Aesthetics aside, picket fences also don't provide much privacy. If your tastes and your home's architectural style leans sleek, then you need a modern fence installed.

Luckily, there are lots of cheap fence ideas that still look great. To determine the right kind of fence for you, think about your priorities. If durability matters the most, metal is the best option.

The look’s persistence amuses suburbia scholar Jeff Hardwick, who sees the modern picket fence as an echo of an echo. “Everything winds up looking like a suburb that hasn’t existed in 70 or ...

And in some neighborhoods fences must also conform with the ones around them. In other words, if your neighbors already have a picket fence, chances are you'll have to abandon those split-rail dreams.

If you're looking for that white picket fence type of vibe for your next home, these Delaware places rank as top spots in the U.S. to find that.