Sure, wooden fences can add bucolic charm and rustic appeal to your yard; but they are so much more than that. The wooden fence has seen a resurgence in recent years.
In suburban backyards and down country back roads, wooden fences can be seen separating property lines, penning in livestock, garden fencing, and serving as a decorative way to partition land. Aside from the typical average wood fences, there are thousands of wood fence ideas out there.
And I know what you’re thinking, “Wooden fences? Boring!”. But more and more, people have been innovating and experimenting with the wooden fence, transforming it from the bland and standardized cookie-cutter fences of the past, to more modern interpretations and creative expressions of individuality.
Even the materials have changed. When it comes to wood, all are not created equal. From aged and weathered barn-wood to beetle kill and reclaimed snow fences, there are countless ways to incorporate style and creativity into your wooden fence. Whether it be with materials, styles, or design, there are so many ways to truly make your fence design your very own.
Some use wood fencing for utilitarian purposes, while others view them as more aesthetic, complementing their yards and adding a look and feel that can’t be replicated with a metal or chain-link fence. Be it a plastic faux-wood fence or wooden agricultural fencing, the use of wood is a great way to enhance and partition yards of all sizes.
While some wooden fences use an offset post design to give partial visibility, others utilize contiguous boards and tall heights to maximize privacy and increase security. Some need to be long, and therefore lean towards efficiency in both material construction and design. Other wooden fences are built to withstand the tests of time, and are built with longevity and resilience as the top priority.
As you can see, there are many options and directions you can go with a wooden fence. All these options can seem quite overwhelming at first!
So it is a great idea to first slow down and think about what are your personal goals with a fence. What is your budget? What is the overall style of for your outdoor space? What functionality do you want from your fence? From there, you can hopefully match your personal tastes with one of the options in this article, and pick the type of fencing that is best for you.
You can always hire someone to construct a fence for you, but wooden fences are surprisingly easy to build yourself. Below are some creative ideas we were able to come up with for backyard wooden fences. Some of them might be out of your price range and some might be too difficult for your skill level. However, we hope that at the very least, these ideas will spur your imagination and get your creative juices flowing. For every outdoor space is different, and so is every person’s idea of beauty. So without further ado, let’s get to it with twenty ideas for wooden fences!
Table of Contents
Best Wood Fence Ideas For Your Front Or Back Yard
White Picket Fence
A lush green lawn surrounded by the classic white picket fence was the dream of every baby boomer. Today, white picket fences are nostalgic throwbacks to these glory days. If you have an older house or homestead, a short white fence can add a great deal of appeal, tying together the overall theme of the house and bringing it back to its historical roots.
A truly classic style of fence that would be a beautiful addition to your front or back yard if you’re looking for that old school appeal, combined with a touch of modern nostalgic trends.
Colored Picket Fence
Of course, if you are looking for that picket fence nostalgia, but don’t want to go fully traditional, you can always add your own flair by adding whichever color you want. Red or black always stands out, but the options are endless.
A picket fence is a timeless design, but if you don’t feel like fully embracing the trends of decades past, add some color and see how much that updates your look. Coloring a fence is always an excellent way to breathe new life into your landscape design without having to start over!
Bamboo Fence
Add a tropical and exotic look to your yard with a bamboo fence. Bamboo will transform your space into a tiki island bungalow, the perfect retreat after a long hard day. Depending on where you’re from, bamboo might be hard to come by. It’s also not the best in colder climates, as it tends to crack in low temperatures. Nonetheless, incorporating bamboo into your yard design can give it an oriental flair, and is a great choice for your outdoor area!
Gaped Lattice Fence With Cross Top Section
Wooden fences allow for endless creative designs. The fence featured above uses a spaced lattice design to allow for visibility and airflow. On the top, the fence is distinguished with a hashed cross section. The designs you can create are only limited by your imagination. Squares, circles, triangles, if you can dream it up, you can construct it out of wood.
While not the best idea if you are looking for a wooden privacy fence, it could be the perfect fence to add some style and some air flow to your outdoor space!
Beetle Kill Pine
The pine beetle is a scourge that has plagued the forests of the midwest for decades. However, even the worst of situations exemplify the duality of life, the dark and the light, the yin and the yang. Pine beetles have ravaged thousands of acres of trees, causing wildfires, reducing animal habitats, and wreaking havoc on ecosystems.
However, the dead wood left behind from the beatles features unique blue hues and a distinctive look that can’t be found elsewhere.
