ᐅ Planning a Wooden Fence with Diamond-Shaped Slats Removing Arborvitae Using the Property Efficiently

Hello,
at our house, a fence made of wooden fence panels and thuja trees was installed. Unfortunately, our children have allergic reactions to the thuja trees, and we would like to remove them. The problem is that the spacing of the thuja trees does not match the width of the fence panels. Additionally, the fence is installed about 0.7 m (2 feet 4 inches) away from the property boundary. Between the property boundary and the fence panels, there is a natural stone wall used for height compensation. Please refer to the photos for more details.

We would like to install a continuous wooden fence with rhombus-shaped slats (semi-transparent).

What options do you see for installing the fence to make better use of the property area and what is technically feasible?
For your information, according to the natural stone supplier, privacy fences should not be installed directly on the stones.

AS8Haus schrieb:

The problem here is that the spacing of the thuja trees does not match the spacing of a fence panel.

Hmm... that’s not really a problem once you move away from the DIY store mindset. I’ve done exactly this many times over the years because it’s simple, cheap, flexible, and stylish. I never used the expensive rhombus cladding strips but ordinary roofing battens instead, and overall you can’t see any difference.

For our own new build, we clad it in a similar way with wood, using 24cm (9.5 inches) spruce boards cut at the sawmill in two different widths to create a different look (or you can buy different widths, cut to size yourself, or use uniform widths...).

In your case, from what I can see, you could screw on two of the three crossbeams and then install a vertical battening instead of the thuja trees; you can decorate this higher, lower, wider, narrower, with easily hanging plants or whatever you like depending on your creativity.

I’ve also often seen a simple steel mesh panel placed in front (two overlapping panels depending on the size) and climbing plants growing on that.

All of these options cost little, are easy to make yourself, and don’t look like something from a garden center outdoor section. Just a thought...

AS8Haus schrieb:

we want to remove these.

Very good decision. I find thuja trees visually unappealing (they look like cemetery plants), and they also smell bad (not to mention the soil acidification underneath and the lack of ecological benefits).

AS8Haus schrieb:

for better use of the plot

First of all, what exactly does that mean? What are you planning? I only see lawn but no landscaped garden (no offense intended).

AS8Haus schrieb:

what is technically feasible?

Everything ;-) @Arauki11 has already provided some input on this.
Personally, I wouldn’t fully fence the property. It always feels a bit like a prison yard—especially when there’s otherwise just a smooth green area. Replace thuja with, for example, beech.

nordanney schrieb:

Very good decision. I find thuja trees visually unpleasant (they remind me of cemetery plants) and they also smell bad (not to mention the soil acidification underneath and the ecological impact).

First, what does this actually mean? What are you planning? I only see lawn, but no landscaped garden (no offense intended).

Everything ;-) @Arauki11 has already contributed some thoughts on this. Personally, I wouldn’t fully enclose the area. It always gives a kind of prison yard feeling—especially when everything else is just a smooth green surface. Replace thuja with, for example, beech.

I can only agree with this alternative, as such a long stretch will inevitably look like that. That’s why the idea of planting on steel mesh or restoring the green area in some other way makes sense.

And changing the hedge plant is not an option?

In der Ruine schrieb:

And changing the hedge plant isn’t an option?

That’s what I thought as well. Plant European beech trees, which keep their leaves throughout winter. They provide a completely opaque screen during the growing season and offer good everyday privacy in winter. Additionally, they are attractive and valuable for local wildlife.
The cost mainly depends on how patient you are with their growth. Impatience means buying larger trees, which requires a bigger budget.