Even a modest home requires great home security, and when it comes to that, many people want to strike a balance between keeping out the criminals but still be welcoming to neighbors. A good fence should tell thieves and robbers that you take your home security seriously, but it should still also make your house inviting and maintain positive curb appeal, all while keeping in line with your local HOA guidelines.
There are three different types of fences that are popular throughout the country, and we take a look at the pros and cons of each one.
White Picket Fence
A true American classic, the white picket fence evokes images of baseball, apple pie, swing dresses on the ladies, three-piece suits and hats on the men, and just basically this idealized idea of what the American Dream is like. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and honestly, a timeless classic.
It’s also, however, fairly useless.
Sure, a white picket fence looks great, but it offers close to zero protection for your house. At best, it works as a great way to delineate your property from that of your neighbors, but ultimately, it offers very little outside of aesthetic value in terms of home security.
If you live in a gated community or in a decent neighborhood that hasn’t seen a violent crime and/or robbery in decades, then this might work. Other than that, however, and you might as well just not have it.
Aluminum Fence
An aluminum fence comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and can be customized to the needs of your neighborhood. Depending on the style, an aluminum gate can pretty much offer the same level of protection as either a white picket fence or a mansion gate.
Aluminum fences are the happy middle for people looking to protect their homes without breaking the bank and still maintain an aesthetically pleasing curb appeal. In general, aluminum fences are cheaper than wood panels, requires less maintenance compared to hedges, and are lighter and more appealing than straight up brick or metal walls.
There’s very little drawback to having an aluminum fence in your home, especially since you could style it anyway you want.
Hedges
Hedges are very popular with people who want to protect their house from intruders but still want to maintain a beautiful lawn. And no one can argue about the beauty of a well-manicured hedge: they give houses an almost stately appeal, and they can be grown to house beautiful flowers that brighten up the street.
But, again, just like the white picket fence, they’re pretty but they don’t do much outside of being pretty.
Most hedges are fairly low, so a ne’er-do-well can easily vault over them, while high hedges will just act as potential hiding places for would-be burglars. And let’s not even talk about maintenance: hedges require constant pruning, watering, feeding, and if it’s shaped a specific way, you’ll have shell out extra for a specialist landscaper to get into the shape you like, all while offering zilch in terms of protecting your house from invaders.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
