Fence Panels on Top of Wall

[Ferdinand]

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

[Jeremy Harris]

We did this, on top of the 4ft stone-faced block wall that forms our North boundary, the one with the big retaining wall.  We used those bolt-down 75mm post holders, secured to the top of the blocks with 4 thunderbolts.  If doing it again I think I'd have had the concrete-in post holders built in to the wall, with the sockets on top, really just to make it look a bit neater.

[Ferdinand]

4 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

We did this, on top of the 4ft stone-faced block wall that forms our North boundary, the one with the big retaining wall.  We used those bolt-down 75mm post holders, secured to the top of the blocks with 4 thunderbolts.  If doing it again I think I'd have had the concrete-in post holders built in to the wall, with the sockets on top, really just to make it look a bit neater.

 

Thanks @JSHarris. Useful.

[RichS]

Don't rest the panel on the wall, leave a small gap so water isn't trapped and constantly soaking back into the timber.

[MikeSharp01]

What about brick piers every so many cm then fence between them leaving a gap as @RichS suggests. It will look great and last a very long time. Downside may be cost. Here is pic of idea as my dad built 51 years ago - same timber. (Cedar)  https://goo.gl/maps/9nmr4AoLN9z 

[Temp]

There are walls and there are walls. Check the foundations and that mortar is still sound. Don't want the whole lot blowing over next winter. 

[MikeSharp01]

I don think it will blow over. IIRCC (and I was only a boy when Dad built it) each pier is built around 4" stainless steel column sunk in the foundations. Plus we don't own it and I have not lived there for 32 years but I keep a watchful eye on the house that Dad and Mum built. 

Edited May 26, 2017 by MikeSharp01
Typo + and Mum.

[RichS]

I like the system @MikeSharp01 has mentioned, and was also caught out by what @Temp has said.

My first attempt was built on the cheap, I extended the columns on a 4" wall and infilled with taper edge boards. Come the first storm of winter and the lot ended up on the public footpath, very luckily not hitting anyone or anything.

I demolished all the wall and rebuilt in 9", hollow columns with rebar in the centre and then filled with concrete. Also the boarding is doubled up in a hit and miss configuration so that the wind can get through but gives complete privacy.

 

 

[bassanclan]

concrete screws won't be rustproof, choose something made of stainless steel ideally to fix to the wall

[Onoff]

Resin fixed st/st studs would be good.