Lots of people want a 6' high (1.80m) Fence and we all know that 6' fence panels are a best seller. However, what happens when you want to put a 6" (150mm) gravelboard underneath the fence panel to prevent it contacting the ground and rotting or holding back a little soil from a neighbouring garden?

The answer is that is the height will increase and you may not want a 6'6" or 1.95m high fence as you will need a longer more expensive post. Another negative reason for a taller fence is that it will also have more wind resistance making it prone to expensive storm damage, plus it may overshadow your garden.

The good news is that AVS Fencing have increased their range of 5' 6" fence panels and associated accessories, including concrete slotted fence posts which are becoming even more popular because they are long lasting and also the panel can be changed easily by lifting out and slotting in a new one.

Also, our concrete gravelboard is even better than the timber gravelboard, and can also slot snugly under the fence panel keeping it off the ground and holding back a little loose soil at the same time.

Frozen Britain will soon thaw and it won't be long until Spring is here. Now is the time to look at upgrading your garden fencing. Good news! AVS have just launched a brand new timber fence post with a lifespan guarantee of at least 15 years.

How is this 15 year guarantee possible?
Because AVS timber fence posts are kiln dried before treatment to reduce moisture content. This treatment combined with us selecting the right species of timber (British Pine - redwood, rather than whitewood), is the secret to our 15 year guarantee. We are proud of our new product as it is the first of its kind in the UK for this type of post and treatment process.

To find out more about our 15 year guarantee timber fence posts, call 01403 740200 or click here.

In our previous blog tip, we advised you whether you needed to concrete your fence posts. If after reading that post, you decided not to get the concrete out, we suggest that you read the following to find out how you can ensure that your non-concreted fence posts stay secure.

• First off, backfill the fence post hole with excavated soil;
  
• You should have a good length of wood (or similar) to use as a rammer;
• Ensure you dig the hole big enough to get the rammer all around, which will ensure the fence post gets right down to the bottom of the hole;
• Fill the hole very slowly, and stop at frequent intervals to ram the soil down firmly;
• Concentrate most on the bottom of the hole and the top of the hole;
• Try and get as much soil as possible back into the hole.

There you go, simple. Even if the latest budget hasn't been your 'Darling' and you can't afford the concrete. Rest assured, you can still erect a firm, secure fence post!

Do you want to have garden fencing that make the neighbours go green with envy? It is essential to concrete certain types of fence posts into the ground. With others it is a complete waste of time and money. How do you know which are which? Follow these simple rules to ensure your fence panels stand loud and proud throughout the tough British weather.

Rules

• If the fence is solid, you need to concrete the posts to withstand wind pressure.
• Concrete your fence if it is a picket or palisade fence.
• If the fence is chainlink concrete the end and corner posts to support against the tension of the wire.
• If the post supports a gate concrete it.
• If the ground is soft concrete it.
• If the post is made of concrete, concrete it.
• If the post hole fills with water when dug,use a dry concrete mix.
• If the fence is a livestock fence of post and rail no need to concrete.
• If the fence is a livestock fence of stock mesh no need to concrete.
• If the fence posts are round normally no need to concrete.
• If the post is an intermediate post for a mesh or strained wire fence, there is normally no need to concrete it.
• If the fence is a low level trellis fence, it is advisable to concrete it.

If the rules above dictate that you should concrete your fence posts, then click here to log onto the AVS website where you can find all the necessary tools.

Why are we talking about building a deck base in this awful British weather? Don't ask me!

If your garden has not flooded, and you have a weekend spare, then why not prepare you garden for decking. You never know, you may be able to enjoy BBQ next spring. Or perhaps eat your Christmas dinner on the new decking area if you have a nice patio heater, like the Zeus which was recently pitched on Dragons Den.

There is no right or wrong way to build a deck base. The objective is to create a solid level timber structure to fit the decking boards too - simple! What really helps is that the decking base is not seen so it does not matter what it looks like!

