Fences come in all different shapes, sizes, styles, and materials. They can be painted or stained to suit your tastes or match your existing home décor. With so many options available for homeowners today, getting overwhelmed when designing the perfect fence is easy.

Most people usually stick with the same old boring design they see on everyone else’s houses in their neighborhood. Not to mention that these styles are often out of place with the architectural style of your house and may not match other fences in the neighborhood.

However, thinking outside the box can give you an idea about how much more interesting your backyard space could be if only you looked at all of your options instead of settling for one popular style.

Below are some unique fence design ideas for your inspiration.

Establish the Function of the Fence

The fence’s main purpose will determine its style, size, and material. If it is purely for decoration or privacy, you can use more decorative fence design ideas like lattice or wooden picket fences. However, if your fence needs to be used to contain horses or other large animals, then look into purchasing security fencing with taller posts and thicker materials that encase barbed wire or electric wire on top. Your local home improvement store should have knowledgeable staff who are more than happy to give advice.

Choose a Fencing Material

When looking into investing in unique fence design ideas, determine which building materials are most appropriate for your site’s conditions. This includes your climate, the appearance you want to achieve, and how much money you want to invest in fencing materials. While purchasing materials make cost efficiency a priority.

For example, wood fences can be inexpensive but must be maintained with periodic painting or staining that may require professional services for which costs quickly add up. Other options like chain link fences are easy to maintain but do not provide privacy because they are see-through mesh.

Establish Boundaries

There are several different types of fencing materials to choose from depending on the style you prefer and the function of your fence. The most popular material choices include wooden picket fences, steel/iron security fencing, vinyl/plastic fencing, chain-link fencing, wire mesh, and stone/brick walls. Consult a reputable fencing company in your local area for a full list of all fence types and some unique fence design ideas.

Steel/Iron Security Fencing

A lot of us at home are looking for ways to enhance the security of our homes. The focus is mainly on strong locks and secure windows that cannot be forced open or broken. However, if you want real protection against criminals, adding metal fencing around your home is probably one of the best things you could do. Thanks to new technological advancements in metal fabrication, installing steel security fencing has never been easier.

Chain-link fencing is one of the most common fence options for your home. This type of fencing helps achieve unique fence design in several ways. It is also inexpensive and provides good security because there are no larger gaps between vertical posts.

On top of that, the minimalistic design looks clean and modern yet still allows natural sunlight to filter through similar to your view with glass panes in window frames without obstructing your view. Steel/iron security fencing is a good choice if you need to contain large animals like horses and other livestock.

However, barbed wire and electric wire may need extra costs for installation because it requires more stability than just the fence itself. If you want even more protection from theft or dangerous animals, consider adding lighting and building a pig-proof gate with assistance from gate installation services.

Vinyl/Plastic Fencing

Vinyl fencing is widely available at home improvement stores and local building supply stores. These fences come preassembled with panels that snap together easily without requiring much effort to set up.

The fences can be used for small areas such as patios and flower beds and larger backyards where the more durable material is appropriate. Vinyl/ plastic fencing installation projects allow homeowners to implement several unique fence designs ideas.

Plastic/vinyl fences are low maintenance because they require less upkeep. However, they may be more susceptible to damage from the sun, which can affect their appearance over time, although some plastic-type materials can resist UV rays better than others, depending on how it is manufactured. These fences do not last as long as stone or brick-style fencing. Vinyl fencing spans 10-15 years, while brick and stone may last for several decades.

Wire Mesh Fencing

Wire mesh fencing is another common choice that resembles chain-link security fencing but with smaller openings that are fine enough to keep even small pets in your yard without allowing large predators or other dangers to get in. This type of fence is commonly used by exterior contractors in implementing unique fence designs in homes.

Wire mesh fencing is the cheapest and most popular fencing product as a material for fencing. If you are a homeowner who wants to install a fence for your house, a wire mesh fence is one of the first things that will come to your mind.

Woven from high tensile steel wires with different diameters, it comes in rolls of varying length and height depending on how much privacy or protection you want. You can also use other accessories such as pickets, corner pieces, etc., to enhance its ornamental aspects.

Stone/Brick Walls

Stone walls also help achieve timeless and unique fence design ideas. With this type of fencing, a fence builder can choose to build several options alongside your fence or instead of one because they look great in many settings. They are usually the most expensive fencing material and last for decades when properly maintained.

Stone walls are easy to construct using common hand tools. Bricks tend to snap together without any mortar required between them. This allows you to quickly install a DIY wall around your yard in just a few hours after purchasing enough materials from home improvement stores.

