I had a similar situation. Part of my fence is slat & & part is cap & lap. To cat proof it we put silver grey polycarb on the top half & i painted the slat to watch at the front. I was going to paint the cap & lap but as my builder pointed out, it will silver with age & the plants will grow up to hide a lot of it plus once you paint it has to be repainted every 8 to 10 years not to mention the expense. It is bugging me to look at this half pine wood half polycarb fence until it silvers but he makes a good point. I guess it comes down to money & what you can live with.

Looking at adding something like this onto of the wall. Perhaps increasing the balustrades and incorporating the timber or aluminium slats with a new electric gate. So still has some level of privacy with some plants on the footpath side. Plants an hedges inside the property hopefully to reach the height of the fence in time.

Dear Laura, I recommend checking with your local council before committing to any major fence works, as if it is completed wrong you will be liable to pull it down again. I believe the following would look lovely for curb appeal, a half rendered or brick and metalwork fence. This type of fence showcases your garden and allows your border collie to see things going by. You could also decide to render the front of the house at a later date also. Best of Luck, PARS Building Construction

Hi Julie Wow Julie! We have some Heliconia Bihae with Cordylines planted along our back fence so you completely understand the look we like with your plant suggestions, I just need to make sure they will grow well in this climate (north facing, lots of sun). We are on the Gold Coast near the beach. As for the house, do you think it would be too busy to use Basalt on the front fence, Dune on walls and white on upstairs trims? Perhaps with some Basalt on the house to tie in with the front fence.. gutter? Or for a simpler look, Endless Dusk on walls as well as the front fence (include plantings to soften) with other trims in white? Thank you for the trouble you have gone to for this. Liz