Opinion piece: What fence is for.

Longtime Fence Wizard readers know that there is no such thing as opinion; it either is or it is not. The Fence Wizard will make such determinations on his schedule and with complete infallibility. So here is a short list for some newcomers about the pure essence of fence and what it is truly for.

Fence is for the demarcation of private private; private property being the cornerstone of a capitalist system which sits squarely upon the concept of private ownership, the ability to obtain credit, and the accumulation of wealth. The wizard determines these truths to be positive concepts that combine the fabric of an exceptional nation not unlike a perfect splice of chain link.

Fence is not for the unnecessary wholesale destruction of limited forest resources (i.e. cheap wood fencing)

Fence is for the protection of property enhancement, personal safety, and national security.

Fencing for private property should always compliment the prime features: house, pool, landscape. It should not dominate and seek attention; if it does - your priorities are backwards. (The Wizard does allow for individual liberty to do otherwise; just know that you are wrong).

Here is a great example of "Fence is not":


A non wizard described the above failure as:
"The Playground Fence by Tejo Remy is a translation of what is normally a mundane object - by manipulating the fence he reprograms it, creating seats and play areas. What is normally built as a barrier or a separator becomes an area for connecting and hanging out. Beautiful idea!"

Wrong. The fence is a clear trip hazard guaranteed to create liability for whatever public entity paid for its installation (meaning tax payers on the hook as always). It begs for children to climb it and play on it - the opposite of what a fence should be. Fencing by rule should improve safety for the property owner and be glamorous only in its ability to blend inconspicuously with the landscape. A Wizard Eye also catches the failure to match picket height from the modified "art" fence to the existing fence. Enough said.