Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

3 Things To Consider When Choosing Fencing That Is Safe For Your Children

10 March 2015

Hugh Bryant

Trying to figure out what type of fencing to install in your backyard can sometimes be tough, especially if you have children to think about. You want the fencing to be safe for your children, as well as effective for whatever purposes you may need it for. Here are three things that you should consider when choosing fencing that is safe for your children.

Can Strangers See Through The Fence?

When your children are playing outside, you don't want to have to worry about whether or not strangers can see into your backyard. For this reason, it is often wise to get a fence that is solid all of the way around. Wood fences with planks that are placed right next to each other can create a secure fence, as can any a solid vinyl fence. Even a chain link fence that has some type of covering placed on the outside of it can work, but it may not be quite as effective.

Are The Locks Out Of Your Children's Reach?

Since most fences need to have some sort of an exit, a gate is generally installed with a lock. Sometimes this lock will come with an actual key lock, but most of the time it is a latch style lock. If this is the case, it is important to make sure this latch is out of your children's reach. When you have the fence initially installed, you can have these locks placed extra high on your gates. Or if you want to avoid the worry of your children breaking out of the gate out all together, you can simply have a different style of key lock or combination lock installed. 

Could The Fence Potentially Harm Them?

Some fences are a bit more unsafe than others when it comes to the harm that the fence itself could potentially cause your child. Chain link fences have sharp areas on the bottom of and sometimes top of the fence that could scratch or poke your child. So if you choose to get a fence of this kind, be sure to cover these areas. Also wood fences often have a lot of splinters in them, if the wood is unfinished. To resolve this issue, you will need to make sure that the wood is finished or painted initially, and then redo it whenever you notice that this wood is beginning to splinter. Talk to a professional like Allied Fence of Tampa Bay for more information.

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