We have a courtyard villa which is perfect for privacy. A very nice PVC fence on two sides of my yard and a very nice wall on the backside. Thats important to us especially since we have a pool.
Now, as to easements. Working for a telco, part of my job was working with easements. Most homes have easements (usually 2-5 ft on both sides of the property line). There's almost always an easement on the front of your home and there may be one on your back yard. They are used by utility company for placing services. Nothing "permanent" can "encroach" on these easements.
