Fence Posts

Discussion in 'Landscaping and Outdoors' started by Karen Mac, Oct 20, 2018.

  1. Karen Mac

    Karen Mac New Member

    Hi

    I had a shared fence with my neighbour, inherited since I moved in. It was old and in disrepair and we agreed to just replace the panels and gravels boards. I wanted to raise the height of the fence but the neighbours didnt want any extra costs so we just kept simple.

    Since then, their house next door has been reposessed and they moved out very fast. Im now left with 6 panels and all the gravel boards to pay for and fit myself.

    I also had to remove the rotting fence panels myself, and in doing so, you see that state of things. The posts are rotting at the top but appear sturdy. They have a mild lean but its not significant after 10+ years. The posts are also not solid wood and have a hollow centre. They are also rectangle and not square so were probably not true fence posts to start with. The posts are also not in a straight line.

    So now im faced with the decision whether to patch or replace. Ideally I would like to have a higher fence and more privacy but we get really bad wind whistling down the hill and we can see the neighbours 6ft high fences havent lasted. Im hoping that was bad installation in not going deep enough as posts and panels are down.

    My current fence height is 3ft and its a sloping fence. Im not looking for a straight line along the top. I will cut trenches for the base concrete gravel board to sit straight.

    I had bought the following items before my neighbours moved out:
    7 of 6ft x 3ft fence panels
    5 concrete gravel boards
    14 wood gravel boards

    So I think I have the following options:
    1) do nothing and just fix the bought items to the existing fence posts and see how long they survive. No extra height.
    2) install brand new fence posts to a height I want. However I still have the wrong size fence panels.
    3) chop of the rotting top and use fence extender brackets to raise the height an extra 2ft - with trellis

    I cant really afford option 2 so its a last resort. Are there any other options you can think of? I have considered planting a hedge also but Ive got the fence stuff now. The goal is something smart and tidy with more privacy.

    thanks Karen
     
  2. spirits are real 2016

    spirits are real 2016 Screwfix Select

    you can have 6ft 6 inches between neighbours in the rear garden when I install fencing for people i normally use 3by3 posts with feather edge panels i would get rid of all the rotten posts and start again if possible to stop them snapping in the wind why not use three foot panels on top of each other.
     
  3. Shaggy

    Shaggy Active Member

    If it was me I'd try to replace rotten posts with concrete posts, last much longer.
     
    DIY womble likes this.
  4. teabreak

    teabreak Screwfix Select

    Whatever you do take lots of photos before touching anything to confirm the new fence is in exactly the same place. Some people can be right nasty accusing you of shifting the fence to steal land. Even apparently sweet little old ladies can be a nightmare once they get a bee in their bonnet! ;)
     
    DIY womble likes this.
  5. Karen Mac

    Karen Mac New Member

    Yeah Id really like some concrete fence posts and 2 of 6x 3 is a good idea - i hadnt thought of that. Thanks all for the tips!

    The neighbours disappeared for a month whilst the courts changed their locks but they came back yesterday to pack up and leave. Ive cleared all their shrubs and the land behind the fence which was a jungle and rotting the fence. I was hoping to not get done for trespassing but it needed done. Two panels still have a mound of rubbish of old pots, watering cans, clutter in front though.

    Its now sitting empty but I will take photos tomorrow - thats a good idea.

    A couple of the fence posts are really hard to get to as the old neighbours liked clutter and there is a load of junk in front and the job becomes so much harder. I could leave the one between the sheds and the one fixed to the house so that would be 5 fence posts which would be cheaper
    Optimized-IMAG0134.jpg
     
  6. Ben48

    Ben48 Member

    Go for it Karen, now's the best time to do it while their dealing with there trouble.

    I had my fence recently done by a builder but it still took me 3 months prep work of trees, bushes, stumps, 8 concrete fence post to remove on own. At several points I swear I was half a body deep in mud just to remove 100 year old concrete post.

    I jumped in my opposite neighbor's gardens and cleaned up the mess on their side just did not want to risk any weird trees, plants growing into my new fence, heck even laid weed control mat down..... not even on my land.

    These things have to be done !

    I worked with timber fence post again, cheaper and one guy can carry them and easier to work with frankly, I just used Black Bituminous Paint on the bottom of the wooden fence post and that part goes in the ground that way it never rots.

