Closeboard, panels, post and rail, and gates
Fencing that stays up in a gale.
Fences fail at the post, almost always at ground level. How deep the post goes and what it is made of decides the rest.
Where a fence actually fails
Nobody rings us about a broken panel. They ring about a run that has gone over, and it has gone over at the posts.
- Posts set at least 600mm into the ground, deeper on a tall or exposed run
- Concrete posts where the ground is wet, or treated timber properly bedded
- Gravel boards so the panel never touches the soil
- Posts lined and levelled off a string line rather than by eye
- Capping rails to keep water out of the end grain
- Old posts and concrete dug out and taken away, not cut off at the ground
What suits where
Exposure, ground conditions and what the fence is for.
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Closeboard
Feather edge boards on arris rails. The strongest ordinary garden fence and repairable board by board.
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Panels
Quick, tidy and the usual choice between gardens. Fine in a sheltered run, less so on a windy boundary.
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Post and rail
Paddocks, drives and open boundaries, where you want a line rather than a screen.
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Concrete posts
Will not rot at ground level, which is where timber posts go. Worth it on a long run.
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Gates
Pedestrian and double gates, hung on frames that will not drop. The hanging is the whole job.
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Trellis and screening
Height added at the top without presenting a solid face to the wind.
Fence down, or on its way?
Pace out the length and count the posts, and tell us whether a truck can get near it. That is most of a quote.
Questions about this job
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Two metres at the back without planning permission, and one metre where the boundary adjoins a road or footpath. Trellis counts towards the height. If your property is listed or you are in a conservation area it is worth a call to the council first.
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There is no rule that it is the left-hand one, whatever people tell you. The deeds decide it, and a T mark on a plan points into the responsible owner's land. Where it is genuinely unclear, neighbours often share the cost.
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Yes, posts and concrete included. Snapping posts off at ground level leaves the next person a worse job than they had.
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Yes. Panels step down a slope and closeboard can be raked to follow it, which usually looks better. Worth deciding which you want before the posts go in.
Other things we do
Most jobs turn out to be more than one of these. Ask for a price on all of it at once.
Patios, paving and paths laid on a proper sub-base across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Timber and composite decking built on a proper frame across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
New lawns, turfing and lawn renovation across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Garden clearance and green waste removal across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
New hedging, trees and border planting across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.