Being from the country, I was never inclined to like nor need a backyard fence. I thought they were ugly and made me feel locked in and shut other people out. After I moved into an urban area, I started to feel differently about them and saw more of a need for a backyard fence.

While I still didn’t like them, I was forced to come up with a backyard fence plan of some sort, if for no other reason than to keep my pets in my yard and my neighbor’s critters in theirs. I really didn’t know where to start. I knew I needed a backyard fence for privacy, but what kind? I certainly didn’t know how to build a backyard fence. Should it be made of wood? Brick? Chain link? On top of that, I didn’t know anything about fence gate hardware!

I didn’t even want the stupid thing in the first place, and now I was forced with a big decision, not just about a privacy fence, but about what type would increase the value of my home. One of my neighbors had a backyard decorative fence wire woven, and it seemed to keep in the good and keep out the bad, but not obstruct the view.

The only thing I did know for sure was that our neighborhood was changing. The kids were cutting through the yard and snooping around, and even strangers would occasionally pass through. It started to get a bit creepy, …