Forum Archive

I am going into contract on a lovely brownstone, but one of the main drawbacks is that the rear garden (approx 20×40)opens on to a small parking lot (60×100, 3 house lots) on the next block. So there is a line of sight to the next street over, and it takes away from any sense of privacy in the backyard. The lots are separated by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. I’m not worried about security so much as privacy and aesthetics.
I was thinking an 8-foot wooden stockade fence would do a good job of shutting out the outside world. Has anyone tried a fence that high in a brownstone yard? Will it feel too boxy and claustrophobic? My idea was to plant ivy on it and get a wall of green eventually. Any advice or suggestions would be welcome.