How The Property Brothers Elevate An Outdoor Fence For A Better Backyard View

When actress Taraji P. Henson recruited the Property Brothers to overhaul the backyard of a friend, housekeeper, and parental figure Jahel (Season 6, Episode 7 of "Celebrity IOU"), she brought a lot of ideas and requirements to the table. But the HGTV stars themselves added one improvement Henson didn't know to ask for (and most people don't): finishing the inside of the fence so that it's as appealing as the other renovations made to the landscape, seating areas, etc.

Given the cost of building a privacy fence — an average of over $4,000 — it might at first seem absurd to face the "pretty side" of the fence out toward your neighbors. After all, the unfinished side of the fence is decidedly less attractive, if no less useful in terms of privacy. But from another, perfectly reasonable point of view, it's common courtesy. The very attributes of the fence that make it a privacy fence, its height and visual solidity, mean that it has a substantial effect on what your neighbors and others in your community see with even a casual glance in the direction of your property. It is, therefore, the norm to face the finished side out, and in some places it's even required by law. Conventional wisdom also says that you don't want to give potential fence-jumping thieves a foothold on the face of your fence. If, on the other hand, your neighbor has ignored the convention, there are some creative ways to hide your nextdoor neighbor's unattractive fence.

It's actually not altogether uncommon to picket both sides of a privacy fence, but the way it's usually done isn't ideal for creating a pristine oasis for family and friends. You'll see through these fences a bit because the pickets alternate from side to side, creating slivers of a view from neighboring properties. The face of Jahel's fence was already complete, so it would have been unforgivably chintzy to add widely spaced pickets to the inside. A fully double-sided fence is unusual enough that no online cost calculators seem to offer the option, but we can ballpark it based on some common cost breakdowns. At The Home Depot, 1x6-inch 8-foot pickets cost $3.98 each — let's call it $4, or $8 per foot. Basic installation labor tends to cost about half of materials, bringing us to $12 per foot. Add another 10% or so for fasteners and you're just over $13 per foot.

One last consideration for double-sided privacy fences: You don't really have any means of getting between the two faces for weeding or trimming, or even for spraying herbicides or vinegar solution. So it might be wise to lay down a high-quality weed-blocking fabric under the fence to prevent grass and vining weeds from making their way through the fence gaps. Since it will be difficult to replace, choose a heavy duty, UV-resistant landscaping fabric to keep these weeds at bay.