New Fence Advice

zom247 · 18 Feb 2020 at 10:41

After the recent windy weather my neighbours fence has blown down yet again, 3 panels this time. They are the cheapy lap fence panels which I've never really been a fan of. We get quite a lot of wind in our gardens (I'm an end terrace) and the fence has blown down about 7 times in the 12 years I've lived here.

To that end, we've approached the owners of the property (they rent it out) with a view to having a full new fence fitted which we are happy to contribute half towards on the understanding that they are viable for any future repairs. They are interested in doing this and we are going to get some quotes.

I quite like the feather edge fencing and how it would flow in our garden, the current panels are arranged in a step fashion due to the slope of the garden. Now the big question, would the feather edge fence (not panels) bear up better to the wind than the current fence? Got a couple of people coming over in the next few days to give me quotes, the fence is 10 metres long.

ci_newman · 18 Feb 2020 at 11:02

The short answer is yes, feather-edge should be stronger than any panel fencing.

The difficult part is the slope of the garden might make feather edge more difficult. It's more expensive, but definitely a worthwhile investment.

b0rn2sk8 · 18 Feb 2020 at 12:32

Just make sure it has concrete posts.

koolpc · 18 Feb 2020 at 12:37

b0rn2sk8 said:
Just make sure it has concrete posts.

Not a real necessity. Good sized wooden posts would suffice. Just dont but the small ones! Get the chunky ones!

thenewoc · 18 Feb 2020 at 12:51

concrete posts if possible as wooden ones rot, ideally concrete gavel boards too as that keeps the rest of the fence away from the wet ground.

SpeedFreak · 18 Feb 2020 at 13:42

I have both in my garden, feather edge alongside my neighbours property and high quality panels at the back. They are both rock solid as the posts are pretty sturdy

https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/fencing-panels/chilham-family
https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/fence-posts/slotted-post-heavy-duty

In terms of costs, I would say that if you are paying someone to install then it should be comparable as the feather edge certainly took longer to put up so would cost more in labour than it saves in materials.

SpeedFreak · 18 Feb 2020 at 13:43

thenewoc said:
concrete posts if possible as wooden ones rot, ideally concrete gavel boards too as that keeps the rest of the fence away from the wet ground.

Concrete posts can crack in frost so it's not quite so black and white.

koolpc · 18 Feb 2020 at 14:26

SpeedFreak said:
Concrete posts can crack in frost so it's not quite so black and white.

Exactly.

Good, thick, solid posts are really good.

HardwareGeek · 18 Feb 2020 at 16:11

Check how the wood has been treated & get pressure treated not dipped will last longer before rotting and doesn't need painting

Garyj881 · 19 Feb 2020 at 21:49

When I installed my fencing in the back yard.

I used wooden pressure treated posts and also purchased some bitumin sleeves that you heat around the post so when water settles at ground level it doesn't rot the post.

koolpc · 20 Feb 2020 at 00:36

Garyj881 said:
When I installed my fencing in the back yard.

I used wooden pressure treated posts and also purchased some bitumin sleeves that you heat around the post so when water settles at ground level it doesn't rot the post.

I used to wrap the bottom of mine in bin bags. Did the trick

Hedge · 20 Feb 2020 at 06:34

I did my own fencing last week. I have more to do in the future but for a reference I paid 217 for three concrete posts, six bags of postcrete, three 6 inch gravel boards and three 6x6 feather edge panels from Jewsons.

The posts pretty cheap looking but when in place look good enough.

Took me about 2 hours to dig and install all 3 and that was by myself.

zom247 · 20 Feb 2020 at 08:19

I'll be paying to have the fence installed, youth is no longer on my side!

I've found it very annoying and frustrating in the past week trying to tie down fencers for quotes. At least 3 have given me dates and times but not turned up, I wouldn't mind so much if they told me they weren't coming. Got a couple coming round today so I'll see how that goes. This current weather's not helping either.

SPG · 20 Feb 2020 at 11:27

Recycled PVC everytime.

No more painting and will outlive me.

koooowweeee · 20 Feb 2020 at 20:48

zom247 said:
I'll be paying to have the fence installed, youth is no longer on my side!

I've found it very annoying and frustrating in the past week trying to tie down fencers for quotes. At least 3 have given me dates and times but not turned up, I wouldn't mind so much if they told me they weren't coming. Got a couple coming round today so I'll see how that goes. This current weather's not helping either.

That's suprising. That type of work is shy this time of year. I've been doing it 10 years

if your getting wooden posts ask them to wrap them. Or just get concrete. The price difference between panels and feathered isn't much.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fence-Post...t=&hvlocphy=9046663&hvtargid=pla-831906281901

zom247 · 21 Feb 2020 at 13:15

Thanks for all the replies, will be useful if I ever move somewhere where I'm in charge of a fence

However, despite getting several quotes my neighours (landlord) have decided to do things themselves. Just gotta wait and see what type of fence gets put up but I think I've steered them towards a feathered edge type fence.

eddiemcgarrigle · 21 Feb 2020 at 14:31

4x4 posts at 8ft tall, sunk in at a 2ft depth and backfilled with concrete. Have posts at 6ft - 8ft centres and join up with nice sturdy rails, then start attaching slats. My fence has been up for 20 years and is still going strong. Using slats helps deal with any slope while still retaining the fence height.

gc123 · 29 Jan 2024 at 16:44

zom247 said:
Thanks for all the replies, will be useful if I ever move somewhere where I'm in charge of a fence

However, despite getting several quotes my neighours (landlord) have decided to do things themselves. Just gotta wait and see what type of fence gets put up but I think I've steered them towards a feathered edge type fence.

surprised the landlord hasnt jumped at the chance for you to pay towards it? maybe got contacts for fencing,hope he just doesnt try to hit you up for a inflated contribution.....

Firegod · 29 Jan 2024 at 17:01

SpeedFreak said:
I have both in my garden, feather edge alongside my neighbours property and high quality panels at the back. They are both rock solid as the posts are pretty sturdy

https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/fencing-panels/chilham-family
https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fencing/fence-posts/slotted-post-heavy-duty

In terms of costs, I would say that if you are paying someone to install then it should be comparable as the feather edge certainly took longer to put up so would cost more in labour than it saves in materials.

We have pretty similar setup from Jacksons Fencing. Quality is excellent.

We had a ~20m run with just normal cheap panels and cheap posts, and wind tore it down (not recent storms). So we decided to do it properly. Used finished and treated railway sleepers for the base to keep the gravel back (we had to stack them about 3 high and use big bolts to fasten them). Notched them out so the posts could slide between, then we concrete in the heavy duty slotted posts (but also wrapped the bases going into the ground with joist tape) and then fitted the stronger fence panels between. We didn't use the double sided panels as the neighbour wasn't paying. So the fence is ours.

Turned out alright.

Reuben klang · 29 Jan 2024 at 17:10

Aluminum or composite posts are the daddys

Same with fences. 0 maint is the way to go.