Have you considered a wrought iron fence?

This is a long-term rental, so I'm not going to do anything costly. I can install the cable fence myself for under $200. But I appreciate the suggestion.

Anyone else have an opinion?

I like the look of this type of fence for a contemporary house. I'm not sure how it would fit in with the bungalow style you have plus it will do nothing to screen the "neighbor's technicolor house". How about a low picket fence in front with taller pickets on the side? This kind of fence would be more consistent with the house and be cost effective. BTW won't the home owner pick up the tab for this kind of improvements?

ilikemud, thanks for your response. You're correct, this fence won't screen out the neighbor's house, I intend to use a planting of ostrich fern and possibly italian cypress for that purpose. Sorry, I was merely referencing that I had discussed that problem in my previous post, as a reminder for those who had read it. And I don't expect the homeowner to pick up the tab; this fence is purely ornamental and something I want to do because I think the aesthetic will help the front yard.

But the other issue you raise is the essential reason I posted, the disparity between the style of the house and the fence. The town I live in is a college town, and surprisingly progressive (for Kansas). There is a lot of really neat, eclectic landscaping and design around town. It's not at all unusual to see modern yard sculpture combined with an older, updated bungalow. This house, in fact, has shiny silver galvanized steel siding around the dormers, and the interior is very modern in style. The feel of the house is almost "craftsman meets industrial". I actually quite like the disparity between the bungalow style and the modern touches; I feel like the clean, simle lines of the house lend themselves to a more modern look and feel. So I want to do something non-traditional and interesting for the fence. I just wanted a general opinion, because if it's something that 90% of the public is going to hate, then I may go for a more traditional wire mesh with the wooden posts, instead of the cable.

I agree with Ilikemud about the disparity in styles between the fence and the house. With the additional info in your last posts though, I think painting the posts the same white as the porch columns would help lessen the difference and maybe get the "craftsman meets industrial" look. (To me, the fence posts if unpainted would call too much attention to themselves and detract from plantings and the pretty facade of your home.) It might also be cool to find a way to get the posts to mimic the columns in another way...like make them the same width as the top part of the columns, or taper them at the same angle, or something like that. I guess what I'm saying is that if the posts could be made to look like they "go" with the house, then the cable would look intentionally modern artsy.

..."in your last post" that is
Got carried away with posts :)

Thanks for weighing in, dsb22. I agree about painting the posts, though I worried that white paint with the cable rails might give it a somehow 'marina' type of feel, which is obviously not what I am going for. I like your idea about mimicking the columns. I think that mimicking the shape of them is probably beyond my skills and abilities, but perhaps I could do a cap on top of the post, and paint it the same grey tone as the accents on the columns. I'll have to play with that idea; it might be that adding a cap to the post would avoid that 'marina', beachy feel that I don't want. Thanks!

I wonder if you could string something on those wires? (Warning: whimsical crafter here.)

Not something bead-like: I'm thinking something resembling a flat medallion. Maybe strung on two adjacent wires so it wouldn't flop over.

Probably way too much trouble. You'd have to find something that wouldn't break, and also that wouldn't mind if ice froze inside the holes. Kids would love to fiddle with it.

Another way to do it would be to attach large screw-eyes to something (a board or flat panel of some sort), then thread the screw-eyes though adjacent wires. Highly impractical, I'm sure.

Or before anchoring the wires, you could thread them through PVC conduit. The gray stuff stands up better to UV damage.

Oh, missingtheobvious, if the opportunity ever presents itself for you to move to Lawrence, KS, you should not hesitate. Whimsical crafters abound here, you would fit right in. :) We have abundant local artisans and many yards are filled with interesting and amazing creations. Nothing is too over-the-top here. I have seen fences made of conduit, in fact there is one right across the street, and I think it is a very cool look, too. I worried it would be cost prohibitive, but need to do more research.

In my mind, you really shouldn't even see the cables too much, once the garden is in and established. I plan for it to help support some of the taller plants along the edge of the garden (digitalis, maybe a hydrangea), and for some of the smaller plants to sort of poke in and out of the cables. I think you'll mostly notice the fence posts, and the plants, and then realize that the cables are there. That's my intention, anyway.

I've been meaning to reply to this with a picture of a front fence from my neighborhood that has a similar feel to it. They have a fence that has large, grid panels (not chain link) alternating with panels of corrugated metal. The house is a bungalow and it looks fine. Of course, they have plants all around it which helps it to blend into the yard. And the columns are unpainted.

I think the cable would look fine, especially if you can incorporate some column details like you mentioned with the caps or gray color. I do wonder how much of the top fence rail is structural and what doing without it might do to the fence as a fence.

If you had an opportunity at some point to snap a photo and post, I would really love to see it. It sounds pretty cool. I was googling 'crafsman meets modern' last night, and came across this photo. This is sort of the general "feel" I'm going for, though obviously on a much smaller scale :)

{{gwi:39812}}

As far as the structural need for the top rail, I don't believe it's necessary, based on what I've read. As long as my end posts are at least 4" x 6" and set in concrete, it should be sound. And I really don't even intend to draw the cable as taught as they recommend. It's truly a mostly decorative piece, and won't need to support any great strain or use. The photo I posted is actually of a cable railing on a deck (which is the primary use of these structures, from what I can tell), and so I believe the top rail is there for comfort in leaning on and using the railing going up and down stairs. I have seen some deck railings without a top rail, mostly in situations where the view would be impaired by such. I will make some calls before installing, though, to double check that I'm correct about that. Thanks very much for your thoughts.

