Garden Fencing Blogs

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.

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.

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.

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.

Whether your fencing is for domestic or commerical purposes, most fence posts require concreting into the ground to prevent the wind loosening the fence post. Ready mix post mix is dry ready mix concrete in a bag. It is really easy to use, just tip it in the hole around the fence post and add water – job done simple as that! No messing around and no need to premix in the wheelbarrow or on a board.

What’s more the post mix is made from rapid hardening cement that goes off faster than conventional concrete meaning your fence is very soon safe and can’t be damaged by the wind during erection.

What is the other option? Buy ballast (a mix of pebbles and sand) and to mix this up firstly with cement powder and secondly with water to produce concrete which is added wet to the fence post hole.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that the Romans invented concrete, which when fused with their engineering expertise, allowed for the creation of villas, temples, towns, baths, walls, roads – the list is endless. So next time you think about Ready Mix Post Mixing your fence post – the Vatican City isn't that far away!

With so many fence panels to choose from how do I know which is the strongest fence panel to buy, with so many to choose from with on line shopping. If we ignore decorative panels like the continental and grange elite range the choice of fence panels basically comes down to two, Closeboard fence panels and Lap panels. You can easily tell the difference the closeboard fence panel is constructed from timbers running vertically and the lap panel has horizontal timber slats.

So to answer the question the strongest garden fence panels are the closeboard variety but don’t stop reading because there’s much more than just a fence panel to making a strong fence we should to consider the fixings, the height, how the post is fixed and in what location you are using the fence in.

Let’s just examine the closeboard fence panel for a minute and look at what we mean when we say this is a stronger type of fencing panel. It has strength in two ways the closeboard panel will stand stronger winds than the lap panel before the fence panel blows out between the posts. It is also constructed from heavier weight timber featheredge boards which means that if the fence panel is subjected stress via either a dog or vandals holes are less likely to appear. It is important to fix your fence panel securely to the post. It doesn’t really matter how you fix it, some people use clips and others use nails. If you choose to use met clips you should have a minimum of 6 per fence panel and if you choose to nail through the batten and into the post you should have 4 nails on one side of the batten and 3 nails on the other a total of 7 nails on each side 14 overall.

If your fence panels are in a reasonably exposed location or a windy location and you want to reduce the wind effects on them consider a reduced height panel with a trellis sat above, you can mix any height of trellis with a fence panel instead of a 6ft high panel you could consider a 5ft high panel with 1ft trellis above still giving you a 6ft high fence or even a 4ft fence with a 2ft trellis above. Trellis will reduce the wind resistance of the fence and allow the wind to blow through the trellis and reduce the pressure on the fencing panels.

Having considered your fencing panels next consider the fencing posts, if your timber fencing posts are not securely fixed into the ground and they move around the wind this will weaken the fence because of the movement which will be present in the fence. AVS recommend a fencing post for a 6ft high fence panel should be inserted between 2ft and 2ft. 6ins into the ground. The most secure method of fixing a fence post is to place concrete or use post mix a rapid hardening ready mix cement which comes dry in the bag and you pour into the fence post hole and add water, a very easy way to fix a fence post. Once the post mix has gone off the post will be completely rigid. Overall the aim is to try and stop the fence post moving at all in the ground.

Met post fence post spikes are another option for fixing your fence these are in our opinion only suitable where the ground conditions are favourably and where your fence is not subject to much wind.

Finally are there any locations which are not suitable for fence panels? In our view very exposed locations are best fenced with closeboard fencing which is assembled on site rather than using ready made fence panels, it is generally constructed using larger post sections and strong horizontal rails which can be increased where there is a risk of frequent high winds.

With the weather starting to improve and summer fast approaching, now is a great time to review your garden and sort out any fencing or landscaping projects that you have in mind.

Here at AVS Fencing Supplies we realise that summer never seems long enough, so when it does finally arrive you want to be able to sit back and enjoy it, without worrying about the state of your garden.

