Having a fence around your backyard gives your home privacy and a boundary that can also become an attractive or decorative feature of your garden.
Garden fence ideas can also increase the value of your home when it comes time to sell. They can also block out noise and keep kids and pets safe on your side.
Whether you want a low design that allows you to chat with neighbors or something taller that offers added screening so you can have total privacy, the method is the same. The first thing to do is to choose the material you want for your fence. There’s wood, wrought iron, chain link, vinyl, bamboo, stone, and even ‘living’ fences made from hedges, shrubs, or bushes.
Well-chosen materials will enhance your fence decorating ideas, provide an ideal backdrop for plants, and protect the garden from the extremes of winter weather.
Our guide will take you through the steps needed to build a wooden post and panel fence, as this is one of the most popular options. This is because you have complete control over how much privacy you want. After all, you can choose the height of the wood panels. Wooden fences can also be stained and painted in a color of your choice to make your backyard a design feature.
How To Build A Fence For Your Backyard
A wooden post and panel fence can be a handsome addition to the backyard. It does increase the cost to fence a yard compared to installing a chain link fence – although it’s typically less costly than installing a vinyl fence – and it allows you to create an individual style. Think about building a fence gate to match while you’re on the project.
You will need:
Tools:
Breaker to break out existing posts
Post-hole shovel or thin shovel
Post hole digger
Saw
Paintbrush, wood stain, or paint if you want to paint posts or panels
Materials:
Fence panels
Gravel boards
Posts
Post fixing compound
String line
Bitumen (if painting timber posts beneath ground level)
1. Plan Ahead
The first thing to do is to let your neighbors know that you will be working on the fence. It’s good etiquette to give a few days’ notices where possible. Get all your tools and materials ready and wait for good weather. A typical post and wooden panel fence has its posts spaced at 1.83m intervals and uses a fence panel and gravel boards to fill the gap between the posts.
2. Clear Out All The Old And Prepare The Space
Start by clearing out an existing fence, if there is one, along with any breakout posts, then remove all waste from the area. Next, set up a string line from the first to the last post to ensure your fence will be straight.
3. Dig Out The Holes For Posts
Now the hard work starts. Dig out your holes for the posts. For a 6ft (1800mm) fence, 600mm deep is recommended. ‘Install posts in a fast-setting post fixing compound at 1.83m intervals,’ advises Robert Morley of Morley Gardens, a Rated People gardener. ‘Next, install gravel boards between the posts. These should be 150mm in height and act as a barrier between the ground and fence panel, increasing the durability and longevity of the fence.’
‘You can pour concrete into the bases of your posts once you have all of them in place and checked that they are level and straight,’ adds Thomas Goodman, construction expert at My Job Quote. ‘You shouldn’t mix concrete on soil because it can damage the ground. Instead, mix it in a bucket or a surface that is easily cleaned.’
4. Install The Panels
To add the panels, use brackets for timber posts or slot them into the grooves provided in concrete posts. To make your fence even more hardwearing, you can also paint the timber between ground level with bitumen.
Can I Build A Fence Without Having To Dig Holes
Digging holes for fence posts is hard work. If you want a more accessible alternative, you can use metal spike anchors like this from Amazon instead. Place the spikes where you would otherwise dig holes and use them to set the posts in place.
Is A Wooden Fence The Easiest To Install?
Timber panels are usually the simplest and quickest fences to build in your backyard. This is because it’s simply a matter of installing posts and panels rather than rails, pickets, or other materials. It won’t be the cheapest in terms of materials, but it will be long-lasting, and you can paint or stain the wood in a color to match your garden or create a decorative design with a bold or vibrant shade.