Two tools that will help you to do the job properly are:

• Landscaping screws will join timber easily and firm:
• Joist Hangers to butt joint one timber rail to another (rails are sometimes known as joists).

Both tools are easy to use and fast to use.

Use timber posts concreted into the ground to hold the structure in place.

The decking design will depend on the space you have which is a result of how high above the ground the deck is to be. Where space allows use beams to support joists, for example, if your deck is 3.60m wide and you have created a framework supported with Timber Posts and have fixed in place your 3.60m joists, then set at 450mm centres without additional support. At 3.60m long these joists will be too flexible to support the deck in the centre.

This is where a another larger timber rail (sometimes called a beam), set this immediately under and at 90 degrees to you. Set joists at approx every 1.8m in mid position with posts to support the beam. Without too many additional posts you now have a firm deck structure which you may fix your decking Boards to.

Luckily we are discussing fence posts, and not the Royal Mail's post or this blog would never of got written!

Back to fence posts, anyone can dig a fence post hole. It is easy but like most tasks you need the right tools.

Contractors use a long handled graft because it has the weight and the length to get into hard compacted soil, so that you do not need to kneel down. The next best thing to do (if you only have a few holes) is to use a garden border spade – the small ones with a blade approx 5-6" wide.

What does a good fence post hole look like?
It is about (2' 6" ) 750mm deep and about 250mm (10") square with straight sides. The size of a fence post will change slightly depending on post size.

How do I get the soil out?
If the hole is big enough (be careful not to make it too big), you will be able to get the soil out with the spade. If you have a lot of holes to dig. it is even easier with a double handled post hole digger, this is what contractors use.

What if the ground is stony or has concrete in it?
The answer is to use a 5' long crowbar or a power tool with a breaker attachment.

Top Tip:
How to dig out an old concrete fence post base:
Dig a hole in the soft soil immediately to one side of the concrete base to the full depth required. Once you have done this spit the concrete with a bar or breaker and lift the big chunks out. Don't make the same mistake a lot of people do, which is trying to break the concrete straight way. You will be rewarded by little chips of concrete and it will turn out to be a real marathon job.

There are two main types of solid wooden fencing:

• Fence Panels
• Closeboard Fencing

Which should I choose?

The pros and cons of fence panels:

• Fence panels are not good on slopes because you will get gaps under the panels as panels need to be placed at 90% otherwise the posts will not vertical;
• Fence panels are weaker and therefore not so good with our windy British weather;
  
• The life expectancy of a fence panel is shorter for the above reasons;
  
• You will have more holes to dig, as the posts are closer together;
• The good news is that fence panels are easier to erect and also they are cheaper!

The pros and cons of Closeboard Fencing:

• Closeboard fencing is a little slower to erect;
• The initial cost of closeboard fencing is higher;
• Closeboard fencing is ideal on sloping ground as you can stagger the fencing to fit the slope.
• The design of closeboard fencing can be varied, which allows you to make certain sections stronger on exposed sites;
  
• The lifetime expectancy of closeboard fencing is much longer;
• Closeboard fencing is made of small parts which are assembled on site, therefore there are no heavy panels to lift.

Top tips
When replacing an existing fence, there is probably a short section somewhere along the fence line, alter the arrangement of this so that you do not have to dig up all the old concrete fence post foundations you can dig into fresh ground.

Erecting Fence panels
If the ground has a slight slope start at the top and work down. It makes stepping the panels i.e. adjusting to suit ground level a lot easier to get right.

Erecting Closeboard Fencing
Do this in 2 stages stage 1 Posts and rails stage 2 add the gravelboard and clad the fence with featheredge.

Talking of wood, Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones is expected to pay his ex-wife Jo £6.5 million after they were given a 'quick' divorce yesterday (November 11)! It's lucky that AVS fencing is highly competitively priced – at least Ronnie can afford new fence panels :)