Fences
Fences are an important component within a residence, forming a physical barrier around the plot of land belonging to the owner of the residence. Whilst they do offer security in terms of preventing strangers from easily entering a property off of the street, more than anything they define the boundaries between properties, separating the garden spaces and side alleys of neighbouring houses. A well made fence is sturdy, and provides privacy from onlookers, as well as security in terms of keeping young children and pets from wandering free. Fences are regulated in height by local councils, and are among the most disputed components constructed in modern properties. Fences come in many styles, suiting different applications. Here we shall look at the regulations defining the correct implementation of fences, and how they're installed.
What is a fence?
What are the criteria for the installation of a fence?
As stated, the regulations surrounding the height, location of installation, and responsibility of a fence is clearly defined by a council’s regulations. Whilst the specifics can vary across the country, a general set of regulations applies to them all. On the title deeds of a property, the owner of a fence is clearly stated. The owner of a fence is responsible for maintaining it, and liable if injury occurs due to it. In most instances, when facing a property from the road, the left hand fence of the property is maintained by the owner of said property. That being said, there may be exceptions to this rule dep[1] ending on where the property lies. It's not uncommon for homeowners that are renovating their property to replace the fences on both sides of their property with new posts and panels, provided the neighbours are okay with this. When neighbours dispute about boundaries or ownerships, it's also fairly common to see 2 separate fences down 1 boundary line - a fence for each property.
Talk about height for location - pretty sure its 6’ in back garden and 3’ in front garden.
How are fences installed?
Fences can be made in situ, or purchased as panels and installed as such. Either way, each section of fencing is supported by or between vertical posts that are fixed to the ground. These posts may be housed in brackets that are mounted to concrete, brackets that are driven into the ground, or set in concrete in holes that are dug into the ground. When setting these posts in the ground, a hole is dug, the post is placed inside, and then postcrete or post foam is set in the hole to hold the post in place. Posts can be made from reinforced cast concrete, or pressure treated timber. The former has an “H” shape[1] d through section, allowing premade fence panels to be slid in between them. These fence panels are typically 6’ long, and so the spacing between the hard internal edges of the posts should be 6’ apart. The premade panels are also around 5’ in height, and are installed atop a 1’ deep concrete gravel board to create an overall height of 6’ off of the ground. The gravel board provided a solid base for the panel to sit on, elevating it off of the damp ground. Timber posts are most commonly used in combination with individual fence timbers to create custom, in situ fencing solutions.
Moulded, treated arris rails span between posts at the top, middle, and bottom of the posts. The distance between these posts is still 6’, and 6’ tall. The arris rails are traditionally mortised into the posts, though in modern times special brackets are used for a more sturdy construction. Alternatively, concrete posts with holes in them can be purchased for use with arris rails. When the rails are installed, vertical feather edge fencing boards can be installed to them, attached with external rater nails. A decorative trellis may also be installed on top of the fences to give an aesthetic look.
Here are some additional styles of fences that can be commonly found in the UK, with annotations about the pertinent points of each.