Are you attempting to sell a home, or are you currently living in a home that is lacking yard privacy? A more private yard, whether it be by obscuring the view of the neighbors or by reducing noise from nearby traffic, can be a huge selling point for a house on the market and a great source of peace for homeowners.

Making improvements to your home to increase privacy is a no-brainer for making your place more enjoyable and peaceful--but especially if you are trying to sell or add value to your home, the ideas below are well worth the investment.

When it comes to ideas, we found some great ones at ThisOldHouse.com. Here are a few of our favorites and you can click at the end of this post for the related article.

Our Favorite 5 Ways to Add Privacy to Your Yard

1. Fencing. This is a pretty obvious one, but still a great idea. Not only will a fence reduce the view of neighbors or traffic, but tall and more solid "walls" of fencing will also reduce noise. To soften the look, This Old House suggests planting shrubs or flowers in front of the fence or choosing a fence like the one on the right, which has decorative lattice at the top for more visual interest.
2. Privacy Planting. For those who want to go with something a bit more "green," why not create a "fence of plants?" I feel like privet hedges are kind of old school, but in a good way. A hedge will add some good old fashioned charm to the yard, and once again, obscure any undesirable views.
3. Fountains. Fountains mask noise. I don't know how many times I've said myself, that if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine that the traffic noise around my home is a rushing river instead. So why not embrace that! Drown out the noise of that "river" with actual running water. There are so many different fountains available these days, that I could write a whole post on the different looks and sounds you can create with them. So explore the options and make a plan for some instant tranquility.
4. Out of sight really is out of mind. Here's a very interesting concept from another article I saw on ThisOldHouse.com. Apparently there is actually something called  "psycho acoustics." See, when putting up certain fences, there is an actual measurable reduction in noise, but because of the way sound waves travel, plants, trees and hedges don't actually provide the same benefit. But it doesn't seem to matter because they provide a "perceived reduction in noise!" How about that! The visual stimulus of the hedge or tree actually tricks the brain. So try improving the view rather than blocking it, and you might be surprised at the result.
5. Ornamental Structures. Semi-transparent structures like pergolas, trellises or screens may not provide complete privacy but they can enclose a dining or lounging space without blocking light or breezes--and they don't even have to be permanent. Read more here. “They create a comforting sense of containment and a psychological buffer,” says Stephanie Hubbard, a landscape architect in Boston and This Old House TV regular.

We hope you enjoyed these tips! For more on this topic, you can read the full This Old House Article here.