When planning out your project, be sure to factor in which fencing materials you want to use and how much time, effort, and money you can invest before deciding which type is the best. You may also want to consult with a professional installer or a home renovation company to know whether your project can be completed on budget and within your desired timeframe.

Find Out What the Height Restrictions Are in Your Area

Some cities or homeowners’ associations might have rules about how tall your fence can be. With this in mind, before you settle for any unique fence design ideas, it is important to check before you even begin construction. If there are no height restrictions, pick a fence height that works well with the rest of your yard while matching the style and materials of your home or other structures.

Consider What Kind of Posts Will Work for Your Fencing Material

For fence design ideas using wood, 4×4 posts might be perfect. However, metal posts need to be thicker due to their weight distribution because they cannot bend as easily under pressure from weather conditions and are used over time. A good rule is that if a bar is going across two posts, known as the crossbar, it should be two-thirds of the way up from the bottom to ensure it does not get bent or broken.

Build a Strong Foundation

Before implementing your unique fence design ideas, lay enough gravel and sand at least two feet deep to create a sturdy base for your fencing materials and posts. If you live in an area with lots of rain or snow, dig about four inches deeper because excess moisture can seep into the soil and cause rotting issues over time.

It might also be wise to place half an inch of hardware cloth underneath your gravel before filling it with pea stones. This will prevent any rodents such as mice from digging under your post holes without being detected by sharpening their claws on the metal mesh.

Make Sure You Dig Deep Enough Post Holes

This is a crucial step when creating unique fence design ideas that cannot be skipped if you want your fence to last more than a few years without significant damage. For cedar, 4x4s will need to be sunk about eight inches below grade before laying them across the gravel and sand foundation. However, it might take as long as 24 inches to go down for something like brick or block due to their weight distribution.

The posts should not just sit on top of the ground, but rather they should be sunk into it to support themselves properly. Steering away from this step could result in posts tipping over or shifting significantly over time, which will cause them to warp out of shape and eventually crumble.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

It is recommended to measure the total length of fencing required before purchasing it from a lumberyard or home improvement store. This way, you will not be stuck with any extra materials that might go to waste when creating your unique fence design ideas. When cutting your wooden boards and pickets, use a handsaw instead of power tools like a circular saw which can damage the boards.

It is also advised to keep the cut side down when attaching them to posts. This will reduce problems with warping and splitting. You can attach your fence boards using screws instead of nails as they hold better over time, do not cause as much pressure on the wood grain, and prevent water damage if installed correctly.

Use Galvanized Fasteners

When looking for unique fence design ideas, remember that metal posts and screws or nails should be galvanized to prevent rusting over time. Galvanizing steel prevents corrosion by applying a thin layer of zinc onto the steel to remain protected from oxygen and moisture.

You will need to scrape off any paint on your metal posts before coating them with zinc, which is simple enough if done correctly. Then coat the exposed metal in a zinc-rich primer before slapping on three or more coats of exterior latex paint to finish it off nicely.

Don’t Forget About Gates and Fences for Animals

Many people overlook one step when installing their wood fences, among other unique fence design ideas. Installation of animal gates and fencing is mostly the last step to ensure that the garden and yard are completely enclosed. This can be done in several ways depending on your needs, such as a dog run, fence, or gate. Whatever you decide to use, make sure to put it up before finishing the rest of your yard.

Consider the Reputation of the Fencing Company

If you ask friends and neighbors, they will often have an opinion about which reputable contractors are in the area including a tree removal professional to help prepare for fence installation. There are also plenty of places on the internet where people leave reviews about companies they have used previously.

The web is a worthwhile place to start when checking into a new company’s reputation since it keeps track of consumer complaints against businesses. Such sites will also provide different unique fence design ideas for your inspiration. In this day and age, most fence installation companies have websites.

The sites can be helpful when researching them before calling or emailing them with any questions. Often, someone from a contracting company will have their email address on the site, so there is no need to spend money calling them. Just send an email with any inquiries you have about their service, and it should only take a few minutes of research to see if they are reputable or not.

Consider the Fencing Company’s Past Projects

Another way to determine how good someone is as a contractor is by looking at what he has worked on in the past. Lookup, any company your potential contractor works for and see what other jobs clients have had him do before coming onto yours. Often, quality issues from previous jobs may show up with future ones, and you will be able to avoid these problems if you know ahead of time where the potential is. If someone has a range of fence design ideas and projects listed on his website, this may be a sign that they do quality work.

Fences are the unsung heroes of home maintenance. There are several easy ways that people can design and install a fence with minimal environmental impact. Most of the unique fence design ideas allow homeowners to grow their desired crops while deterring pests, creating privacy, and creating play areas for children.