Add Privacy To Your Front Yard With A Unique Idea From HGTV's Jasmine Roth

Many designs to do with privacy are made for the backyard, and close off your space. Privacy for your front yard can be a bit of a tougher solution as you don't necessarily want to permanently enclose this part of your property from the rest of the world. Instead of having to choose between an always open or a closed-off front yard, you can potentially get the best of both worlds thanks to an idea from HGTV's Jasmine Roth: Her design allows you to create a partial privacy fence that blocks off nosy neighbors when you need it, then opens up for a broader view.

Though it looks rather elegant, it is pretty simple. All you have to do is build a slatted fence and gate. First, you'll need some boards and posts. You can go with wood, metal, composite, or PVC, depending on the look and benefits you want. 

While Roth didn't share her exact plans for building the partial fence, this isn't a major issue. Essentially, it is just a fence to add privacy to your patio, but with a large gate. The first step is to install the posts. Once they are in place, you can nail or screw in the wooden boards horizontally. For the gate, you'll attach it to the posts with hinges so it will swing open and closed as needed. That's pretty much it. If the spaces between your posts are far apart, you can add a vertical beam in the middle to add a little extra support, but this is not always necessary.

Most fences are made to enclose a space, which means they usually block the whole yard. However, since the front is typically the area where you welcome people, this fencing is meant to be almost more like a privacy screen you can open and close. It's similar to the renter-friendly solution for adding privacy to your balcony or patio, but on a larger and more permanent scale. While you could certainly close it off entirely, it isn't necessary — you can just use it to hide the specific area of the front yard where you'd like a little privacy, such as an outdoor seating space.

While Roth uses light wood and horizontal boards, you don't have to follow the same guidelines. Paint it bright colors, change up the direction, use different materials, or add a fun design. If you want it to blend into your front yard better, you can paint it the same color as your house. Or, if you just don't like the thought of a fence, you can incorporate some of the simple tricks and ideas that add more privacy to your backyard into the front of your house.

Fences look complicated, but they are really an easy project to do (at least on the more technical side), though digging holes for posts isn't always fun. Just make sure is level and even. Double-checking can be a little tiresome and time-consuming, but it does make a fence look more professional.