    If your getting builders in and they got 2 guys then concrete fence post, concrete gravel boards and standard wooden fence panels 6ft by 6ft probably feel the standard option. Which ever way you do it best to do it now since winters coming.
     
    Allsorts likes this.
  7. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    Hi Karen.

    I agree with Ben - get the job done, and do it as best you can. It'll save you pain in the future.

    First thing, are you sure that fence is your responsibility? If it isn't, then another option is to wait for the new neighbs...

    (This should be marked on your deeds, although there are basic rules which most folk follow - but some house have 'their' fences on the opposite sides.)

    Fixing this fence is mostly labour - (as i'm finding to my cost as Callum-the-bar-steward has just passed through...).

    If you are DIYing this, then it's the same amount of work to shove in a concrete post as a timber one, and one will effectively last forever. (But, yes, concrete is much heavier...)
     
  8. Karen Mac

    Karen Mac New Member

    Yeah one of reasons the fence was weakened was their brambles and woody shrubs poking through. At one point their shrub started growing my side of hedge too. I was so annoyed.

    I was going to put down plastic membrane sheeting between my lawn edging and slip it under the gravel boards before I knew they were going. I was desperate.

    I'm attacking the lot with weed and shrub killer.

    The new owners will never know and I'm going to make them sign something about not putting shrubs and plants next to the fence.

    I am going to try and yank one existing post out first using a car jack and see how deep it was and if they used concrete. That will give me a clue how much extra work involved.
     
  9. Ben48

    Ben48 Member

    Yup that is what I did used plenty of weed killer, black thick plastic sheets and used metal pegs down. Get it right otherwise you wont be able to get back on the other side afterwards, I need to tip some stones/rocks down on some gaps I missed too myself via step ladder now.

    If you are diy, I used a farm jack for about 35-40 quid off ebay, I put a large screw into it and simply jacked away till it got unearthed. I found it was still best to dig around it otherwise it would lift half my opposite neighbors fence up, if you got the clearance on the opposite side then you are lucky and can get away with it.

    something like this :


    So glad I used creosote paint and then Black Bituminous Paint on my wooden 4x4 fence post now, they should be in the ground longer then my expiry date.

    If you can they do have easier to lift concrete fence post but they still require 2 people and are heavy. One thing I hate about concrete is having to lift the panels up high and slotting them in and weight of post, this is why I stuck to wood just easier to work with.

    I had been quoted £300-400 for roughly 6 fence panels + post to be installed, imo very pricey but its the going rate in London perhaps now, I know with some other builders have done much better prices though (like half) so you gotta get several quotes, I wish I tried to DIY now but I had security/privacy issues so it needed to be done pronto.
     
  10. Richard_

    Richard_ Screwfix Select

    If you're installing a compete new run then offset the new posts so they are next to the old ones. That'll save digging out the old concrete.

    That method does need a bit of flexability at each end because the whole fence shuffles along by 300mm or so. Not a problem for rails and slats but can be tricky with panels.

    This is a really good summary of different methods to remove a post..

     
  11. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

  12. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    Shrubs against the panel can cause some thinner types to fail earlier, but most should cope ok.

    I'm not sure I'd greet your new neighbs with a demand to not plant shrubs, tho' - kinda gives a bad vibe.

    It's def your fence, then?
     
  13. Allsorts

    Allsorts Super Member

    I like Richard's idea - just knock over the existing posts and insert your new ones in a different location. That's if removing the old sunken parts are going to be hard to do - just ignore them.

    Another useful compromise is to use concrete post spurs instead of whole concrete posts - these are around 3 to 4 feet long and should be buried a good 2+ feet down. You timber posts simply bolts to these and are kept off the ground so should last many years.

    Yes they can look ugly, but if you paint them the same colour as the actual posts and then plant shrubbery in front of them, you'll never notice. That's what I have - works a treat.
     
  14. Isitreally

    Isitreally Super Member

  15. Ben48

    Ben48 Member

  16. George Brown

    George Brown New Member

    I agree with the concrete posts spurs as a useful compromise, We ended up doing similar on ours as our previous wooden posts only didn't last to well as it's especially windy where we are in near the sea. You could also planting shrubs in front of the fencing to help with the aesthetics of it and for added wind breaks and security (shrub depending). If you do go down the fence post route, then there are lots of options out there to when renting post hole drivers etc , not expensive either.
     

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