Just as a frame complements and accents a fine painting, so a fence complements a home’s landscaping. A stylish fence can define space and provide an attractive backdrop for flowerbeds. Add a gate, arbor, or trellis bedecked with rambling roses and who can resist an invitation to enter.
Not just a pretty face
While a low decorative fence adds charm to almost any home, fences can also get serious. Taller fences keep children and pets safe within their own yard and provide a measure of privacy. They can obscure unsightly or unattractive views in the yard (or the neighbors). A fence can also provide a much-needed barrier from roaming dogs or shrub-nibbling deer.
Fencing options
Wood is the most popular type of fencing. High quality preservatives protect lumber from rot, decay, and termite attack. Pressure-treated wood has a gray-green color that is the result of its preservative treatment. Over a period of time, this color will diminish and change to a pleasing driftwood gray. Chase-Pitkin is one of the largest installers of residential and commercial fencing in western NY, installing hundreds of fences each year. Alan Verkest, who handles fence installations for Chase-Pitkin, says, “A quality water repellent or semi-transparent stain with water repellent should be applied immediately after installation and on an annual basis.”
Vinyl fencing, on the other hand, never needs painting and requires no regular maintenance. Made of state-of-the-art material, high quality vinyl fencing offers the elegance of traditional fencing in a variety of colors, heights, and classic styles. Vinyl fencing is, however, a more expensive product than wood fencing.
Another fencing material that is also maintenance free is aluminum. This is a heavy-duty aluminum with a powder-coated finish applied at the factory. Commonly seen around swimming pools, it can be accented with decorative elements such as scrolls and finials. Aluminum fencing comes in a wide range of colors, even gold accented, and is comparably priced with vinyl.
Certainly the mainstay of fencing materials is chain-link. But even this fencing has changed its look from the familiar battleship gray. It is now available in cream, wineberry, green, and blue. Chain-link is a utilitarian choice for fencing that is least expensive and used most often in commercial situations.