fences part two

So here is what we(probably mostly me) had been thinking.  Obviously, the old fence was pretty bad, off the shelf Home Depot variety, and wasn't holding up very well.  Not only that, but it cut the only chance for a decent yard for us and any future kids happiness in half. We wanted a modern fence but nothing too pretentious or out of place.  Here is a short list of all the contenders that we contemplated.

OK, so this one isn't exactly what anybody had in mind, but if you notice we do have this same patterned concrete block in the back of the house.  Why not carry it on out to the front?  Well, we shot this idea down instantly once we found out that code dictates a permit to lay a concrete foundation for walls.  This was just not a fun prospect since neither of us really wants to learn about permits at this point.

So these three are all awesome. Simple wood choices and some cool designs.  First one was a bit problematic since there was no airiness between the inside and the outside.  We thought since the fence would be almost to the street, it should be airier.  The second one above was just to flimsy looking and the last one was very awesome, but pretty expensive if you looked to price that sucker out.  The more boards you get, the more money, so.....thicker boards are definitely the direction to go.

So these two are our (my) top two choices.  The first one is from design blogger The Brick House's own home and it is pretty much to die for.  Especially the way she carried the fence over and made it a feature on the front porch.  Also love the richness of the wood. Again, it is a bit too closed off, but again they have plenty of a front yard that makes it not seem so severe.

The second fence is a bit closer to home in Leshi, a neighborhood in Seattle. It takes into account hills, which we have plenty of in Seattle, including a slight grade in our own yard.  I reallylike the openness and if you notice there is a second series of slats inside that aide to more privacy without it seeming closed off. Since that would double the amount of wood needed, we definitely would not do this right away.  We could always add that at a later time.

So after looking at all of those, and pics of our house, what do you think would work well?  Let me know your thoughts.  Also, thanks to Hillary, Casey and Quinn for helping out with some ideas at work!! Thanks guys,