Fence Calculation

[Ed_MK]

Hi all,

 

 

Hope you having a good Crimbo ...so far!

 

I have started thinking about my fence ....I am clearing the site and will be getting a 

mini-digger in just to smooth it about and also dig the soakaway and other BIG holes!

 

But now all the trees are bare it is really exposed to the road and the wife has asked me
how much it will cost to do ...I am dreading all those bloody holes ...but there you go .

 

currently it is a mixture of council Post and rail ...along road side about 200 foot of it ....which i wont be moving

just erecting within it.

 

The remainder of the side is mostly facing my inlaws and the back of the neighbours gardens and is composed of mainly 

rotting waney lap panels and in some cases ...no fence at all , i have had to chicken wire it to keep the dog in

 

So the plan is to erect a closeboard fence on post and rail to match the 30 foot that was erected by a neighbour 

2 years ago and is good looking and solid

 

I have only ever done Concrete and Panel ...so I am hoping I got my calcs right...its about 350 foot all around excluding gate and good bit
and i was told Post and rail is normally 10 foot spans ..So i come up with (the attached)

 

To match the good fence there it needs to be 7 foot ..SO I have allowed for this...Down here I have noticed Southerners refer to "gravel boards"

While us up north call them "base panels" ...I am sure they are the same 

 

I plan top treat the 2 foot of the post in he ground with roofing bitumen to over ground level and also drive several 6" nail into it before concrete

(I used to see my old dad do this ...and his fences seemed to stand forever ...so I will copy it!)

 

Wherever i look to buy the wood seems to suggest the following

 

1. Feather boards (shaped like a wedge) .....but the good ones in place are 10x1 cm planks (lapping 1cm) ...so should i not copy them ?

 

2. Also the rails I am quoted seem to be cut diagonally ..I have never seen this ...I would normally "presume" they were 4x2 ..stronger?

 

3. Some timber place told me I would need to put a rebated capping along the top ...presumable to help water drip off ...the current solid fence doesn't
have this...its more money again ....but is it worth it ?

 

Any advice of clarification from anyone that knows better is appreciated

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Ed_MK

[CC45]

I think the overlap needs to be closer to 20mm or when it all dries out you will be looking at each other through the gaps.  Get some quality feather edge - go and look at some in timber outlets.

 

I'd use concrete posts & gravel boards - you won't need to go near them again.  3x2 treated timber horizontally.  Good galv nails unless you want to see rust streaks down the wood.

 

If you use timber posts & GB then accept the fact that you will replace them < 10yrs unless you find an outlet that sells proper creosote ones (still available) & use a post saver at the base of the posts - it does help. 

 

It all gets expensive quickly.

 

 

[Onoff]

1. You can get decent feather edge with 4, 5, even 6mm thickness at the thin and. The cheap stuff is like a knife edge.

 

2. Arris rails is what they're called. Cut like this to shed water, stop moss lodging etc.

 

3. Rebated capping or "topper" a good idea imo. Stops the open end grain sucking in rain like a sponge. 

[Onoff]

If you want to go OTT then paint the concrete fence posts and gravel boards with Thompson's Water Seal.

[Onoff]

http://www.pavingexpert.com/featur02.htm

[Russell griffiths]

First point, do you need to go 7 foot, 

this is not standard and will mean buying non standard parts

9 foot posts are not standard and will cost more than 8 foots which are standard

6 foot feather edge boards are not standard, they are normally 5foot 6 inch to allow for a 6inch gravel board, or 5 foot to allow for a 1 foot concrete gravel board. 

 

I would go and find what is available and price it up, I would think going taller will add a reasonable amount to the overall cost. 

 

To build a good fence you should allow for a vertical short post that sits in the centre of the bay, this comes out from the ground and props up the lower arris rail, this prevents sagging, which will happen. 

 

I would soak the post bottoms in creasote, as the watery crap they use today is no comparison to the stuff your dad used

[PeterW]

Have you considered hit and miss fencing ..?? Quicker to put up and you can use off the shelf stuff such as 6x1/2 for the boards and it’s easier to repair. You can also use stuff such as 6x2 for the rails and cut them on an angle to get your drip edge. 

[Ed_MK]

Hi Peter

I like Hit and Miss...sadly the wife thinks it is too "gappy"

 

I will call Jewsons ..as I have a good contact there and see what the costs for various will be

 

[PeterW]

May be worth giving Jackson’s Fencing a ring as they will probably be much keener on price than Jewsons. 

