Why do yards in the USA have wired fencing rather than wooden, private fence panels?

33 comments

1. Wow, I must not live in the US. I’m looking at a wooden privacy fence right now. Did I get transported to Euroland?

2. Do you mean chain link fences? Some places have those and some places have wooden fences too.

3. It’s not meant for privacy. It’s meant to keep pets and children confined and provide a physical barrier, while maintaining an aesthetic of the environment being less disrupted.

   We also do 6’ wooden or vinyl privacy fences. All types are available and abundant.

4. Chain link fences are less expensive, more durable, and easier to build to wooden plank fences. If you are building it for non-privacy reasons (keep kids/animals in or out, for example), it makes plenty of sense.

5. It’s not meant to be private. It’s meant to keep pests and varmint out of your yard. Why get stressed out over it? Not your yard or problem

6. Not everyone cares about privacy. Some people just want a fence to keep kids/pets in their yard.

   Plenty of people do have wooden fences for privacy, I have one for example.

7. In many places there isn’t that much traffic to feel exposed while out front.

   And we’ll also have backyards which are usually more private, they cannot be seen from the road.

8. No fences in my neighborhood. Fences are the worst.

9. We have both but the chain link is both cheap and lasts a very long time with no care needed.

   You can also see out.

   It’s just to keep thing out or in… not about privacy.

10. Why does this stress you out, seems an odd thing to obsess over… plus, we do have wooden, wrought iron, and pvc fences as well…

    Chain link was common in the 60s and 70s… but they aren’t for privacy, they are to keeps pets in, and set a boundary to keep people out etc.

11. Someone just asked why Americans don’t have any fences….which is it? What do you want from us? We have 300+ million people you can find almost any type of wall/fence/privacy screen here.

12. * **Title**: we do have wooden and plastic privacy fences, but they fill a different niche than chain link fencing
    * **A**: it doesn’t look very private because privacy was not the goal
    * **B**: it looks like a dog kennel because it often effectively is

    Also, why does seeing someone’s yard in another country stress you out?

13. This cannot be serious.

    We do have privacy fences, no they’re not the norm.

    We don’t really need them. That’s why we don’t have them.

    My parents owned their house for 35 years. I think we had a single trespasser in that time. She was 10. She came to say hi.

14. We’re not British and super anal about privacy and people being nosey like y’all are.

    We usually have enough space to not particularly care about it.

15. My back yard has wood fences and so does that of the house I grew up in.

16. I’m sitting in a wooden fence right now lol

17. My neighborhood contains almost every type of fence. Chain link, cable barrier on steel posts, white pickets, high wood privacy fences of many styles, wrought iron, hedges, etc. They serve different purposes and aesthetics.

    If someone has put up a wire fence that looks like a dog kennel, it’s quite likely literally for that purpose, to let the dogs run around outside without escaping. Also possibly young children. It’s one of the lowest cost fencing options, so if you just need the function of containment (or exclusion of other animals) and don’t care about privacy or having a different look, it’s a logical choice.

18. You might note that American yards are generally more spacious than European yards, so if everyone is out in their back yard, it doesn’t feel as if you’re elbow-to-elbow.

    I’m not claustrophobic, but like being able to see further and would like it if I could use chain-link, but my HOA would forbid it. When I was a kid, pretty much everyone’s back yard was fenced in by chain link.

19. Different fences serve different functions. In your country, wherever that may be, is there only one kind of fencing?

20. I have both.

    I don’t need the wooden fence as I live on a big piece of land and can’t see my neighbors.

21. In my area there are few to no chain link fences. In my town you’re actually not even allowed to have a chain link fence in the front yard. You can have wood, vinyl, wrought iron (or a modern imitation of it), stone, or some combination of those.

22. I don’t think I’ve seen a chain link fence outside the city except around a high school sports field or some sort of industrial park. No one in my area has a fence unless it’s a wooden fence to keep livestock contained.

23. Because those fences are usually to keep pets in the yard.

24. Sitting here, looking at my wooden privacy fence surrounding my patio and all my neighbors’ patios ಠ~ಠ

25. Why do you think there’s only one choice for fencing in the US? Different types of fencing can be used for different purposes, or different preferences.

26. Depends on the area, I suppose. All fences in my area are wood or wrought iron, and many houses have no fences at all in the front yard.

27. Imagine getting stressed by this

28. Here, I’ll help: tv isn’t real life

29. Not all of us need privacy from fences. Some of us wish to keep things in rather than out.

30. Lol why would it stress you out? It doesn’t effect you at all.

31. They’re cheaper and last longer.

32. Here’s my backyard. https://imgur.com/gallery/xHHg6YL

33. We have a split-rail fence to keep the dogs in. No one can see into our backyard without trespassing anyway