platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
On the subject of fences is one of these perfectly fine and the other oppressively ugly? Or do I just have some kind of weird bugbear? My mum's neighbour has offered to replace their shared fence with either.
Ugly fence question
- Thread starter platinumsage
- Start date
Storm Fox
Trying the find the next noun to verb
I would have thought the concrete kickboard that bottom is a good idea, although I don't why it is two high in this picture. This will help prevent the bottom of the fence rotting. However for me, the right-hand one looks more aesthetically pleasing.
platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
I know the concrete lasts better but doesn't it look…well, it’s not exactly in keeping with a Victorian cottage herbaceous border is it? It screams post-war suburb to me, I expect they have lots of them in Basildon. Or am I being unreasonably snobby?
bluescreen
tofu eating wokerati
Concrete is ugly but v practical. Uprights could possibly be coated/painted to be more sympathetic? Low planting could cover the base. The one on the right is much more pleasing but will blow over. Wooden posts need proper treatment or will rot quickly (they failed in Eunice anyway in our garden).
BoatieBird
Well-Known Member
I'd go for the one with the concrete bits and then plant stuff in front of it.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
I'd go for the concrete posts. As others have said they won't rot. Also if you go down this route get some pressure treated batons. Fit into the slot in the post then you can just swing the panel into place and screw to the batons instead of trying to lift them up and into the posts. But you will have to space the posts slightly further apart. 
jontz01
taking refuge in the loft
As a landscaper. Go concrete. Use a smooth faced kickboard instead of the one shown. Try for a vertical lap panel. So many long term benefits to the concrete. If it's done right, you should never have to replace the posts again. As others have said, planting is your ally.
jontz01
taking refuge in the loft
Dunno about that method tbh... Fence panels aren't exactly heavy. Why compromise the structure?I'd go for the concrete posts. As others have said they won't rot. Also if you go down this route get some pressure treated batons. Fit into the slot in the post then you can just swing the panel into place and screw to the batons instead of trying to lift them up and into the posts. But you will have to space the posts slightly further apart.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Go for the concrete posts & gravel boards.
Done properly, it will outlast even the best [normal or treated] timber.
[Spanner incoming - unless you use Accoya, but that's very expensive]
Paint and planting will both disguise the materials.
However, Please, do install hedgehog tunnels.
Done properly, it will outlast even the best [normal or treated] timber.
[Spanner incoming - unless you use Accoya, but that's very expensive]
Paint and planting will both disguise the materials.
However, Please, do install hedgehog tunnels.
platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
Good to see everyone agrees with me that she should avoid the concrete as it's less attractive. 
She doesn't give a fig about maintenance whatsoever as it won’t be her fixing rotten posts in x years time.
She doesn't give a fig about maintenance whatsoever as it won’t be her fixing rotten posts in x years time.
bluescreen
tofu eating wokerati
At present she has a neighbour who's prepared to mend it. She may be stuck down the line with someone who doesn't bother, and there's precious little you can do about that without making relations even worse. I'd still go for the concrete to future-proof her privacy, and take the ameliorating steps of painting and planting already suggested.Good to see everyone agrees with me that she should avoid the concrete as it's less attractive.
She doesn't give a fig about maintenance whatsoever as it won’t be her fixing rotten posts in x years time.
maomao
普費斯
Ah. I read it as him thinking his mum wouldn't outlive the unprotected wood fence which shocked me a little even for him.
bluescreen
tofu eating wokerati
A brand new wooden fence like that could still blow down in the next big gale, which could happen any time soon.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
You should have seen my neighbour struggling with 5' high panels then.
I didn't go for the gravel boards so the batons also served to keep the fence panels off the ground. If anything rots it will be the batons which are easy and cheap to replace.
As for compromising the structure I've had no problems with them including the last 2 storms we had.
platinumsage
HaveMyPassword123
I reckon a wooden post fence should last at least 10 years if it's put in badly (i.e. soil around the post bases) and could easily last 25 years or more if done well. This is based on the rotting of the posts, of course an exceptional storm could wipe it out sooner, but then a tornado could take her roof off tomorrow. If new wooden fences in good condition got blown down that easily, no one would use them.
She doesn't think she'll be able to live there for too many years due to her crippling osteoporosis, so will probably be in a nursing home or something.
I wondered, in a more general sense, if these would be an answer to provide the benefits of concrete without the ugliness, especially if they're located on a side of the fence that isn't yours:
She doesn't think she'll be able to live there for too many years due to her crippling osteoporosis, so will probably be in a nursing home or something.
I wondered, in a more general sense, if these would be an answer to provide the benefits of concrete without the ugliness, especially if they're located on a side of the fence that isn't yours:
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
If you want wooden posts but don't want to put them in the ground, you can get these steel spikes which you just drive into the ground with a big hammer. I put up a fence with them years ago and it hasn't blown over. You could even set them in concrete if you want something super sturdy.
www.wickes.co.uk
Wickes Bolt System 600mm Support Spike for Posts - 75 x 75mm | Wickes.co.uk
Wickes Bolt System 600mm Support Spike for Posts - 75 x 75mm
WouldBe
Dislicksick
They really are ugly.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
They are alright unless like my parents neighbour who hammered one through a sewer pipe.If you want wooden posts but don't want to put them in the ground, you can get these steel spikes which you just drive into the ground with a big hammer. I put up a fence with them years ago and it hasn't blown over. You could even set them in concrete if you want something super sturdy.
Wickes Bolt System 600mm Support Spike for Posts - 75 x 75mm | Wickes.co.uk
Wickes Bolt System 600mm Support Spike for Posts - 75 x 75mm
ice-is-forming
let me rephrase that... Fuck off
I actually find the fence with the concrete more aesthetically pleasing tbh. Even if it isn't accurate for your victorian cottage herbaceous border... I like to mix it up, I like to see the concrete & timber & greenery all mixed in together. The squares the concrete makes in the fence. I'd paint them. They're like picture frames. Hang some vertical gardens on the bits you don't like. Plus the organic timber plus trellis & plants, it'd look awesome 
sometimes the beauty of a thing can be in the contrasts. Like a beautiful river with a power station built next to it.
anyway, just my two pence worth, I like the concrete one but for a completely different reason to every one else...
sometimes the beauty of a thing can be in the contrasts. Like a beautiful river with a power station built next to it. anyway, just my two pence worth, I like the concrete one but for a completely different reason to every one else...
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