Farmers, ranchers, and landowners through America have started utilizing the beetle kill wood. It may not be as structurally sound as other types of wood, but it’s aesthetic qualities make it perfect for fences, exterior siding, and facia. Talk about making the best of a bad situation, beetle kill wood is a great solution for a fence image that is truly unique.
Classic Parallel Beams
This classic fence design is used worldwide to mark boundaries and corral larger animals. It’s countryside appeal is perfect for cabins and mountain homes, but it also proves useful on ranches and farms to keep domesticated animals from wandering away. Its main appeal is that it is quite fast to build, and can cover a lot of ground quickly. This is a great fence design if your main goal is to fence in a large area.
Wooden Log Enforced Fence
The natural look and strength of this and similar wooden log designs gives a wild appearance. It can be strictly for looks, used to mark property lines, or even backed with steel mesh or chicken wire to keep people or animals in and out.
The above fence designed is used at a zoo, bringing wilderness to the fore and keeping the animals safely within its confines.
A very practical fence design to enclose a large space, but probably not what you are looking for that stylish backyard design!
Up Down Offset Lattice
This funky design can be done with any vertical post fence. Simply alter the lengths to make every other post longer than the ones surrounding it. This has little practical functionality, but will make your fence unique and set it apart from the boring straight-topped fences. This is an example of how one small, simple change can make a big difference in your overall landscape design!
Checkered Lattice
The crossed hash design of checkered fences is great for gardens and interior fences. They provide little in terms of privacy or wind protection, but they are great to hang things off of — especially pots and plants! This is a great starter point for spicing up your outdoor space with hanging plants, objects, or whatever you can think of.
Wood Bush Fusion
This high picket fence with a bushy base is a unique spin that combines natural plant partitions with the wooden fence. Hedges such as Buxus, Lilly Pilly, Murraya, Photinia and Viburnum are common throughout the lower 48. And when you augment them with a wooden substructure, the possibilities are virtually endless!
Steak Post Garden Fence
The steak post wooden fence design is neither practical nor functional. Some may not even consider it a fence at all. However, it does a great job at marking land and, if spaced close enough, the posts can keep people, animals, or vehicles from crossing certain areas. This is a great example of how fences are not just for keeping things out, they can be a crucial part of the design of your yard as well!
Colorful Paint Job fence
Any boring fence can be transformed into a colorful masterpiece. While stains and lacquers are more common for weatherization purposes, paints can add (or detract in some cases) a lot of value to your fence. Match the siding of your house or go all out with a technicolor rainbow design, just make sure to use appropriate paint that is rated for outdoor use.
With paint, it is possible to transform any fence into something that is your own creation. Fencing design is all about creative and unique ideas, and colors add a whole new element to that.
Black Wooden Fence
Along the same lines as a colored fence, or perhaps along opposite lines? No matter how you look at it, an all-black fence can be a way to add a modern twist to your outdoor area. It is a clean, minimal style that is sure to draw attention, while simultaneously fitting right in with most styles of garden.
A black fence may sound imposing and cold, but it can also be simple, elegant, and neutral. It is an adaptable style, and an easy way to make your fence stand out. And another bonus is that, unlike a colorful fence, you only need to buy one color of paint!
Basket Weave Fence
A complicated, interesting type of fence, but we think the results are more than worth it. The basket weave fence features planks that “weave” around fence boards, essentially looking like the outside of a woven basket.
This is a cool way to take advantage of wood’s flexibility and add a design to your yard that really stands out. The curves make the fence very appealing, and people will marvel at your craftsmanship. Of course, you can always hire a carpenter to build it for you, but no one needs to know that.
Brick Column Fence
Wooden fences can be augmented with the use of stone or brick posts/columns. The juxtaposition of materials can bring out the respective features of both, and the contrasts will definitely add value if done correctly.
Once you start combining materials, the possibilities really start to open up for any sort of fencing design. Wood and stone go together very well, both visually and for functionality. If privacy fencing is your goal, this might be the perfect option.
Vine Fence
A fence with climbing vines can be a great idea to add some greenery to your yard. Try adding some vines to your fence so you are surrounded by greenery in your own space. Vines can grow on many types of fences, and an experienced gardener can grow them to cover almost the entire fence over time.
Many types of vines are up for the job, and it will ultimately come down to what you think looks best. Check out vines such as Morning Glory, Clematis Vines, Climbing Hydrangea, and much more! If you aren’t an experienced gardener, you can always consult an expert at a garden center for more info.