To help you create your perfect garden for summer, AVS Fencing Supplies offer a range of great products for sale via our Website & local branches. We offer core products including fence panels, timber fence posts, concrete fence posts, feather edge boards, gravel boards, chestnut paling, as well as a range of landscaping products including new & second hand railway sleepers & multi profile deck boards.

With such a great range of quality garden fencing & landscape products at competitive prices, we are sure that AVS Fencing Supplies can help you find exactly what you need no matter what job you have in mind.

Whether you need to repair a dilapidated fence, want to build a brand new garden fence, create your dream decking area or install some raised flower beds using railway sleepers, we can supply you with what you need.

Search our website now to find the garden fencing or landscaping products that you require and then buy online quickly & securely to get your garden project under way.

What is a Panel Fence

A pre-made timber panel, of differing styles and qualities, that are fixed between two posts.

Types of Panel

Panels are available in 3 different colours, a light beige (pressure treated), gold (orange/brown) and dark brown which are dipped. Check stocks for the range at your branch.

The styles can be broken down into:

Lap Panels - A waney edged board, overlapped and fixed horizontally within a batten frame, described as fully framed – meaning they have timber around the outside edge. They also have vertical battens fixed across the face and back of the panel to strengthen the laps.

Close board Panels - A feather edge board, overlapped and fixed vertically on a heavier duty batten formation. Stronger than the lap panel, but not as strong as true closeboarding.

'The above are sold in 6ft widths, starting at 3ft high in 1ft increments, up to 6ft high.'

Continental Panels - A decorative panel, with different designs of infill and tops, with a limited range of heights.

'The above are sold in 1.8m widths and varying heights, these are all in the light beige colour only, fully pressure treated.'

Posts

All panels can either be put on timber posts or concrete slotted posts; it is purely the customer’s personal choice.

On softwood timber posts the options would be: 75 x 75mm 100 x 75mm 100 x 100mm

The panels would be fitted to these via met clips, a U shape bracket, or nails/screws fixed through the side batten, pre drilling is advised. The timber posts can either be concreted into the ground or met posts could be used. If they are being concreted in, the post should go into the ground a minimum of 600mm; if met posts are being used the post will be shorter.

The concrete post has a slot that runs down the complete length of the post, which allows the panel to slot into the post. This is fine on installation, but remember that if a panel needs replacing later on, the panel has to be lifted above the posts and slotted down, e.g. a 6ft high panel would need lifting 6ft in the air to replace.

The options available for slotted posts are: Intermediates Ends Corners

The corners and ends are not handed as the slot is central to the post.

The panels are not actually fixed to the concrete so just sit in the slot; this does mean that they can move around if the panel is thinner than the slot.

Wall Fixing

If the fence is adjoining any walls then a wall plate can be used, either a 100x 47mm or a 75 x 47mm, which is bolted to the wall using suitable fixings, such as thunderbolts, hammer fixings or coach screws; then the panel fixed to this.

Post Tops

The tops of the posts can be left flat, machined or a post cap with or without a finial can be fitted. The finials are commonly acorns or balls, but others are available, these are fitted via a double threaded screw.

Sloping Ground

Remember that if the ground is sloping with the fence line, longer posts will be required to allow for the extra height caused by the panel sitting off the ground. As the panel should always sit level and should never be buried at the high side.

Close Board fencing remains the most cost effective way to build a solid boundary that will stand the test of time. Close board can also be incorrectly described as ship lap or feather board fencing, but essentially these descriptions refer to the same type of construction.

Due to the versatile nature of the product it is important to bare in mind what size fence you would like to erect and whether you will require planning permission. Generally you can erect a fence of up to 1.95M high without planning permission, except where your fence is adjacent to a public highway. In this instance the fence can only be up to 1M high, before planning permission is required. (We recommend you seek advice from your local council before commencing work)

Whether you are using cant rails, arris rails, timber or concrete posts the basic erection process remains the same.

