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Questions & Answers

Height
Boundary
Rights of Ownership
Fixings
Guarantee
measuring height of a fence

Height

What is the maximum height of a fence without planning permission?

  • Planning permission is required for a fence & trellis if the height exceeds 2 metres (6.56ft) above the ground level point of the fence.
  • If your fence height is higher than 1 metre (3.28ft) and you live next to a public highway used by vehicles or pedestrians, you may need planning permission.
  • The height allowance for a front garden fence varies up to 2 metres high as some properties are open plan and not allowed a fence on some boundaries.

How high can a front garden fence be?

  • Front garden fences height varies on residential areas & location of the property at roadside. 
  • Open plan residential areas have very low height restrictions for boundary structures.
  • Best advice is to contact your local council to recieve the correct information.
  • A garden fence guide would be to look at the neighbouring gardens for the fence height guidance.
back yard fence

Boundary

Which fence do I own?

  • Boundary ownership is shown on a property’s deeds by a T or H next to the boundary lines.
  • A Shared boundary is known as a Party Fence or Party Boundary. A letter H is 2 inverted T letters which are joined at the tail with the boundary line in between signifying a shared boundary. 
  • If the inverted T letter is only marked on your side of the owners property boundary, it signifies that it is your boundary to maintain. You have a legal obligation to maintain your boundary and being mindful of any risk to others, protecting their safety.
  • Occasionaly there is no documents of boundary ownership and would seen as a friendly gesture to share the cost. 
  • Although it is your obligation to maintain your boundary, being taken to court by a neighbour or member of the public will cost much more than a fence, especially if it causes harm to others through neglect of maintenance.
collapsed fence

Rights of ownership

Can I make my Neighbour fix his fence?

  • If you own a fence or boundary, you are duty bound to maintain it.
  • You have the right to ask someone to fix, maintain their boundary if it is intruding past the original boundary line, risk of causing harm to others or encroaching on to the public highway.

Can my Neighbour nail things to my fence?

  • The short answer to this question is “no”. If you own the fence and you have not granted your neighbour permission to do so, they are not allowed to deface or nail anything to your fence.

Can a neighbour grow plants on my fence?

  • A neighbour cannot grow plants on your fence without permission from the owner of the fence.

Will Ivy damage my fence?

  • Any invasive and vigorous growing plants like ivy, have the capabilities of damaging structures like fencing, brickwork, concrete post recess channels and the tiles on the roof.
  • Ivy will add weight to a fence, so if the fence is rotten there is a greater risk of falling in high wind. 
  • There is a pro side to growing ivy on a fence as the ivy will help bind the fence boards to the rails and bind the rails to the posts if the fixings used in construction of the fence rust and fail to do the job which they are designed for. However, this would increase the time and cost when replacing the fence.
fence fixings

Fixings

What fixings are best for a fence?

  • Stainless steel fixings provide the greatest resistance to corrosion but cost approximately twice to three times the price of hot dipped galvanised fixings. Stainless steal fixings should be used on structures within half kilometre of the coastline as the salt content within the sea air will rot fixings much quicker.
  • Hot dipped coated galvanised fixings have approximately a 20 micron galvanised coating which gives a thick coating which protects the steal from moisture, giving it a true exterior quality. Hot dipped fixings cost double the price of zinc plated fixings. Galvanised nails can have a tendancy to stain wood in coastal areas due to salt air.
  • Sheet galvanised metal has a 4 micron coating and may not last the life of the fence.
  • Fixings are expensive but an important structural component, so it is advisable to use a good quality fixing which will help to maintain a secure fix and a good look to the fence with a greater longevity. It is about the long term and not having to repeat the job.
fence nails

What nails are used for fencing?

  • The best fence nails are stainless steel ring shank nails. 
  • Ring shank nails have a ribbed effect along the shaft length which will give a superior hold in the timber compared to a smooth shaft nail.
  • Fence nails should be galvanised coated or stainless steel.
  • Galvanised nails have a great longevity, but are likely to stain the wood.
  • When nailing a Palin board to the rail, the nail needs to penetrate at least 25mm into the rail for a secure fix.
  • For nailing rails to a post, the nail should penetrate approximately 50 mm to give a secure fix.
  • Nail gun nails are ok for fixing fence boards to a rail but are not suitable for fixing the rails to a wooden post, even when 2 nails are used to cross stitched as most nailgun nails are not strong enough for this purpose and bend easily.

