10 ways to improve the privacy of your home

Our homes are our sanctuaries. Every person deserves to feel safe in their home, with their privacy safeguarded. Home privacy is closely connected to home security, meaning that you can improve the latter to improve the former. If your home is not private enough, this can lead to a lot of unnecessary stress and mental fatigue. Luckily there are ways to improve the privacy of your home, so you can feel comfortable while being in it. In this article, we are going to share the top ten from some of the best home security companies, allowing you to make the best decisions on how to make your home as private as it can be.

How to improve the privacy of your home

Depending on the size of your property, you may not be able to include some of the following suggestions. While some solutions might work for both an apartment and a home with a yard, some (like growing a hedge) are literally impossible in an apartment building. With that understood, here are the ways that can help you improve the privacy of your home:

• Install a fence
• Grow a hedge
• Use blinds
• Build a wall
• Utilize tinted windows
• Soundproof
• Introduce security cameras
• Adopt a dog
• Trim the foliage
• Consult professionals

Before we proceed to explain why exactly you might want to utilize any of these solutions, it is important to note that you don’t need to utilize them all. The solution you choose to adopt is highly dependent on your situation. Furthermore, you should always take the unique layout of your property into consideration. The above ways of improving the privacy of your home are simply more universal than others. There are a lot of similar solutions that you can use. Some of them can even be a lot cheaper or easier to set up.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what you can do to improve the privacy of your home, in greater detail.

Installing a fence

The first thing that you might want to do is simply install a fence on your property. Fences can be extremely cheap to acquire, and they will serve their purpose. You will opt for different fence types according to your needs. For example, if you simply need to keep your dog inside the lot, you will not need more than a chain-link bar. But the same bar will not be enough to dissuade any “inquiring minds” from going inside your property. If you are concerned about people walking into your yard, you will want to install metal fences with privacy panels.

A fence is an excellent deterrent for passers-by, but it will not stop burglars or other criminals on its own. If you are concerned about more than just privacy, you will want to augment your home security system further. Also, you might want to consider that if you make your home completely private by utilizing sheet metal fences, you are not going to have much of a view, either. You win some, you lose some, that is how it is.

Growing a hedge

An alternative to fences, albeit potentially a more expensive one, is to grow a hedge. Growing a hedge is a long-term project, though, unless you purchase an already grown one. Most of us will not have the funds to do that, unfortunately. So, growing the hedge on our own is what we need to do.

The plants that you might want to be using need to be of the evergreen variety. The reasoning behind that is that they don’t shed their leaves during the winter, thus decreasing their cover. Even a small hedge can considerably boost the privacy of one’s home, as it can shield the windows and the lawn on itself. And the hedge simply looks much better than any fence.

However, the issue with hedges is that they require far more maintenance than fences do. While you may need to repair your fence from time to time, maintaining a good hedge is a constant process. But if you are one of those people that like working on their hedges, it is a perfect combination of privacy and enjoyment. And did we mention that hedges can look absolutely stunning if maintained with love and care?

Putting up blinds

If your windows are easily seen from the street, then that is a privacy issue. A window works both ways, unfortunately, and if you can look outside, someone can look inside as well. The solution to this privacy issue is to install blinds on your windows. While curtains are also good when it comes to privacy, their security and stuffiness make them an inferior choice. Roll-up blinds, on the other hand, can be configured exactly how you want them to be. When you want complete privacy, simply roll them down.

The better quality blinds you get, the easier it will be to maintain them. If your home has several “risky” windows, you may want to install high-quality blinds on them while installing lower-quality ones on the other windows. That way, you don’t need to overly stress your home improvement budget but still get the work done. Do note, however, that installing very low-quality blinds can be more hassle than it’s worth. While it may save you some money upfront, you will “pay” for them in due time due to malfunctions and required repairs.

Building a wall

Do you want to make your home supremely private? Build a wall around it! While this may sound like “overkill”, it can actually be a very good solution for your privacy issues. A wall is much sturdier than any fence or a hedge, and it can be made to look quite impressive as well. A wall has no openings for prying eyes and it will last much longer than any other privacy solution. Also, walls do not require that much maintenance, you can almost say they are “build and forget”.

