Being a homeowner is one of the best things in the world. You get to design your spaces the way you want to and use them how you see fit. But with this newfound freedom does come a certain set of responsibilities to keep track of. Costs, maintenance, structural integrity, and overall design cohesiveness are all different aspects that a homeowner should be aware of in order to keep their spaces in good shape.

An often-overlooked aspect of homeownership is designing for privacy in specific spaces. While this may be easier for rooms inside the house, it can get tricky when looking to manage outdoor spaces.

Areas like the backyard are usually open to spectators to look and peer over, much to the irritation of some of the more private homeowners. Not to worry, as our team at Legends Landscape Supply, have you covered with some tips on improving your backyard for the privacy you want.

Importance of Privacy in Your Backyard

While some of you reading this may not be too concerned about the overall level of privacy you have in your home currently, it’s still an important aspect of your homeownership that you should review every now and then. Privacy matters are at the heart of many of the larger concerns in the world today but also impact your personal lives in ways that matter to you.

You’ll want to be able to manage the relationship you have with your neighbors on your own terms. While we may all want to be a good next-door neighbor, controlling the amount of your personal life that you show them can help you (and likely them as well) manage how much you ought to be sharing with each other.

Moreover, you don’t want any of the things you do in your home to be used against you. Many of us go about our daily routines in our homes (including our backyard) without giving too much thought about how this can be understood by others. Always be aware that some people may use these personal moments as a way to get to you in the future.

Privacy is an important right that many of us can utilize to better protect our spaces, but that doesn’t have to equate to setting up walls that divide us from others. As such, we’ve listed some clever ways to improve the privacy levels in your backyard in a natural and efficient way that best coincides with modern landscaping practices.

The 6 Best Ways to Improve Your Backyard Privacy Today

1. Building a Perimeter Fence

The first and most likely solution that most people will look towards when improving the overall privacy of their home is to install a perimeter fence. This can come in the form of the classic white picket fence that was most common in early home designs but can also come in more modern make-up.

With fences, you’ll want to be starting off with good foundational rules on height as well as perimeter bounding, which our team at Legends Landscape Supply can help out with custom plans and estimates just for your needs.

2. Planting Hedge Bushes/Tall Plants

A subtle way to improve your backyard’s overall privacy while also adding to its green décor is through the planting of hedges, tall plants, as well as other types of dense bushes which can act as a substitute for the usual fencing that some homeowners may opt for.

These types of vegetation can help obscure any would-be spies onto your property as well as give you a little more sense of security when it comes to hanging out in the more exposed areas of your backyard.

As with any type of vegetation, you’ll need to properly prepare your garden areas and soil to best accommodate new plant growth. Be sure to check out Legends Landscape Supply’s Soils, Mulches, and Aggregates to see how best you can develop your would-be hedges as well as design and maintain the areas around them.

3. Utilizing Structures like Gazebos or Pergolas

Another way to create a space best for more privacy is to construct actual areas within your backyard that can obfuscate vision from the outside while providing those in the backyard a safe environment to talk as well as hold any small event for friends and family. These can come in the form of gazebos or pergolas, both of which can better develop privacy in your backyard.

Gazebos may be the most useful in creating a more private atmosphere in your home as they can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with some versions even being collapsible for easy storage. What’s great about gazebos is their usually included feature of curtains that can help block the view from specific sides of the tent.

Pergolas are more focused on providing an overhead structure for outdoor areas, which can be used to then hang lights, fans, and other hanging objects. In line with privacy, you can also include curtains and draw-down blinds that can better give your party some more privacy.

4. Adding Garden Trellis

Now a garden trellis might not be so familiar for those of you that have yet to develop their green thumb, but it is essentially a vertical structure that certain plants and vegetables can grow around as they climb and develop to maturity. Many of these plants can be something more aesthetically inclined such as flowering vines but can also be used for food agriculture like cucumbers and squash.

What’s interesting about these simple gardening structures is that they can serve a two-fold function of also creating structures around your backyard in order to develop specific spaces for more privacy. Trellises can sort of act as internal fences around lounge areas and patios, which can help create a more private environment for homeowners.

5. Using Outdoor Lattices

Not every homeowner is out to create their own garden patch, which can definitely involve a lot of maintenance, time, and cost to cultivate. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take the idea of a garden trellis and adapt its inner fencing idea towards those of us not planning on growing anything anytime soon. For these people, we recommend looking towards outdoor lattices, which are essentially simple structures that help divide spaces accordingly. Many outdoor lattices are also collapsible or foldable, which can help you store them or move them around as you see fit.

6. Installing a Privacy Fence

Last on our list is one of the most popular ways to increase privacy in your backyard and is also one of the most direct ways to do so. Privacy fences are high, vision-obscuring fences that are regularly installed in homes that want that added layer of security and privacy from outside passers-by.

While this is a clear and direct way to go about creating a more private environment for your backyard, homeowners should be aware of several factors that can affect their decision to install a privacy fence. These fences are usually best characterized by their higher vertical measurement compared to standard fences, but it’s important to note that some states have regulations on how high a fence can be

These types of rules are put in place to avoid drivers having a blocked view of the next road or important signages due to high fencing. Also, privacy fences will not just block outside viewers from seeing your backyard but your view as well. This has the effect of limiting the overall space your backyard inhabits as well as any potential views that you may have currently.

If you’re curious about the regulations and important guidelines to look out for when considering a privacy fence around your backyard, feel free to contact Legends Landscape Supply and request an estimate of how much your privacy fence will cost.

Boost Your Backyard Privacy Today

Privacy is a key aspect of any homeowner’s life and it’s not uncommon to want to design your spaces to accommodate a certain level of personal space and overall security. While we’ve discussed a few ways that homeowners can use certain landscaping and outdoor design techniques to improve their home’s privacy, there remain a lot of different ways to continue developing one’s domain beyond just privacy.

Be sure to reach out to us at Legends Landscape Supply for expert advice on how best to manage your homes and outdoor space. Give our team a call at 905-336-3369 or visit our showroom at 1150 Heritage Road, Burlington, Ontario.