With the worst of the snow and wind gone now is an ideal time to review your Garden Fencing and Garden Landscaping and either carry out repairs or plan improvements.

While you are tidying your perennials and starting to air the greenhouse, it is also a great opportunity to make sure all your fence panels are fully supported and all your fence posts are safe. Spring is a great time to start planning how you can improve your garden in time for spring and summer period, so when the air heats up, you can enjoy looking at the fruits of your labour.

You may want to include new and improved fencing line, so why not take a look at our new fence panels such as Lap Panels, Closeboard Panels or Grange Elite Fence Panels. It is also a good time to start creating new landscaping features such as new flower beds, which can be created with railway sleepers.

AVS Fencing are at your service with fencing expertise.

We have made even more improvements to our website and now we offer an 'expert' service to our customers. We have recently energised our efforts on the AVS website to include all the necessary tools you may need to erect your garden fencing, such as Lap Panel Fencing & Closeboard Fencing.

You will also be pleased to know that we have added more fencing tools for your convenience and we have also improved our 'search' box to you find what you want quickly and easily. Some of the new tools we have added are: Post Hole Diggers, Hammers, Shovels, Spirit Levels and a Chalk Line.

If you need any help on anything to do with any of our products, you can request a call back via our website.

2010 has seen great improvements to the AVS Website, so if you haven't visited us for a while, it's worth a good look. Due to interest rates being so low, the investment experts say that gold is a good investment these days! And guess what? Some of the new products that have been added to the new improved AVS website are Gold Lap Panels and tools.

AVS also have a new postcode checker so you can find out if we deliver in your area. We also have excellent live monthly offers on a range of products which has resulted in a very positive start to 2010. In fact AVS are celebrating as we have had a 33% increase in visitor numbers and an increase of 172% in sales in January 2010 – even with the snow!

March is just round the corner, so it's timeto start thinking of getting your garden fences in shape for summer. Visit the AVS website and have a good look at what we've got on offer.

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.