Would you prefer privacy or a view?

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We have a very small garden. Parts of our fence blew down recently, and we're talking with our neighbours about what to replace it with (fence is old and needs replacing anyway).

Unusually, in our deeds we co-own the fence, so we need to reach agreement.

We may move soon, and although I know what i'd prefer for myself, I wonder what might make the property more attractive to buyers, bearing in mind the garden is tiny!

Option 1: 6 foot fence all sides. Provides privacy. View of roofs, distant tops of trees and sky.

Option 2: 6 foot fence on one side, low, waist-height fence on the other. Views of lovely hills from the garden and the ground floor. But, loss of privacy as neighbouring family can see over into garden.

As the garden is tiny, either option dramatically changes the nature of the garden. The fenced version would make the garden feel very fencey, but private. The version with the nice view, you might as well be in the neighbours garden, but the view to the hills is lovely.

WWYD?

Privacy. Horrible to be sat enjoying the garden with neighbours doing same few feet away.

Xpost. Hmmm well it's up to your neighbour but I'd hate to be overlooked just because my neighbour didn't like their garden.

It's not up to the neighbour though. We are jointly responsible for the boundary so need to reach an amicable compromise.

I wonder if a fence with trellis at the top might be a workable compromise.

I think low fence with trellis sounds like a good plan.

Privacy.

What about something like this as a happy medium?

Without question the view.

I've had a house with low and open fencing either side. The garden was long enough but very narrow. The neighbours could see everyone (5 houses) but we all respected each others' privacy, although from time to time we'd see people outdoors and get together with our BBQs

The wider views were glorious and made a tiny garden seem very spacious.
It was lovely.

If the garden had been made private it would've felt really claustrophic.

Burnishedsilver thanks for the suggestion :)

However ... Looking at fencing that high makes my heart sink :(

I know i mentioned trellis, but fencing that high, even with trellis will make me feel boxed in.

My view of the hills would be only through the trellis bit on a fence that high, it only takes the neighbour to grow a creeper up it if what they want is total privacy, then that's the view gone.

I wouldn't mind so much if we had a massive garden, but it's titchy. It's a triangle shape, ending in a sharp point, and the whole garden is only about the size of a room.

If the fence is that high it'll totally dominate my garden.

I was coming down on the side of privacy as if they've never seen the view from your garden they won't know they are missing one, however, I have been swayed by the 'they can add trellis themselves later easily if they want. A higher fence is harder to modify.

If it's for selling I'd go for the view. The first impression of a nice view might be better than the impression of being boxed in.

Libramum that's what I thought too. Anyone who buys this house is seriously conpr

Oops hit post too soon!

Anyone who buys this house is seriously compromising on the garden. For me I think it might have been the view which swung it. There was another house I rejected partly because the garden was a tiny box of 6th fences, made me feel claustrophobic.

Interesting to see people going straight for privacy.

I know what I'd like in an ideal world (no change, basically!) but I'm happy to compromise. It will make a higher fence easier to bear if I know it might help sell the house IYSWIM.

"Soon" was perhaps an exaggeration though! I can't see us moving for the next few years at least. It is a condideration for me though. The garden is one of the biggest factors in a move though (if we could afford it I'd love a big garden, I think the DCs would really benefit from it). The other big factor is sec

Privacy.

While I appreciate the buyers could change the fence the possibility of neighbour hassles doing so along with the immediacy of having them gawping into the garden would put me off buying.

Aargh! Stupid phone!

Ther other factors are secondary schools and commute so we may move sooner, who knows. It's on the cards at some point anyway.

The neighbours are nice and I'm hopeful we can find a solution which everyone is comfortable with. At the moment we're waiting to see what a fencing guy suggests as options, thinking maybe a three quarter height fence, so you would have privacy if sitting, but still be able to see the hills when standing.

Please could I ask, for those of you who prefer privacy, would a fence bigger than waist height, but smaller that 6ft be ok (say just 5ft-ish), remembering the following things:

1. The house is private, the neighbours can't see in the window from next door (unless they actually hung over the fence)
2. My patio area is bounded by their extension wall, so you can sit here without being next to their garden
3. If sitting on the lawn you would not be able to see them and vice versa.

Personally I am only happy with being able to stand in my garden and not see my neighbours, so 5ft wouldn't cut it for me. Being jointly responsible for a fence would also put me off a house whatever the height of the current fence. But clearly we aren't seeing the view that you have so maybe this would change the thinking of many (but I'm unsociable so it wouldn't change mine .

I like the idea of a low fence with trellis taking it to 5 foot.

As one of the privacy lovers, yes a 5ft fence would be ok, 6 ft would be better.

I feel awkward being out in a garden if I can see the neighbours and have to interact with them even if I like them. In gardens we've had without privacy I've noticed that neighbours tend to come out in shifts when the coast is clear, and I always feel a bit self-conscious just sitting and reading outside.