Building a wall these days is not as difficult as it might seem. Depending on the internal structure of the wall, one can be built around your property within a day! Of course, if you want a heavy-duty wall, one that can stop a tank in its tracks, that is a somewhat more time (and money) consuming process. Either way, even a simple, not-so-sturdy, wall is excellent for increasing the privacy of your own home. While you may need to provide it with a fresh coat of paint from time to time, it is still a great investment.

Do note that if you are living in an urban area, expect to have your wall introduced to graffiti on a regular basis. This might be very cool to some people, but is a real hindrance for others. Definitely, something to consider before building a wall.

Making use of tinted windows

Sometimes, you need just a bit of added privacy and you may not like the look of blinds on your windows. Or perhaps the windows themselves do not open. Tinting your windows can provide you with an ideal solution to solving your privacy issues, as you can have tints that allow you to see the outside clearly while being all but invisible behind them.

The “problem” with tinted windows is that they almost always require professional assistance. If you are looking to perform DIY improvements, you may need some time to learn how to tint windows properly. But on the bright side, if you learn how to tint your windows, you may offer to install them for your neighbors as well. And that can make you a pretty profit.

Soundproofing

So far, we’ve been discussing what you can do about the visual aspects of your home’s privacy. But what about all the sounds that the people outside can hear? If you are worried about “outsiders” hearing what is going on in your home, you will want to soundproof your walls. Soundproofing your home will also have the added benefit of extra insulation. This can be extremely important if your home is in a region with harsh winters.

Soundproofing can be very expensive, though, and you might want to consider not soundproofing the entire house. To offset this, you will want to soundproof select walls only. Again, similar to tinted windows, this is not something an average person can do on their own. You will need a contractor for this job, especially since there is wall integrity to consider. But before you make a final decision, it is vital that you do enough research on the overall cost of soundproofing.

Security cameras

A security camera is something that every home needs to have. This simple gadget serves both as a deterrent and a recording device. With one installed, you will be able to both identify who is snooping around your property and have proof of them doing so. There are many different varieties of home security cameras, and you will be able to choose the perfect one (or several) for your household. If you want to sacrifice deterrence, you may even want to install a hidden camera or two.

Think about it for a second, snoopers and burglars are much more likely to trespass if they don’t see a camera recording them. But on the other side, perhaps you want to catch these individuals “in the act”. If opting for the latter, a hidden camera is perfect. But if you are looking for deterrence alone, you may also want to add a few written warnings around your property. Most of the time, simply posting warning signs and even a dummy camera is enough to deter most trespassers.

Adopting a dog

Adopting a dog is awesome for so many reasons. But when it comes to privacy, your dog will protect it by barking whenever someone is close. People do not like to be barked at, for one, and the presence of a dog will put fear into most hearts. Your dog does not even be of a “guard dog” variety, it only needs to bark when it senses intruders. For example, even a Yorkshire terrier will deter people from coming closer to your property, regardless of its small size.

Also, we can’t stress how fun and fulfilling is to have a dog. They are not called “Man’s best friend” for no reason, after all.

Trimming the foliage

If your yard has plenty of foliage, this can be a serious privacy issue. Snoopers and neer-do-wells can hide in the foliage and observe what you are doing in the privacy of your own home. Thus, you need to deprive them of these hiding spots. Any overgrown plants need to be trimmed, bushes need to be cut down to size, etc.

In fact, overgrown plants are some of the worst offenders when it comes to providing cover to burglars. Trimming the foliage around your home will dissuade trespassers from trying to sneak in, as they will not have many places to hide.

Consulting the professionals

The fact of the matter is that every household is quite unique. While we can provide you with great ways to improve the privacy of your home, we can’t analyze what is best for your particular household. For that, you may need to enlist professional help. You will want to contact a few home security companies and ask for their “take” on your privacy issues. Most of the time, these services do not cost very much, if at all. The solutions might, but the advice is usually freely given. And if not, it is not very expensive, either.

The best way to improve the privacy of your home is to figure out your specific needs, after all. After that, you can start looking at the most cost-effective solutions. But home privacy is just a part of home security, something that you should take very seriously as well. If you would like to know more about home security and the best home security companies, explore and browse Consumer Opinion Guide. We have articles on almost every aspect of home security. Articles that can provide you with the necessary knowledge to make the best choices.