What’s Best For Your Property: Fence or Gate?

You may know you need something to delineate your property and boost curb appeal…what you may not know is whether you should go with a fence or gate. If you’re trying to decide between a fence or a gate, we’re here to help you take the next step.

While fences and gates may sound the same, they’re different in crucial ways. The one you select will depend on your landscape design, budget, intended usage, and personal style. People may want to put fences around their whole property or just around a set area, such as in-ground pool or playground. Gates are usually best for the front part of your yard or to close off a small garden area.

Fences

Fences are very versatile. While you could install a fence around the perimeter, all at the same height level, it’s just as easy to incorporate a stepped or sloped design. Perhaps you want a taller section of fence around the patio, hot tub and seating area for safety, but you want lower fencing elsewhere. It’s really up to you.

Fences can do anything from deter trespassers from entering your property to setting up boundaries for kids and pets. Check out these benefits of fences. They can:

• Discourage intruders and unwanted stray animals and other wildlife from entering your yard.
• Ensure kids and pets stay safely within the yard.
• Keep outsiders from stumbling into your pool when not welcome or supervised.
• Provide a degree of privacy when relaxing in your own backyard.
• Provide peace and solitude while doing yard work or lying in the sun.
• Define property boundaries to avoid confusion between neighboring properties.
• Augment landscape and curb appeal.
• Add character and beauty to your landscape.

Options and Materials

There’s a wide range of options available for fencing, whether you want to go with something traditional (vertical, trellis, picket, split rail) or take a chance on something different (accent walls, horizontal fences, shadow box fences or living walls).

The material you choose will directly reflect your personal style, maintenance expectations and type of home. From chain link to wood to vinyl, each one brings its own benefits. Wood and vinyl are more decorative while chain link puts security and functionality at the forefront. You can customize your fences in accordance with the required need and available space. They can serve as strong design elements of your landscape.

Gates

Gates are similar to fences but they are shorter and decorative overall. They can be included in the fencing itself or can work well on its own, with a latched portion that opens and closes. You can use a gate to define a point of entry to any space enclosed by walls. No, gates won’t provide the security and safety that will deter intruders out or even contain your kids and pets, but they add an unmistakable charm and character to your property.

Gates are customizable with the ability to incorporate:

• Gate panels
• Single door or double door
• Hardware (such as wrought iron latches)
• Gate top patterns
• Styles: farm style, lattice, privacy, shadow box, space bar, spaced picket, split rail
• Material: wood, ornamental iron, bamboo, vinyl

Contact Alamo Decks and Fence

To help with your decision between fences and gates, contact us at 210-794-0435. We install a variety of fences and decorative gate options for residential and commercial clients.