Garden Fencing - Which Is Best For You?

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Garden fencing is often an overlooked area of the garden mainly because fences tend to last a reasonable amount of time before presenting a cause for a change. As a result when you come to buy a fence it can be difficult to know what to look for. Often the first thing you should consider is what do you need the fence for? Do you require privacy? Are you after some security? Are the decorative aspects or showing off your garden more important to you? Each set of requirements will lead to different choices when it comes to garden fences.

If you are after privacy then you you will probably want a fence with a reasonable amount of height and with few opportunities to view through. This suggests you will need a fully clad fence. A traditional fence panel fence may be ideal in these circumstances or a close board fence that is a little more heavy weight and offers better anti climb properties and therefore a little added security.

Fence panels tend to be cheaper than close board fences. They consist of panel and post elements. Posts can be either timber or concrete depending on your budget and preference. Posts are typically spaced at six foot intervals and a pre-made panel inserted between the posts. Panels tend to come in standard sizes from three foot high through to six foot high. Often you will find that most suppliers offer a budget waney edge panel and various more expensive and heavier duty decorative panels. Due to the standard sizes it's worth bearing in mind that concrete posts may be a good option for the future as panels can easily be replaced and the concrete posts are hard wearing, although can be a little less sightly in your garden.

If you are after a higher degree of security, then as mentioned, the close board fence is probably the best garden fencing suited to your needs. Close board or feather edge fencing can be erected on either concrete or timber posts often at generally 2.4m centres. The cladding is mounted on either two or three supporting arris or cant rails depending on the height of the fence. Feather edge boards are then hung off the rails vertically and overlap in one direction for 25mm giving a private fence without footholds to the exterior. As the fencing comes in pieces rather than in pre made panels there are a good few options on heights and the solid construction with heavier duty rails to support the cladding can allow this type of fencing to be erected as high as 3m, although your neighbours may not be to happy with a fence of this height on their perimeter.

If you are not so interested in privacy or security but instead like to show off your garden or just prefer a more decorative boundary marking fence then a timber picket fence presents a good option for you. Picket fences are generally 3ft through to 6ft high, with palisades that can be either pointed, round topped, chisel topped or plain square topped giving plenty of variety. Picket fencing can be constructed from pieces supplied by a timber merchant or from ready made panels which are simply bolted or nailed onto existing concrete or timber posts. Taking the time to finish the fence off with a good coat of white gloss paint can really set off your garden perimeter. Picket fences are often a nice cost effective perimeter fence as apart from the obvious decorative feature they are obviously constructed using less timber than fully clad fences as individual pickets are often set out in a hit and miss style.

Once you have decided how you want your garden fence to function and perform then choosing a fence should be straightforward and just a case of how much money you want to spend and how long you want your fence to last.