How to Find (and Afford) a Property To Not See Neighbors

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First of all, How many acres Are needed to not see any neighbors?

The number of acres required to not see any neighbors can be a complicated question to ask. We asked it too! With experience living on 9 hilly acres and conversations with others who own over 300 acres, we’ve come up with reasonable answers with enough depth to provide you with all the insight you need.

In general, hundreds of acres surrounding any-sized property is an affordable way to see no neighbors. You could own less property for less cost and ride beside the free distance of public land. Vast acres of wilderness offer immediate and certain privacy. Less space is needed on hilly terrain.

Finding and affording a property that’s far and wide enough on all sides can be a challenge. A challenge with multiple outside-the-box solutions.

If hidden and desolate homes aren’t your thing—it’s completely possible to acquire privacy with what you have.

Distance is not always the best or only approach to blocking views (especially if you’d rather not drive excessive distances to find a single soul).

Everyone values their space. Therefore, building barriers between neighbors is a benefit beyond yourself.

A private homestead location can include several functional elements.

We will also treat you to noise reduction tips—since hearing can be as disruptive as the feeling of being watched or accidentally witnessing unsightly scenes.

Hide in hilly terrain as a barrier from neighbors

Having hilly terrain will significantly reduce the distance required to not see any neighbors.

We live nestled in a valley surrounded by a forested entrance with no neighbors sharing the road. Hills on either side are taller than the house with a heavy cedar tree border along the shoreline of the lake.

The only downside of this setup is not owning the other side of the hill. We own several acres past one hill but not the other.

Our neighbors assembled their bunkie—right there—with a gorgeous view of our entire property. Luckily, they plan to build the house away from the edge of the hill, so they say.

Their place is clear as day when the leaves fall which means for us, half the year we have no privacy outdoors. Then again, it’s not like we’re planning to be out gardening in the nude particularly when it’s cold and nothing is growing, so we’re all good.

Thinking practically, this scenario doesn’t have too much of a downside when you consider the prime time of year is decently sheltered. It’s quite tolerable. We are also lucky since they are way up there, we don’t ever hear a thing.

Live next to national land for fewer neighbors

Reducing the number of neighbors, to begin with, means fewer eyeballs, fewer ears, and more privacy.

Other than that rarely occupied bunkie, there is nothing but uninhabited crown land for acres and acres. No other neighbors in literal sight. The best part is we don’t have to afford to own any of it.

Rather than hearing the noise and viewing the sights of people, we enjoy the variant stimulation of wild songbirds, crickets, owls, chipmunks, loons… The list is endless and the loons are the best!

Some considerations with this will be wildlife. Wildlife can be a great asset to have visit your property. However, if you wish to grow food, you’re going to need the means to protect any young unestablished plants. A full deer fence around your vegetable garden will be a must! Any children or pets will need to be closely watched and not stray too far.

Block neighboring disturbance with dense evergreen

A surrounding of evergreens not only smells great but blocks unsightly views from getting in or out!

If the forest between us and that bunkie were evergreen we wouldn’t see them and they wouldn’t see us on a year-round basis!

It’s better than nothing if the trees on your desired property are not evergreen but are still dense enough when leafed out to block the view of neighbors. It depends on how badly and for what reason you don’t want visual contact with any of your neighbors.

As a side note, evergreen trees are also a much safer option to have to surround any structures as they are generally more wind resistant.

If your place doesn’t currently have trees, make a plan to plant the most appropriate combination of evergreens to do the job well.

A carefully designed wall of green can reduce multiple decibels of noise from neighbors.

…five to ten decibels for every 30m width of woodland, especially sharp tones, and this reduces noise to the human ear by approximately 50%.

Forest Research

The recommended species of evergreens for sound reduction include; arborvitaes, spruces, pines, junipers, and hollies. They give coverage on a year-round basis and come in all different shapes, heights and sizes. Planting a mix of trees, shrubs, and ground covers together, they form full coverage.

A Few top picks for trees:

• Conifers in general, are the most sound-absorbent trees.
• Green Giant Arborvitae, grow fast, about 3 feet each year until mature
• Leyland Cypress, also fast growing, up to 3 feet each year, dense broad-leaf foliage blocks and bounces noise

A few top picks for shrubs:

• Indian Hawthorn, dense dark green foliage reduces sound well, while their flowers attract birds and other pollinators which create desirable sounds and sites
• Junipers, low maintenance and low growing evergreen to fill in the bottoms of trees
• Holly shrubs, year-round dense leaves are effective at diminishing sound

Any plants with sound absorbent qualities are also visually obstructing. It’s much easier to block views than it is to dampen sound.

Evergreen plants for sound reduction have a height advantage over fences and walls. Depending on where you live, the height of your fence might be hinged on regulations.

Privacy fences or walls for you and the neighbor

Sometimes, it’s more about how to block the neighbor’s view of your home.

As a bonus, using structures for a visual blocker from neighbors can also muffle sounds and have multipurpose uses.

The more you enjoy the visual aspect of what is blocking out the unwanted, the less disruption will bother you.

“Out of sight out of mind”

You could grow something like grapes on the fence, reaping the benefits of lush edible green, that fruits too!

If no suitable place can be found that has a pre-existing barrier, be prepared to make one.

The best choice materials for sound-reducing walls are solid, dense, and massive. Stone, concrete, stucco, and brick are the most solid materials that appeal visually as well.

If your only option is wood:

Red cedar fences make excellent sound barriers, particularly if they are built as solid privacy fences. Thick, tongue-and-groove boards are ideal. For even better sound-dampening, consider installing mass-loaded vinyl directly in the wooden fence.

Paramount Fence

Naturally occurring sounds drown neighborly noise

A place with naturally occurring sounds such as running water or a dense population of birds can be remarkably peaceful.

If you don’t have the option to choose a place with pre-existing nature sounds, you can add many soothing elements yourself.

Here are some sound-drowning ideas:

• Water flow features
• Bird baths
• Bird seeds
• Birdhouses
• Bird feeders

All of the above can attract many types of birds, including songbirds.

• Chimes; wood, bamboo, beaded, driftwood, stone, ceramic, coconut shell, crystal, metal
• Pleasant sounding homestead animals; quail, sheep, goats

After you find a place you can make work, before you move, the art of finding good neighbors begins with you! In the following article, you’ll learn about how to be a good neighbor because it benefits you too. These habits will ensure the place you want to be, or the place that you live; can be the right place for you.

This article was originally published on foodforestliving.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.