How much linear footage are you fencing? We live in an urban area and our front yard is very close to the street like that. I calculated that we would be fencing about 40-50 feet. We are looking to do a white vinyl picket fence (as opposed to wood). Using 8 foot long panels, the cost will be about 200-250 for just the panels (not the posts). You may want to consider that...it seems similar in cost to what you want to do with the cables. Not trying to push you away from the cables idea, but it's an option that is very cost effective.

I think the cables will look nice.

I haven't taken exact measurements just yet, but I would estimate somewhere around the same (40-50 ft), though I haven't decided exactly how far to take the fence on the right side. I hadn't priced vinyl panels, and really wasn't aware they had gotten so cheap. I would be limited, though, to what was available from the big box stores in my area, and I know I am really not into a typical picket or post and rail style, which is all I've seen in stores.

I think so far I am still going to go with the cable, since there hasn't been an overwhelming 'oh that's so ugly!' backlash, with a wire mesh option like this as a fallback:

{{gwi:39813}}

Maybe I should pose the question this way: which style is more appealing, the cable type in the original message, or this wire mesh style?

I like them both. Plantings are going to obscure most of the fencing. The cable fence will be easier to weed thru. When I can't decide, I always go for the least expensive or easiest to install.

Thanks for your feedback, tibs. I totally agree with you re: cost and ease. I think the other positive is that if I install the cable and either hate it, or say down the road she wants to list the house for sale and would prefer a more 'mainstream' look, I can always take the cables down and put the wire mesh up in its place.

Whatever you decide, be sure you have good info on how it will look a few years down the line. Will the wire rust? If so, can it be treated/painted?

And then there's the little-kid aspect: what damage will there be when they climb it? Because they will. [I was a good kid, pretty much, but I had no concept of the fact that the fence that had supported me easily in second grade would not necessarily be immune from damage when I climbed it three years later.]

i would definitely prefer cable. the wire mesh fence reminds me of a fence to keep chickens ina pen lol. i really think the cable will look nice. grow a couple clematis on it and it will look fabos.

missingtheobvious- oh sweet lord, do you think random children from the neighborhood will climb on it? I certainly hope not. Ugh. Perhaps I can find a way to briefly electrify it... Just kidding. Maybe. We don't have kids, or any immediate plans (knocking wood furiously). I know all of the fittings and cable will be rated to hold any potential climbers, unless an NFL linebacker happens by. I suppose a large child could make one of the cables sag; it's a lot more likely that a drunk/altered college kid would sit on a cable and damage it. Hmmm. Things to ponder. All of the hardware and fittings will be made out of marine grade stainless steel, so I shouldn't have to worry about rust.

krycek- you are right, the smaller size and gauge of that wire mesh is what most call chicken wire. I really do prefer the cables myself, although a neighbor has a wood post fence with dark green wire mesh that is actually not bad looking. Hopefully the cable will turn out as fab in real life as it is in my imagination! :)

It should! And if it doesn't, it was only a few hundred dollars, and you can always change it or add some vines to soften the look next year if you decide to do so. Nothing is permanent and like you said, you're not spending a fortune on it. The more I look at the picture of your house, the more I like the idea of the cable fence. Good luck. If you need help landscaping and putting in plants once the fence is up, hop on in here again! I'm sure we all have some opinions on that!

Thanks, krycek! We're moving in a couple of weeks, I'm excited to get started on it. I will post some pics when it's done!

Stephanie07- thanks for your input. You're correct, it don't even match the style of the house. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at in the link you posted.

It sounds like you live in a town that I would LOVE! :) So much character!

I am absolutely crazy about the cable style of fence you posted. My husband and I are both very keen on modern architecture, and hope to one day have a house that reflects this. For now, we have a very traditional Cape Cod. (sigh)

I have to say, as much as I love that style of fencing, I also have reservations about that style of fencing with that particular house. I'm just not sure it's going to look cohesive. I do like the suggestion of matching the posts to the columns. I think if you can do that it would help tie the two together.

connietn- I very much appreciate your input. What originally sparked my idea for this fence was the stainless steel siding that the owner had installed on the dormer in the attic. The unpainted metal is very shiny and industrial looking. She has now also added this siding as deck skirting under the front porch. So that started me thinking along the lines of subtly industrial touches on a classic bungalow; traditional white wooden fence posts, but with a modern stainless steel cable strand between. But, I'm not trying to argue my position, or 'convince' anyone; opinions were what I wanted, and I thank you for taking the time to give yours. :)

You're very welcome! :) I guess I can't see the stainless accents you're talking about in the photo - maybe in person it would make complete sense. I think if you are in love with that style of fence and it will make you happy every time you look at it - go for it!

Here's a closer shot:

{{gwi:38549}}

I think I am enamored enough of the idea to go ahead and give it a try. :) If it looks terrible, I can swap out something else for the cable.

Here's a couple of photos of the fence I mentioned.

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Oh, tanowicki, aren't you a peach!! Thank you so much for the pictures. I do like the fence.

tanowicki's neighbor's fence is intriguing. The feeling from outside-looking-in is certainly very different than it would be if it the entire fence was corrugated panels. Open yet closed. Split personality. Look inside -- stay outside.

I wonder if the feeling is the same from inside the yard.

I'm also intrigued by the vertical corrugations in the fence vs. the horizontal corrugations of the siding ... and their (marriage) in the vertical/horizontal of the wire grid.

Oooo, I love that fence!!