Plastic Faux-Wood fence
New-age plastics like high density polyethylene have found acceptance among many contractors and homeowners. It can be molded to look just like wood, and because it is plastic, it lasts a long time and won’t fade, rot, or deteriorate in the rain, snow, or sun. So while technically not a wooden fence, it allows you to maintain that wooden fence feel while working with a material that is much easier to maintain and is longer lasting.
Tree Branch and Thatch
This thatched tree branch design looks like it came straight out of the jungle. Its tribal look is loved by many, but some find it amateur or uncouth. Yes it does slightly resemble something a child would make around their treehouse, but if undertaken with care and precision, the tree branch fence can make a yard really pop!
Definitely one of the more unique fencing types, but depending on the style of your outdoor area, it may be the perfect choice to stand out.
Slanting Beam Wood Fence
Changing the orientation of your wooden fence poles is a great way to set it apart and make it unique. This is an example of how a small change in construction can make all the difference in the look and feel of the design. The slanted poles are not only functional and attractive, but they also make the construction process of this fence quite a bit easier, as fewer cuts have to be made.
Wood Wall
Have a Houdini dog or want to protect your property from strong winds? Building a high and thick wooden fence like this will block even the strongest of gales, and keep your pup from escaping no matter how athletic it is. This is also the ultimate wooden privacy fence.
Refurbished Pallet Fence
The refurbished pallet fence design expresses the increasingly popular movement to reduce, reuse, and recycle. More and more, people are finding creative new uses for what was previously considered trash. Go behind any hardware store or big-box chain and you’ll likely find pallets waiting to be hauled away to the local landfill. So not only are wooden pallets a unique look for your outdoor area, they might just be the most affordable option out there if you are lucky enough to find some (free materials!).
Scoop some up and make a pallet fence of your own!
Decorative Wood Fences
If you already have a wooden fence and want to add your own special touche, there are countless ways to decorate and spice up an otherwise average looking fence. This is a great option for those who want to add a touch of their own style and design, without having to tear down and build a whole new fence.
Boot Fence
The boot ornaments are unique and strange enough to make this list. Not sure how well they would stand up to the weather, but they sure are funky and fun. Definitely one of the more unique fencing designs on this list, but sometimes design is all about being bold. Perhaps the boots could be filled with soil and planted with flowers. Let your imagination run wild!
Mug Fence
Perfect for any potter or coffee lover, the mug fence design is artsy and just a tad hipster. Like the aforementioned boot-fence design, it’s a bit out there and definitely not for everyone. But for those eccentric few, it’s a great way to express individuality and a carefree nonchalance. The mugs can be replaced with anything too; pots, cups, vases, anything goes with this wild fence design.
White Picket with Scarf Fence
Keeping with the whacky theme of decorative wooden fence designs, these scarf decorations are out there. More artistic than anything else, the artist who conceptualized the scarf decorations is likely trying to make a statement. What this statement is exactly is anyone’s guess, but sometimes design is about asking the bold questions.
Bonus Fence Design
Ornate wooden fence
Wood Carvings and ornate designs are something unique to wood fences. While you can weld or grind metal fences and mold plastic fences, wood fence carvings are particularly artisan, requiring dozens if not hundreds of hours to complete.
If you are truly looking for the most complex, time consuming, and probably the most expensive fence design, this is probably what you are looking for. But as with anything of that nature, the rewards might just match the effort that is required. So if you are looking for the most impressive wooden fence out there, you just have to find an artisan who is capable of such a feat.
Our hats go off to the designer of this fence. Bravo.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it, twenty wood fence ideas to spark your imagination and get you in the mood to create your own wooden fence. Hopefully you feel inspired and invigorated, because there’s nothing stopping you from designing, crafting, and building a wooden fence in your own yard today.
We hope this article has inspired you with all the ideas for wooden fences and different designs available. As with any design decision though, the first step in the process is identifying your needs and your budget. So think about what type of design or style you are going for, and try to match it with a fence option that best suits these preferences.
If you are really struggling to decide, the option to hire someone who specializes in landscape design and carpentry is always there. Of course this is the more expensive option, but it may help alleviate some of the stresses if you are truly overwhelmed in trying to make your outdoor space represents who you are.
So get after it, create your heart out, and make something that you’re proud to put up for all to see!
Looking for more yard design ideas? Check out these walkway ideas, and tire planter ideas.
