When you are creating a backyard for yourself, it is very tempting to focus entirely on aesthetics, but it is far more important to focus on safety. Safety in the backyard is particularly important because it is the homeowners’ responsibility to ensure safety and backyard tragedies are all too common.
Safety can be achieved in an aesthetically pleasing manner, however, and herein we consider how to achieve both safety and aesthetics.

Pool Safety

Pool safety is of particular importance because home pool accidents are all too common and can very easily be fatal. Installing a pool fence is important, however, it can blight the aesthetics of a home. Installing a timber picket fence, instead of the common metal railings, can make a big difference to the look of the area and this can provide a positive solution. Ensuring that children cannot accidentally fall into the pool is essential and is required by law, along with the installation of a sign explaining how to provide CPR. These eyesores are unavoidable, but installing a more attractive form of fencing will help significantly.

Water Features

Water features are another possible danger in the garden. It only takes a small amount of water for a person to drown. A pond or even a fountain can create a significant safety risk for children. A good solution to this problem is to create a stepped area in which to place the water feature. This will prevent children from approaching it and raise the feature to a more prominent position. A raised water feature will be more aesthetically pleasing, as well as far safer.

General Security

To create a truly rural look, it is often nice idea to surround your property with hedgerows, but unfortunately this decreases the security and safety of your home. It is easy to force a way through a hedgerow, but this is not true of fencing. Bordering your garden with fencing is a good way to ensure the best security that you could hope for. For the best aesthetics you can then plant hedging within the fencing so that the vista from your home is one of leaves and branches.

Lighting

Lighting is one factor that will improve both aesthetics and safety. At night, it is not as easy to enjoy your backyard as it is during the daylight hours. Installing lights will remedy that. Solar lights are a great option for this purpose, as they will not increase your energy bills. You will benefit from increased security and safety by opting to install lighting in your garden because there will be fewer places where to hide and more light will prevent you from tripping over.

Safety vs Aesthetics

Safety vs aesthetics is a decision often faced when designing a backyard. With some forethought and some careful execution, it is possible to create a safe place that remains a beautiful environment. Remember that some safety measures are required by law, otherwise you could face criminal charges as well as great upset in the event of a tragedy.