[nod]

4 hours ago, Ed_MK said:

Hi all,

 

 

Hope you having a good Crimbo ...so far!

 

I have started thinking about my fence ....I am clearing the site and will be getting a 

mini-digger in just to smooth it about and also dig the soakaway and other BIG holes!

 

But now all the trees are bare it is really exposed to the road and the wife has asked me
how much it will cost to do ...I am dreading all those bloody holes ...but there you go .

 

currently it is a mixture of council Post and rail ...along road side about 200 foot of it ....which i wont be moving

just erecting within it.

 

The remainder of the side is mostly facing my inlaws and the back of the neighbours gardens and is composed of mainly 

rotting waney lap panels and in some cases ...no fence at all , i have had to chicken wire it to keep the dog in

 

So the plan is to erect a closeboard fence on post and rail to match the 30 foot that was erected by a neighbour 

2 years ago and is good looking and solid

 

I have only ever done Concrete and Panel ...so I am hoping I got my calcs right...its about 350 foot all around excluding gate and good bit
and i was told Post and rail is normally 10 foot spans ..So i come up with (the attached)

 

To match the good fence there it needs to be 7 foot ..SO I have allowed for this...Down here I have noticed Southerners refer to "gravel boards"

While us up north call them "base panels" ...I am sure they are the same 

 

I plan top treat the 2 foot of the post in he ground with roofing bitumen to over ground level and also drive several 6" nail into it before concrete

(I used to see my old dad do this ...and his fences seemed to stand forever ...so I will copy it!)

 

Wherever i look to buy the wood seems to suggest the following

 

1. Feather boards (shaped like a wedge) .....but the good ones in place are 10x1 cm planks (lapping 1cm) ...so should i not copy them ?

 

2. Also the rails I am quoted seem to be cut diagonally ..I have never seen this ...I would normally "presume" they were 4x2 ..stronger?

 

3. Some timber place told me I would need to put a rebated capping along the top ...presumable to help water drip off ...the current solid fence doesn't
have this...its more money again ....but is it worth it ?

 

Any advice of clarification from anyone that knows better is appreciated

 

I’ve a petrol hole borer bought off eBay £150

makes light work of dogging down for posts 

 

[Ferdinand]

5 hours ago, Ed_MK said:

closeboard fence on post and rail

Normal wooden posts in concrete are a NO NO. They will rot in a ridiculously short time, even if you use Postsaver. You will be repairing posts within about 10-12 years. Creosote? Maybe, but I do not have recent experience.

 

I do it using post spurs and bolted on 6ft wooden posts to keep them off the ground if it has to be in concrete with wooden posts.

 

For materials, I think (bit of a guesstimate) you may be in the £20-40 ballpark per 1m. Not a cheap thing.

 

I would check - 1 Independent local fencing companies, both for materials and a turnkey quote (VAT reclaim?), 2 Seeing if they will make dyed brown concrete posts for you (many will for quantity), 3 Look at panels designed to look like closeboard - bolt rails to your posts and attach the panels to that with Timberscrews or attach directly, and 4 Guaranteed or plastic posts.

 

A quote from a significant local fencing company for the whole shebang might surprise you. 

 

F

Edited December 27, 2018 by Ferdinand

[Mr Punter]

Depending on soil type, you need up to 30" (750mm) of post in the ground.  Posts tend to fail and rot at the ground level junction, so when you concrete in, bring the concrete up past finished ground level and haunch up round the post, so that water runs off.

[Ed_MK]

1 hour ago, Mr Punter said:

Depending on soil type, you need up to 30" (750mm) of post in the ground.  Posts tend to fail and rot at the ground level junction, so when you concrete in, bring the concrete up past finished ground level and haunch up round the post, so that water runs off.

well...

 

i have been told I have the best ground for  building. .its basically 12 inches of loose earth and grit. ..and as you get deeper it gets grittier. stoner and sandier. 

 

water just bloody vanishes in it...

not so good for flowers me thinks 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Ed_MK

[Russell griffiths]

The fencing contractors by me are moaning that wooden tanalised posts aren’t lasting 5 years

if it was my place and I was going to stay for 10 years it would be concrete posts. 

 

[willbish]

9 hours ago, CC45 said:

Good galv nails unless you want to see rust streaks down the wood.

 

Interesting intentional use of rust streaks from nails

 

[Ed_MK]

Well the Japs can keep it !

Its a pigging eyesore LOL

 

If you see them about ....tell them I have about 20 broken pallets lying about ....

..I am sure they could knock up a masterpiece of modern urban and industrial decay with them