Timber Fencing Scotland

How to choose the best type of timber fencing for your garden?

Choosing the best type of timber fencing to suit your garden requires some careful thought. Your timber fence is there to serve three purposes:

1. Keep out your noisy or nosy neighbours.
2. Make a suitable environment for your children and/or pets.
3. Mark out your boundaries.

And it can be a combination of all of these.

So knowing your requirements will help narrow down your choices and make your garden your own. We give you an insight into what you should consider when choosing timber fencing, along with the types of timber fencing available.

Considerations when choosing timber fencing

When choosing timber fencing you require to consider the following aspects:

• Privacy: Everyone desires to have somewhere to call their own. An area where you can retreat from neighbours and passers-by. Timber fencing allows you to achieve this where the gaps between the boards are sized to fit your needs. This can be wide like a cottage garden picket fence, or gap free to give total seclusion.
• Security: A robust closeboard or vertically overlapped panel fence of 6 feet or above, topped with a decorative trellis section is a good solution. Having the flush side of the fence facing outwards gives no hand or foot holds. Where security is to control vermin, a buried section can be added below ground to stop the entry of foxes, badgers and rats.
• Aesthetics: A timber fence makes your property blend in with its surroundings and its area. This is also about what you want to see, or more importantly not see, from your house or garden. So the fence adds more than just value to your property.
• Boundaries: Wooden fencing marks an agreed boundary in a cost effective manner. The only domestic boundary more permanent is a far more expensive stone or brick wall. Internal boundaries can also be divided into areas using a timber fence. This separates the kitchen garden from the flowerbeds and lawn, or hides all the tools and the compost bins.
• Shelter: Wind, rain, sleet and hail are the common elements a timber fence shields you against. However give consideration that in the warm days of summer you may also be grateful for a shade from the burning sun.

What are the timber fencing components?

Timber fencing is made up from a number of basic components:

• Posts: A post is the main structural component of your fence. Ideally the treated post is buried a third of the way into the ground. This gives your fence a good strong foundation.
• Rails: These are the horizontal rails that run at 90 degrees from the posts and connect the fence together. The rails can be any practical length. A good design makes these match the dimensions of the attached pickets, fence boards, or lattice panels.
• Panelling: This is what attaches to the rails to give the fence its looks. These can be traditional pickets that have a gap between them. Each one is either pointed or curved at the top to form a palisade. Closeboard or butted boards that use planks closely placed together to give a solid partition. Lapped boards are where planks overlap each other to give additional strength. And panels, where prefabricated fence panels or trellises are attached to the rails.
• Gravel boards: These are lengths of timber that connect the panels to the ground. They are used to prevent moisture damaging your panels and retain stones or soil.

What is the best wood to use for timber fencing?

The best woods to use for timber fencing are natural cedar, larch, redwood and pressure treated pine. This is due to their durability against the wind and rain, and their resistance to insects, algae, lichens and moss.

A timber fence lasts for at least 20 years when made from these quality woods. Never cut corners on timber that will be in contact with the ground, as this is where rot will set in first. It also affects any unsealed ends of sawn treated timber. This is why post caps are advised to help the water run off the post ends.

Also, always make sure your fence is assembled using weather-resistant components (e.g. galvanized or stainless-steel nails and screws). If not these could fail long before your timber does.

What types of timber fencing are there?

Timber fences are available in the following types:

• Closeboard, or butted boards: Where vertical boards are fitted tightly together to make a solid partition. In most cases, a small gap is left between the boards to allow for seasonal expansion of the timber.
• Overlap: Where vertical or horizontal boards overlap each other. As they overlap this allows any seasonal expansion to move freely. It also adds strength to the structure and provides privacy. These can either be made from straight edged or feathered waney board planks.
• Palisade: The traditional cottage garden picket style fencing. Often used to allow plants and gardens to be seen while keeping dogs out.
• Trellis: A decorative feature that can be used as a fence itself, or on top of a overlap or closeboard fence. Many people use trellises as a framework for climbing plants, rather than just as decoration in itself. If this is to be the case then it is important to use a natural timber for the trellis. Also, make sure it can support the weight of the climbing plant.
• Lattice: Where thin flat bands of timber are woven between posts in a panel.
• Venetian: Where panels are comprised of horizontal strips of wood with small gaps between. This has the advantage of allowing light to pass through the fence. But, as a consequence it does not provide the same level of privacy.
• Louver: Where the strips of wood overlap at an angle, but still have a gap between. This has the advantage in that there is not a clear line of sight through the fence. However, light can still pass through.

What height can my fence be?

In the UK, there is no nationwide policy for the height of garden fences. Instead, the rules and regulations are set by your local planning authority. This can be either your local council or your national park authority. So, check their website for details as you may require planning permission to erect your fence.

Normally, you do not require planning permission to erect a fence:

• In your back garden if it is 1.8 metres (5ft10 feet) or less.
• In your front garden if it is 1 metre (3.2 feet) or less.

But always confirm with your local planning authority as they may have further restrictions.

How much does timber fencing cost?

This is not a simple fixed cost. You have two costs to consider, the components, and the labour time. So if your fence is elaborate, but made up from pre-fabricated panels, you may save on labour costs. If you fence is a simple design, but has to cover undulating ground, you will pay more in labour.

Other variable costs may be:

• Height of fence: If your fence needs to be higher than the standard panel height, or standard timber lengths, you will have additional costs.
• Disposal of old materials: You will incur extra charges if you have an old structure to dispose of.
• Foundation Work: Most costings presume that you have a good two to three feet of diggable ground to set your fence into. If not you may have increased postcrete costs, or even rock fixings to consider.

Most cost estimates are based on the exact number of posts and panels/sections required. To cost this yourself:

• Measure the length of area to be fenced and divide it by the width of the panel/section. This gives you the number of panels/sections and gravel boards needed.
• Add one to number of panels/sections to give you the number of posts required.
• Add two or three rails for each panel/section to get the number of rails you need.

The above does not account for any gates or access points in your fencing.

And finally…

Timber fencing for your garden is there to provide a safe and secure area for you and family. Ensure you invest in the best type of timber fencing, as this will give you a strong, durable and aesthetically pleasing feature that will be with you for years to come. Get in touch with us if you require further details on https://hfbc-uk.com/contact/