Alternatives to a wood fence

Barr · 18-03-2021 11:51AM #1

Hi All

The wood fence between us and our neighbour has seen better times . It is rotten in places and needs replacing .

I’m wondering is there a better alternative to wood these days .

Ideally something that will be maintenance free and not need to be painted/treated every year like wood.

Thanks
Barr

SnowWhale78 · 18-03-2021 12:04PM

http://www.smartfence.ie/

You could try something like this.
You would need to install concrete posts or similar to hold in place but a very low maintenance alternative.

Barr · 18-03-2021 12:33PM

A steel fence - that looks like a decent option . The concrete posts are already there so should be workable

karlitob · 18-03-2021 12:35PM

Barr wrote: »

Hi All

The wood fence between us and our neighbour has seen better times . It is rotten in places and needs replacing .

I’m wondering is there a better alternative to wood these days .

Ideally something that will be maintenance free and not need to be painted/treated every year like wood.

Thanks
Barr

Like most things it’s a balance - cost aesthetics need etx.

There’s a
- new wood fence
- block or brick wall
- concrete post and wood panel
- concrete post and concrete panels
- concrete post and the smart fence suggested above
- pvc fencing
- composite fencing.

What length are you thinking?
What cost are you thinking?

If you already have concrete posts, then I think the other posters suggestion of smart fences is a good one.

Barr · 18-03-2021 01:20PM

karlitob wrote: »

Like most things it’s a balance - cost aesthetics need etx.

There’s a
- new wood fence
- block or brick wall
- concrete post and wood panel
- concrete post and concrete panels
- concrete post and the smart fence suggested above
- pvc fencing
- composite fencing.

What length are you thinking?
What cost are you thinking?

If you already have concrete posts, then I think the other posters suggestion of smart fences is a good one.

The fence is 11 meters in length

I haven’t though about a budget / costs yet . Just seeing what options are available before agreeing with the neighbour 😊

The pvc fencing and composite fencing sound like interesting option .

Is there any pros and cons between steel , pvc or composite .

Outkast_IRE · 18-03-2021 01:25PM

One thing to keep an eye on if you have concrete posts already, they may not be very percise in their placement in that they may vary a bit , in a wooden panel you can trim the edge, not so easy on the metal or pvc panels.

karlitob · 18-03-2021 01:30PM

Barr wrote: »

The fence is 11 meters in length

I haven’t though about a budget / costs yet . Just seeing what options are available before agreeing with the neighbour ðŸ˜Š

The pvc fencing and composite fencing sound like interesting option .

Is there any pros and cons between steel , pvc or composite .

Composite is very expensive ~€250 per 1 post and 1 panel (I think). And I’m not sure that includes labour.

I liked the look of the pvc fencing in the pictures but it was very expensive, a bit flimsy in my view and obviously plastic looking.

Steel fencing can be gotten but if you mean the steel in the smart fence then I understand that it might seem flimsy - once it’s in it’s fairly sturdy. And it’s got a film on it to colour it. Unless you go with galvanised. I thought I read somewhere that scratches on the film could be a source of water ingress and rust the film (not the galvanised steel itself) so you might want to check that.

I had to put in 44m so went with Concrete post and picture frame fence. No help from neighbours. Side access very narrow so cost of wall would have been very high.

Didn’t like the aesthetics of the rest of the options even if I had the money.

Lumen · 18-03-2021 02:15PM

I had ordinary vertical hit-and-miss pressure treated fencing with concrete posts in my last house. Was put in by celtic-tiger era developers so every expense spared, but it was still perfect after 12 years when I left the house, apart from where I'd clipped it with a strimmer. I put a cosmetic stain on it two years in but doubt that made any difference.

So "painted/treated every year like wood" is unnecessary, in my experience.

But then that was in Dublin, in a fairly sheltered housing estate. Maybe if I was out west on an exposed site it would have been different.

As for the alternatives: steel and concrete are ugly, composite is insanely expensive. So I'll stick with wood for the time being, and when that goes maybe hedging in front of clipex.

Alun · 18-03-2021 02:21PM

Lumen wrote: »

I had ordinary vertical hit-and-miss pressure treated fencing with concrete posts in my last house. Was put in by celtic-tiger era developers so every expense spared, but it was still perfect after 12 years when I left the house, apart from where I'd clipped it with a strimmer. I put a cosmetic stain on it two years in but doubt that made any difference.

So "painted/treated every year like wood" is unnecessary, in my experience.

Same here. We're in our current house almost 20 years now, and we still have the same hit and miss pressure treated fencing we had when we moved in, which I believe has been there sine the house was built in 1995. It's weathered to a grey colour mostly, although in some of the damper more sheltered areas it goes a bit green but that can be pressure washed off no problem.

Barr · 18-03-2021 05:09PM

karlitob wrote: »

Composite is very expensive ~€250 per 1 post and 1 panel (I think). And I’m not sure that includes labour.

I liked the look of the pvc fencing in the pictures but it was very expensive, a bit flimsy in my view and obviously plastic looking.

Steel fencing can be gotten but if you mean the steel in the smart fence then I understand that it might seem flimsy - once it’s in it’s fairly sturdy. And it’s got a film on it to colour it. Unless you go with galvanised. I thought I read somewhere that scratches on the film could be a source of water ingress and rust the film (not the galvanised steel itself) so you might want to check that.

I had to put in 44m so went with Concrete post and picture frame fence. No help from neighbours. Side access very narrow so cost of wall would have been very high.

Didn’t like the aesthetics of the rest of the options even if I had the money.

Like you, I think this looks very well in the pictures . This is a composite fence - it looks alot like real wood from the website .

I'll try and get a sample and see what it is really like

https://www.eurocell.ie/homeowners/outdoor-living/composite-fencing

Mr321 · 27-06-2023 10:33PM

Pvc or the pvc/composite panels is your maintenance free option here. Unfortunately not that cheap but not sure how much of an area needs doing.

You could build a wall but it'll have to be cleaned and painted. Brick was mentioned already but might look out of place depending on your and neighbouring house type.

The reality is the only thing that kept outside fences in good condition for many years was a yearly coat of creosote.

con747 · 27-06-2023 11:09PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120773253#Comment_120773253

That's an American company based in San Diego I doubt they would be interested in a small garden fence in Ireland if that's where the OP is. PVC or Composite is probably the best looking but expensive.

mulbot · 27-06-2023 11:20PM

Rockface concrete panels-about 130e ish per 6 foot section (allowing that you've already the support posts-which I think you might have already.

The Continental Op · 27-06-2023 11:59PM

Before we go too far down this rabbit hole take a look at the date before OliverShultz's post.

Lumen · 28-06-2023 07:13AM

Fkn bots.

Alternatives to a wood fence

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