Choosing the right fence for your property

Fencing does more than mark a boundary

A fence is doing one or more of three jobs: keeping something in, keeping something out, or marking where your property ends. Which of those matters most should decide the material, the height and the fixings, not the price per metre.

Match the fence to the job

• Security fencing: height, sight lines and anti-climb detailing matter more than appearance
• Industrial and site fencing: durability and quick installation, often temporary
• Residential fencing: appearance and neighbour relations count as much as function
• Livestock and boundary fencing: long runs, so post spacing and tensioning decide how long it lasts

The posts are the fence

Almost every failed fence failed at a post. Depth, concrete and spacing are where a cheap quote saves money, and where you pay for it two winters later. Ask any contractor what post depth and spacing they are quoting on before you compare prices.

Gates and access

Work out where vehicles, deliveries and pedestrians need to get through before the line is set. Retrofitting a gate into a finished run is always more expensive than planning it in.