What other thread sorry?

Which side is parking for your house, left or right when facing the porch? I see driveways both sides?

A short evergreen hedge where the chain link is would go a long way in creating a feeling of privacy for the house. It doesn't even need to be tall. A small ornamental tree in the lawn on the right mudroom door? side would screen that side of the house from passing activity. Unless there is something ugly across the alley, remove the tall things right in front of the porch. That should be the only fully open view in and out.

Hopefully the alley is low traffic.

Sorry, parking for the house is on the right side. The alley is fairly low traffic, luckily most of the alley is just garages. Nothing ugly across, just a double car garage and fences, it is kept clean.

A non chain link fence if you really need a fence. Fresh paint on the exterior.

I think I would spend my money on improving the home first.

Hi All,

I would just like to say my real issue is tenant privacy here.

The house will be going under full renovations but that is all covered between myself and my contractor.

The issue I’m trying to source crowd ideas is specifically regarding the curb appeal and thought that this is a place you’d feel safe. It has been the sticking point I’ve heard from past tenants and as a new owner would like to address that.

Inside is being gutted and the outside will be undergoing repairs and a fresh coat of paint (or a few lol).

Curtains?

The curb appeal issue is primarily about the fact that there is a chain link fence and a few ill placed random bushes and nothing else. It needs a decent landscape for curb appeal.

The privacy issue can only be properly addressed when the specific sight lines a tenant may stress over when in the house are identified.

You say parking is on the right. Where is the access and walk to the main entry people will use? What about the left side of the house. How exposed is that?

You can give the house a sense of privacy and enclosure with landscaping without walling the whole thing off and leaving the front porch open. Additional privacy for the front porch can be accomplished by other means. Like curtains.

When do the tenants feel unsafe? Entering the home with their backs to people in the alley? Bright porch lights might help. Sitting on their porch? Maybe the problem is the neighborhood. Walking around the fence to get to the door? New gate. People in the alley seeing in the house? Lace curtains.

The good news is that anyone trying to break into the house is highly visible. As the landlord, you can also better keep an eye on it. When I was young and renting, I did not care about exterior privacy. I was actually happy to have an open, well lit exterior for the nights (ahem early mornings) I returned late! 🍻

Top down/bottom up cellular shades would cover the bottom of the windows but enable you to keep the top half open for light.

I would vote no on a privacy fence. It would feel too closed in. A nice picket fence gives a feeling of protection but openness.

This is the left side of the house that shows the neighbours parking area.

This is the front of the house

I'm not clear on if the privacy issue has to do with just the porch, or view into the house from the front window, or the side entrance also.

Consider partially latticing in the porch and plant a vine to climb up it - native honeysuckle (NOT the invasive japanese honeysuckle vine) is partially evergreen.

The side and yard can be screened with some native shrubs or dwarf conifers along the rest of the fence, interspersed with some pretty, low growing perennials. Choose some low perennials to plant along the porch as well, to tie it all together.

It looks like your parking has a garage in the back. Do tenants enter in the back of the house mainly? That solves a front walk issue.

This is a rental unit. The solution needs to be no maintenance. A short evergreen hedge across the front where the chain link is and two strategically placed small ornamental trees or large flowering shrubs on either side would make for plenty privacy. Leave the front porch open to the alley and get rid of whatever is in front of it now.

I'll just go ahead and suggest a smaller selection of yew for the hedge. The pictures say big shade and zone 7 or lower. Exactly where this is located matters. Now pick two trees. Dogwood?

The tenants use the front door the most, the garage is actually the neighbours! To be completely honest it is actually just off one of the nicest streets in our city, it is the only house that faces the alley, but the address is still the nice main street. Our city is old so this all used to be the old downtown area, cobblestone and carriage houses. I would say a B+ area, but B house currently (B may be pushing it, C house lol).

Get busy than and make it a solid B+.

So is the goal to create privacy for tenants as they enter the home or as they are sitting inside?

a tall fence will feel too closed in, like you say. I personally love to sit on a porch and have something to look at, even if it's only the house across the way. that said, a nicer fence would be welcome there -- but keep it short.

for the living / dining rooms, provide something like cafe curtains with blinds. it makes it easy to let light in and see out. but it will be difficult to see in from the street due to the fact that passers by will be a lower angle.

also remember that it's much harder to see in during the daytime and at night they can just fully close the blinds or shades.

like this, but with white fabric, not plaid:

normally I'd suggest top-down/bottom-up shades, but they're easily broken and probably not a good idea for a rental.