I’m looking for ways to increase security for our backyard, which is about 1/3 acre and surrounded by a 6 ft wooden fence. The issue is that behind our fence, there’s a home with a driveway that connects to a major road, making it easy for someone to access our yard from that direction. It’s a bit unsettling since our house otherwise feels secure, nestled in a quiet suburban area. My adult daughter lives in a studio in the backyard, so I’m especially concerned about this vulnerable spot.
We’ve already installed motion lights and are adding a Ring camera, but I’m interested in a physical barrier or an alarm that would make noise if someone tries to jump the fence. I can’t use razor wire due to local codes, and I don’t want to cause any issues with our back neighbor. I’m thinking about adding something to the fence that makes it difficult to climb over—maybe something legal but spikey on our side?
Does anyone have suggestions for fence enhancements that would deter potential intruders? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Place small or medium planter boxes on the inside of the fence, close to the top. Fill them with different types of yucca and cactus plants, making sure the tops of the plants just peek over the fence.
This creates a nice-looking fence line if done right, but if anyone tries to climb over, they’ll get a big surprise.
This worked great for me in Arizona for several years. In the first year, someone tried to hop my fence twice, but word quickly spread that it was a bad idea.
If you enjoy gardening or know someone who does, you can also add larger planting beds at the base of the fence with plants that aren’t very welcoming.
Bonus tip: If you’re really worried, you can also run a string of electric fence on small posts inside the planter box. Just make sure it doesn’t touch the wood or plants. With these two measures, nobody in their right mind would try to jump the fence a second time.
Break beam motion detectors might be a good option if you want to get alerts for any activity in your yard. The ones I install are solar-powered, so they’re easy to set up and don’t require any wiring.
Anti-climb paint on the top of the fence is an effective way to deter trespassers. Adding a sign at the top of the fence to warn about the paint is a considerate touch.
Ordinances and laws can limit your options for preventing people from jumping your fence. However, you can enhance your security by installing cameras with AI that can detect and notify you of human activity. You might also want to consider Guardline driveway alarms. These can be positioned at a height where your dogs won’t trigger them, but a person will. Plus, you can set each alarm to a different sound, so you’ll know exactly which one was activated.