How long should fence nails be?

  • Fence nail length for fixing rails to a timber post = thickness of rail + 50mm
  • To fix the fence boards securely to the rails, the nail length needed is the thickness of the Palisade board or the 2 overlapping boards + 25mm.
  • If fixing an overlap board to a rail, add the measurement at the overlap point to give the 2 board thickness.

How do you use a nail gun?

  • A nail gun should be set correctly so the nails do not fire into the board to deep.
  • The nail head should be slightly proud of the timber surface and not be bury into the timber component.
  • Occasionally a nail may penetrate deeper into the wood deeper than required but this is due to a varying density throughout the natural timber structure. The depth of which the nail can be fired in can be adjusted on a nail gun.
  • Nail guns should be set with slightly less pressure, so the nail head is slightly proud of the fence board.
  • If a nail is fired in to deep into the wood, the nail head will create a pocket in the timber for water to build up and inevitably speed up the rotting process.

Bolts

  • Bolt length = the combined thickness of the two sections which are to be clamped together + the nut and washer thickness.
  • Hot dipped Galvanised bolts or stainless-steel fixings should only be used for the best long-term look and strength of the fence. These fixings retain the strength & asthetical look much longer than zinc plated or electronically coated fixings.

Screws

The best screws to use are stainless steel. Zinc plated and powder coated screws have a much shorter lifespan, cheaper and will corrode and stain the timber.

Hot dipped galvanised gate fixings

  • Hot dipped galvanised gate fixings should be used near coastal areas due to salt content in the air as the link shows. galvanizing.org.uk/check-your-corrosion/
  • Best advice is 'Do not use powder coated hinges and locks'. They rust and the paint flakes within a few years.

Fence Guarantee

How long is a wood fence warranty?

  • A fence warranty is not valid unless a proof of purchase is available. Businesses will only keep their receipts for 7 years for tax purposes. After 7 years receipts are destroyed and is a good reason to buy your own fencing materials, and keeping safe a proof of purchase receipt.
  • A warranty is validation proof of purchase. Any business contractor will only keep receipts for 7 years so the customer needs to have a copy for guarrantee purposes unless the contractor guarrantees his own work but the suppliers warranty will be greater.  A contractors warranty is only vaild if he is still trading.
  • It is likely that 50% of fence posts fail in a 15 year warranty. Keep your receipt.
  • A fence warranty can be from 25 years to no warranty depending on the supplier’s confidence in their products.
  • However, timber is a natural product and is expected to fail. There is varying porosity throughout a single length of wood which means the preservative will penetrate to different depths throughout the length during the pressure treatment process.  This is the reason Incised wooden posts are made, helping prolong a fence post life span.
  • Posts and panels with a warranty will inevitably cost more, but, if these products have to be replaced labour & waste costs is not taken into account by suppliers which a customer has to pay, unless the contractor guarantees his job.
  • Some supplier’s guarantee is only warranted if the installation procedures are strictly followed, which may also include some maintenance.
  • A warranty will vary for fence posts & panels depending on the process undertaken during manufacturing and materials used. If a panel is pressure treated it should be more durable to the weather elements, but organic preservative will slowly wash out of the timber over a few years of rain. It is recommended to paint a fence within 6 months of erection, or better still, paint with fence preservatives before erecting.

How long should fencing last?

  • Wooden fence post will be the first component to fail with everyday natural weathering. If the aesthetical chosen look is timber a secondary option would be to have a timber post bolted on to a concrete spur which should last 30-40+ years
  • Some wooden posts last 2 years if there is failure during pressure treating. Failure of a wooden post could be due to type of wood used, wood knots, presservatives used, pressure treatment process or just varying perosity throughout the wood length. 
  • Concrete fences should have a duration of 40-50+ years but the wooden panels would last 20-30.
How-Which-Fence-Ipswich

Fencing Contractors company in Ipswich, A garden Fences suppliers expert companies Services & constructions builders, unparalleled fence repairs of panels, rails & posts for 23 years

Established in 2002 as M.A.C.C.S Landscapes & experimenting with materials for 10 years to find the best practises & materials to understand why some concrete & many wooden posts fail a 15 year warranty if it has a guarantee. Understanding a product gives the customer the best service which is why we dissect structural materials and supply the findings for people to make informed decisions.


 
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