TYPES OF SECURITY FOR FENCED YARDS

While fencing in your yard is a solid first step in maintaining a private, secure landscape and home, there is room for improvement. Fortunately, you have a wide array of options to choose from when making an effort to heighten your security. Consider both the simple steps you can take as well as the installation of more secure types of protection for a sense that you have done your best to safeguard your home.

LIGHTING

Although your fence puts up a physical boundary, if you cannot see what is happening when you look through your peephole or window, or if your outdoor area remains dark at night, you are creating hiding spaces. Installing security lights, particularly near home entrances, improves your view of your outdoor space during nighttime hours. Good options include lights set on a timer that will go off and on at specified times and lights with motion sensors that will alert you if movement is occurring.

LOCKED GATES

If you have a fence without a gate, installing a gate is essential to people know they are not invited in and to create a physical barrier to keep them out. You should install a gate with the hinges placed within the yard so the pins cannot be easily removed. A simple sliding chain is not sufficient for solid security. Instead, you should install a lock that requires a key, combination or some other more complex system making it more difficult to open.

CAMERA AND INTERCOM

Installing a security camera will allow you to see what is happening outside from the comfort of your home, without having to approach windows or doors. In addition, you can see who is beyond your fence, leaving you time to call the police if you feel uncomfortable with external activity. Utilizing an intercom system at your door as well as your gate permits you to speak with a visitor from afar before you decide to allow them onto your property.

ALARM SYSTEM AND VISUAL DETERRENTS

Setting up an alarm system for your home as well as a system that is tripped when someone attempts to force their way through your gated fence often frightens intruders while alerting you and law enforcement that someone has trespassed into your yard. Visual deterrents that offer similar effectiveness include alarm company signs to let passersby know you have an alarm system, as well as neighborhood watch signs.

THORNY PLANTS AND PRUNING

Placing thorny plants near entrances such as gates and windows, makes entering your property painful and difficult. The Japanese barberry shrub (Berberis thunbergii), for example, is considered a good barrier plant due to its thorniness. This plant reaches a height of up to 8 feet and a spread of up to 6 feet and thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. However, because dense or overgrown plants such as shrubs and hedges provide an ideal hiding spot on your property, you should always keep them thinned and cut back as much as possible.

Damask, Tarah. (n.d.). Types of Security for Fenced Yards. Home Guides | SF Gate.
Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/types-security-fenced-yards-55380.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tarah Damask’s writing career began in 2003 and includes experience as a fashion writer/editor for Neiman Marcus, short fiction publications in “North Texas Review,” a self-published novel, band biographies, charter school curriculum and articles for various websites. Damask holds a Master of Arts in English and creative writing from the University of North Texas.