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Hi everyone. I am planning on building a new horizontal slatted fence in my garden but have a few questions, and hope that someone has some experience or advice on this which would be much appreciated. I am planning on using grade A imported roof battens 50 x 25. My plan is to install vertical posts at 1.8m centres, then install the roof battens across them with 8mm gaps between each batten. I also plan to attached support battens behind the slats at about 400mm centres to provide extra support and hopefully reduce any bowing of the slats. I have seen in online videos, landscapers installing similar style fences but using black privacy screening fabric under the slats to give a nice contrast to the natural wood and also provide privacy from not being able to see through the fence gaps, which I like the idea of. However I have some concerns about using this as there doesn't seem to be much feedback online about it. My questions are: If I use privacy screening behind the slats, which are UV resistant, would the screening last long enough without degrading as my worry would be that the fabric degrades and ends up with all the stringy threads flapping about in the wind which would look terrible? Also regarding the fitting of the slats, would I need to leave a gap between the ends of each batten where they join at the vertical posts for expansion? And if so how much of a gap? I could cover these joins with a vertical slat which should look quite nice. Thanks Jack

Is there any wisdom on attaching fence panels to the top of a small wall for extra privacy? I have seem this done by people drilling down through those concrete copers that are everywhere, or by buying (or making) a bracket which is screwed down to the copers, Highly bodgy or somehwat bodgy - asking for ingress of water down the middle of the wall, and require repair in under a decade. In my case it is a 3ft wall with coping bricks which are 45 degrees each side. I think I am inclined to use 3x3 tanalised posts attached to the back of the wall for perhaps the top 18" to 2' attached using concrete screws or concrete screwbolts, using 3 per post section, then attach the 2ft high or whatever panel to the front of the posts. If I can find any I will add brackets to let the panel rest on the wall with no mechanical attachment. Can anyone see any issues or suggest better methods? (I am OK wrt fencing facing the highway and height regulations, because it doesn't). Cheers Ferdinand