Installation

Close board fencing is a simple construction of posts, rails, gravel boards and featheredge. Posts should be a minimum of 100x100mm (4 x 4) section and concreted into the ground at a depth of approx 760mm (for taller fence variations) and the distance between the post centres should ideally not exceed 3.0M (10Ft). Rails are then fixed horizontally across the face of the posts; usually two rails are needed on 1.2M (4Ft) high featheredge and below, with three rails used on higher boundaries.

It is recommended but not essential to fit a gravel board at ground level between the posts. This serves to keep the featheredge from making contact with the ground, which will reduce future maintenance costs, because it is cheaper and easier to replace one gravel board rather than a large quantity of featheredge. The featheredge is then fitted vertically on to the front of the rails with a minimum of 25mm (1 inch) overlap.

Tip: To increase the life span of this fence you can erect it using concrete posts and gravel boards. Due to the long life expectancy of these products future costs of replacing the timber components will be considerably lower, because only the rails and featheredge will need replacing.

Versatility & Benefits

Because this particular style of fencing is constructed with individual pieces it is very versatile and offers many benefits.
1. Close board is ideal for constructing a fence on sloping ground because gravel boards and rails can be fixed at an angle and then the featheredge can follow this level as required
2. Close board has the benefit of being easy to repair. Should any featheredge start to show the ravishes of time, it is a quick and inexpensive process to replace the boards
3. All materials that go into making this type of perimeter fencing are pressure treated, so that the longevity of the timber is at an absolute maximum
4. If constructed correctly it is strong and long lasting
5. Close board is commonly found in both green and brown as standard, making it far more versatile than most boundary options
6. Close board can be used to make a fence of virtually any height
7. Close board is suitable for front and back gardens, as well as commercial use

Maintenance

Timber is a living product and given enough time it will degrade. To get the best possible life span from the product it is recommend that the timber is treated every 2 – 3 years. This is best undertaken with a solvent based treatment during the summer months, so that it can soak into the dry wood.

Help & Advice

If you are interested in erecting close board fencing at your property, please get in touch with your local branch. Our specialists will be happy to offer help and advice and can provide you with a free quote for supply of all relevant materials.

Gravel Boards

These are not only used for their ability to increase the height of the fence, but they are also used to prevent the panel from coming into contact with the ground; thus helping prolong the life of the panel.

They can also be used to fill the gaps beneath panels caused by steeping and inconsistencies in the ground level.

Timber Gravel Boards

Timber gravel boards are fixed to the timber post using cleats, which means it is unnecessary to use any fixings between the panels and gravel boards. Remember that if continental panels are used, then the standard 6ft gravel board is going to be too long and must be cut prior to installation.

Concrete Gravel Boards

In the instance of concrete gravel boards they can be used to retain light soil, as they are stronger and will not rot like timber; these slot into the concrete post. They are available in both 150mm and 300mm high. If these boards are used with continental panels, fillets would need to be used to increase the width of the panel.

Cutting Panels

As most gardens will not be exactly divisible by the panel width, it may be necessary to cut a panel to fit. It is easily achievable on lap and close board panels, but not so with continental panels, as the framing is jointed in the corners.

To cut a lap panel down, the battens are removed from one end of the panel and fixed into a similar position at the required width; so the cutting of horizontal battens is required. Once fitted the excess laps can be cut off.

Installing Panelled Fence Using Concrete

If concreting in, set the first post and measure out for your second hole and excavate. Once at the desired depth, fix the panel in place and fix the second post to it, checking for level and line. Once happy with the position concrete the second post in and then carry on the process until the fence is complete. Remember depending on the method of concreting used, it may be necessary to put temporary props on the fence to allow the concrete to set.

Note: If the fence is on a slope it is easier to start at the top of the slope, to ensure you get the height of the posts correct.

Help & Advice

For further help & advice please feel free to phone our fencing specialists at your local branch. They will be happy to answer your questions & provide you with a free quote for your materials.