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14 Fences You Can’t See Through (Best Privacy Fence Ideas)

Adding a fence to your property is the perfect way to boost your security and keep pets and animals safe. With these ideas, you can make installing a new privacy fence as simple or challenging as you like.

Gray stucco house, green grass, light wooden fence with lattice ocross top, sunny day

Adding a fence to your property is the perfect way to boost your security and keep pets and animals safe. Fences can also increase your privacy, providing a secluded area around your house. Privacy fences are designed in a way so that you can’t see through them. While privacy fences block the view, they certainly don’t have to be an eyesore. Privacy fences can be made with various materials and designs, creating a stunning feature for any yard. With these ideas, you can make installing a new privacy fence as simple or challenging as you like, with some fence installations possible in only a matter of hours.  

In general, privacy fences are used to block the view from the outside into your yard. Fences you can’t see through are typically taller and are made of solid materials. Adding a privacy fence is the perfect way to boost security and protection, keeping you and your family protected, private, and safe.  

Lattice Fence

Dead grass, light colored wooden fence, solid posts and lattice work across top, fluffy white clouds in sky, sunny day

This latticework fence creates a stunning privacy fence that is not only beautiful to look at but provides plenty of privacy. This wood fence features a solid, vertically fun fence in the lower portion of the structure, with delicate latticework at the top. Choose to add a creeping vine or plant to the latticework or leave this portion of the fence open to sunlight. The full-height fence is nice and tall, ensuring you have plenty of privacy and security around your home. If you don’t need a full fence around your property, consider adding just a panel or wall with this style of fence to give you privacy near your patio. Lattice fences make great garden fences because they help introduce extra greenery and life into your yard.

Recessed Board

Green grass, solid wood fence with no open spaces, sunny day, large brown brick and stucco home

Privacy fences don’t have to be boring. This fence idea features recessed vertical boards to give texture and visual appeal. By alternating the depth of every other board, you’re able to create a fun and interesting fence. The privacy fence is beautiful but still solidly constructed. A recessed board fence can also double as a retaining wall with the right reinforcements. These fences are easy to build but do require plenty of material to construct. To add even more visual appeal, consider adding some hanging planter baskets around the fence or landscaping around the fence line’s base.   Make your backyard beautiful while adding more privacy at the same time.

Horizontal Fence Boards

Back yard wooden fence with slats going horizontal, green grass, large rocks with green plants and trees in flowerbeds

Spin your fence design on its side and have the boards run horizontally instead of the traditional vertical fence design. This different take on fence ideas adds some fun and frivolity to your home. Horizontal boards can block just as much of the sightline, creating a private setting, defining boundary lines. The horizontal boards attach to vertical posts and can be any height you like. Horizontal fences can be made with various materials, including vinyl or wood. The vertical design allows you to easily insert hooks throughout the fence to hang planter baskets, increasing the visual appeal and interest.   Adding plants to your fence can give your fence a more natural look, while still preventing prying eyes from peeping through. Fence designs that are different can add curb appeal to your outdoors spaces while still functioning as a solid privacy fence. If you want even more air flow between fence boards, space the boards a little further apart.

Modern Horizontal Fence

Solid blue sky, white house behind a solid dark brown wood fence with black thick metal posts

Take a different spin on a horizontal fence and add large posts or pillars around the fence, made with additional material. Use horizontal wooden fence posts adhered to stone, concrete, or plaster posts. The vertical posts add an interesting visual break and can help increase the overall appeal. Mixing materials also help build different textures in your yard and bring different colors into your space. These fences can be any height or width and can be custom-created to just about any home. You can choose to stack the horizontal boards tight together or space them a little further apart to allow some light and air to flow through the fence.

Double Height Fence

Sun setting sky, double layer white vinyl fence, green grass

Many people want a privacy fence for protection and security, helping to ensure a swimming pool stays safe. While a single-height fence can certainly offer privacy, doubling up a fence can make a yard even more secure. Adding a double-height fence could be as simple as stacking a single-height fence design on top of itself. Choose to make a double-height fence with any material, including wood, vinyl, or metal. The double-height fence can be used throughout the yard or only in certain portions of the fence line that require even more security and privacy. Choose to add a double-height fence in portions of the yard to add a wind-break near hillsides or open expanses.   

Modern Patio Divider

White building with a shallow patio, wooden dividers separating the doors

Privacy fences don’t have to be complete fences that surround a property. These fences can function as privacy dividers for condos, apartments, or townhouses. Adding a patio divider can help you enjoy your outdoor space without pesky neighbors watching what you do. This patio divider is modern and beautiful, featuring black metal posts and natural wood beams. This patio divider has a fun Pacific Northwest flare making it modern, sleek, and beautiful. If you have a particularly large or long patio, consider making two panels to span the entire gap between units. Be sure to properly anchor your patio divider to the patio to prevent it from tipping over into your neighbor’s property. Just because you live in a shared setting, doesn’t mean you should be able to enjoy your outdoor spaces. A modern patio divider can help fill all your fencing needs.

