are easy to keep up to and can be repaired yourself using a welding torch. Handy to know.
What about wooden fencing?
The first materials that probably comes to mind when you think ‘fence’ is wood. This is because in the UK, aside from being cheap, wood fences are also by far some of the most common. However, the suitability of a wood fence to your holiday home may differ. This is because that unlike metal alternatives wood fences are far less hard wearing, especially in warmer climates. Go the cheap route to get a soft wood fence and it’ll likely bow or warp after a few years. Something a more expensive hardwood solution would likely fix.
Wood fences are also far more likely to become weak because of surrounding plants or conditions like rot too. All of which could rail your neighbours, especially if your holiday house with a broken fence is next to their permeant home.
But that’s not to say that wood fences are bad. Use these types of fences wisely and they offer great scope for customisation; wood fences comes in a variety of heights, weaves and woods, all of which give off their own aesthetic. Plus, if you get fed up of the colour (we all know how colours date), then you can simply strain them, or great them to a lick of paint.
What’s a vinyl fence?
In short, a vinyl fence is one made of a synthetic material that shouldn’t rust or decompose. Call it a low maintenance alternative to wood. And yet, vinyl fences aren’t all that expensive. In fact, in the US they’re some of the cheapest options out there – perhaps the reason behind their popularity.
Another perk of these types of fences is colour, as unlike with wood or metal where you’ll be somewhat restricted, with vinyl the possibilities are practically endless. You could even get one custom made in a certain colour if you really wanted, or even have it sporting a specific design. Maybe camo if you live in the countryside. Flexibility that you don’t get with metal or wood alternatives.
Plus, because the colour is manufactured into the fence (i.e. vinyl), it should retain its colour for a long while. Something that with wood or metal fencing that you may need to address with strain or paint.
However, one drawback of a vinyl fence is that you’ll usually be left to install it yourself, unless of course you pay extra for a professional. Long story short, the more specialist you go with your fencing (i.e. wood and metal), the more likely you are to get fitting included. Saying that though, assembling this giant piece of flatpack doesn’t have to be hard. Check out this vinyl fence install below…
How about an Iron Fence?
You’ll be more familiar with these types of fences. Think of them as glorified iron railings. So, like we have in the UK only slightly taller and with smaller gaps in-between. As you’d expect, iron fences are by far the most expensive on this list, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’re the most expensive for a reason.
Iron fences are hardwearing, so much so that you could call them a one-time purchase. You’ll very rarely have to replace them, unlike their wooden alternatives, which can very easily can be swept away by a freak storm. What’s more, with this ‘sturdiness’ comes security. Question a burglar about which types of fences they’d want to go up against and iron would be firmly at the bottom of their list. For the extra security conscious, you can also add a mixture of spikes and points to act as another deterrent.
Most iron fences will also be made bespoke to order, so you’ll have the luxury of customising your design. A great way to make your neighbours envious. Plus, with them being such a heavy structure, specialist fitting should also be included in the price.
Types of fences: our verdict
While any of the above choices would do the job of protecting your privacy, at PPO we maintain that when doing any home improvements you should always invest in the best. While wood and vinyl are good options, we’d stick to the metal variants – iron if you can afford it. Not only are they great at providing privacy, but they’re also far more sturdy and essentially are the best on this list at doing what a fence is designed to do:
Keep you and your privacy safe and secure.
FYI: Don’t forget that your fencing choice may not always be solely up to you. Be sure to run any ideas past your neighbours first, as if your garden’s back onto each other, then what’s your fence will likely be theirs too. Plus, if you’ve got certain garden fence protocol in place, you may be able to get them to help you out with the cost.
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