All Natural Fence

Side yard of home showing tall green bushes dividing two homes, large green trees and blue sky, sunny day

Fences don’t have to be made of solid materials but can also be made of natural and soft materials. Designing a privacy fence with natural bushes and landscaping is a wonderful idea. Not only can you create a stunning privacy fence with bushes, but you can also increase your natural surroundings. Birds, animals, and insects will love the additional space to live and burrow inside. Plus, adding natural shrubs to create a fence can help improve your soil’s drainage or can help secure sliding foundations and soil around your property. Natural fences can be made with beautiful shrubs, and some plant varieties can even blossom and bloom throughout the seasons, adding even more color to your property.   A natural fence can be used as just a small fence on your property, or can be used to span an entire border in your yard.

Lattice and Greenery Fence

Close up of a white latice fence with green plants growing through it, sun shining

A lattice is a popular option for privacy fencing because it is affordable, lightweight, and provides a structure for vines and creeping plants to adhere to. Because lattice comes in large panels or sheets, it can be a more cost-effective way to create privacy around your home. Lattice will attach to vertical posts. Different climbing plants, like ivy or clematis, can be used to attach to the lattice, creating a beautiful green wall for privacy. Not only will the greenery help increase privacy around your property, but it can be a welcome invitation to hummingbirds and butterflies visiting your yard. Lattice is easy to install because it is lightweight and can be completed by a savvy DIY homeowner.  

Mixed Media Fence

Home with tall hollow metal structure with rocks to fill space and create a fence around front yard, green pant growing over

Recycling materials that would otherwise go to scrap can help make a perfect privacy fence. Rubble rock encased in metal cages can make the perfect privacy fence. Not only does this fence option help reduce waste, but these fences are big, sturdy, and strong. To help break up the stark outline of the solid rock rubble, try to introduce some greenery. The top parts of the fence are the perfect place to add some lovely greenery contained in pots. Or, consider adding different media to use as vertical posts separating the rock baskets. Natural wood, metal, or even vinyl can create a beautiful mix of textures and materials to help create a stunning look.  

Tight Picket Fence

Close up of a light shade wooden picket fence, green grass

Usually, picket fences have the vertical fence posts spaced evenly apart, with a few inches separating each picket. With the vertical pieces touching one another, making a tight picket fence can create the perfect privacy fence around your property. This type of fence can be made of vinyl or wood and can be constructed to be any height. The tight picket fence uses more material than a traditional picket fence and makes a stunning and beautiful privacy fence around your property. A wooden fence will need regular maintenance, but a vinyl picket fence can be maintenance-free and easy to care for.  

Elevated Chain Link Fence

Close up of black chain link fence with black slats slid through for added privacy

Chain link fences and wire fencing in general have a bad reputation for being unsightly, but there are ways to make a chain-link fence practical and beautiful. Try to weave different materials between the metal chain link fence to boost visual appeal and privacy. It is common to weave vinyl pieces or thin slats of wood between the chain links. You can weave in a fun pattern, alternating colors and stripes through the fence to add even more visual interest. Elevated chain link fences are usually cost-effective and can be a great way to install a privacy fence quickly around your property.  

Artistic Statement

 3 Black laser cut metal panels

If you want something that truly makes a statement around your property, consider making a privacy fence with laser-cut metal panels. The metal panels can be made of tough wrought iron, adding even more integrity and strength to your fence. The thick metal panels provide enough privacy around your property while still creating an artistic statement. There are endless panels and patterns available so you can create something truly original. Depending on your panel design, you can easily add hooks to allow you to hang some potted baskets along your privacy fence or add solar lighting to highlight the panels even more. Keep in mind that metal panels can be extremely heavy, so this type of privacy fence installation may not be the best idea for a DIY project.  

Corrugated Metal and Brick Fence

Brown metal fence with tan brick columns, snow on the ground and on top of columns

Combining both beautiful and practicality, a corrugated and brick fence can be a wonderful addition to your property. Corrugated metal provides the ultimate privacy and security around your home, while the brick pillars are functional and beautiful. You can choose bricks that match the color of your home and corrugated metal that helps blend in with your surroundings. This type of fence style isn’t going to be a weekend DIY project, but it will certainly provide a secure and long-lasting privacy solution to your home and property.  

Natural Stone Wall

Large gray stone wall, green grass

Fences don’t have to be made of vertical constructs but can consist of natural materials too. If you just need a short fence to create a natural barrier and add some privacy to your home, consider building a natural stone wall. Using stone offers long-lasting privacy and security around your property and will last through a range of weather conditions and climates. Plus, natural stone is beautiful to look at. If you don’t like the stark appearance of the hard stone, consider planting beautiful creeping vines and greenery over the top of the rock wall. Inserting small sections of moss into gaps between the rock work can help soften this natural privacy wall solution.