If you've been quoted for decking in Stevenage, you already know the catch round here: shared-with-neighbour fence runs are the norm — quotes need to cover boundary checks first. We build to that, not around it — every decking we install in SG1 is specced with that local reality first. Broadhall Way, Bedwell Crescent Stevenage Old Town The pedestrian underpass network built into the New Town design means much of Bedwell and Chells has limited rear vehicle access.
If you've been quoted for decking in Stevenage, you already know the catch round here: shared-with-neighbour fence runs are the norm — quotes need to cover boundary checks first. We build to that, not around it — every decking we install in SG1 is specced with that local reality first. Broadhall Way, Bedwell Crescent Stevenage Old Town The pedestrian underpass network built into the New Town design means much of Bedwell and Chells has limited rear vehicle access.
Free site visit, written quote, and a crew that installs what it quotes. Talk to us before you commit elsewhere. Bedwell Crescent, High Street (Old Town) Stevenage Old Town The pedestrian underpass network built into the New Town design means much of Bedwell and Chells has limited rear vehicle access.
post-war planned housing across Chells, Shephall and Bedwell, plus older properties in Stevenage Old Town. The gardens behind them are modest rectangular plots, typically flat, with rear access alleyways on the planned estates.
That shapes the decking brief — every quote we write here factors in shared-with-neighbour fence runs are the norm — quotes need to cover boundary checks first.
Stevenage's New Town estates were built around cul-de-sac layouts, with many rear boundaries meeting at three-way corners typical of the 1950s masterplan. The pedestrian underpass network built into the New Town design means much of Bedwell and Chells has limited rear vehicle access. Six Hills Way runs alongside the Six Hills, a scheduled ancient monument comprising a row of Roman-era burial mounds. Stevenage Old Town, predating the New Town, sits within a conservation area with its own historic street pattern.
post-war planned housing across Chells, Shephall and Bedwell, plus older properties in Stevenage Old Town
modest rectangular plots, typically flat, with rear access alleyways on the planned estates
Checking hinge screws are still tight and that the gate still closes flush against the frame once or twice a year catches the early stages of sag before it becomes a full repair job.
A gate that's starting to catch on the ground is far cheaper to fix at that stage than after the frame has racked further out of square.
A splice, bracket or sistered repair generally needs a reasonable depth of genuinely sound timber on each side of the joint to hold its fixings securely, and a post probed as sound for only an inch or two below the surface usually doesn't have enough left to repair into reliably.
Where a probe test shows sound timber tapering off quickly rather than continuing solidly below the damaged section, that's usually the point where replacement becomes more sensible than trying to repair into marginal material.
Replacing part of a run while leaving the rest standing means matching not just the panel style but the exact height, since even a small step in height between old and new sections is visually obvious along a straight boundary.
Where the original height isn't available in current stock, adjusting the post height or capping detail can sometimes close the gap without replacing the whole run.
Under permitted development rights, a new or replacement fence, wall or gate can generally reach up to 2 metres in height without planning permission, away from a road used by vehicles.
That height is measured from the natural ground level on the lower side where there's a change in level, which can make a fence look and function as taller than 2m when viewed from the raised side.
These are general rights and can be restricted or removed on individual properties, so checking with the local planning authority before installing anything close to the limit is sensible.
Mineral-wool infill loses its acoustic performance if it gets wet and stays wet, so the base of an acoustic run needs a gravel board detail that keeps ground moisture away from the infill rather than wicking it upward.
Standing water at the post base is dealt with before the panel goes up, not left to be a problem discovered after the infill is already packed in.
A manhole or inspection chamber cover on or near the fence line has to stay accessible, since utility companies and drainage authorities retain a right to lift covers for maintenance regardless of what's built nearby.
The practical fix is usually to offset the nearest post to one side and let a shortened panel or gravel board span across above the cover, rather than boxing it in or fencing directly over it.
Where the chamber serves a shared drain, it's worth confirming with a neighbour or the water company which covers must stay clear before finalising post positions, since covering one by mistake can mean taking the fence apart again later.
Structural timber is graded into strength classes such as C16 or C24 based on visual inspection of defects like knots and slope of grain, or by machine stress grading that measures stiffness directly.
C24 timber has been graded to a higher strength and stiffness threshold than C16, and is specified where a structural calculation demands it, such as a longer unsupported gate post span, rather than chosen purely by appearance.
Fencing timber is rarely strength-graded in the same formal way as construction timber, which is one reason gate posts subject to real structural calculation sometimes specify a graded section rather than standard fencing stock.
An old post base often left in the ground after a previous fence comes out will usually be a lump of concrete far bigger than the post it once held, and it rarely sits exactly where a new post needs to go.
Breaking it out with a hand tool or breaker takes real time compared with digging clean ground, and on a long run of old fencing there can be one buried lump per post rather than just an occasional obstruction.
Where a footing can't be fully removed without excessive disruption, offsetting the new post's position by a short distance is usually more practical than fighting the old base to keep exact spacing.
A gabion basket filled with stone provides considerable mass and some absorptive benefit from the irregular stone surface, though the open structure between stones means it isn't as fully sealed as a solid panel.
Gabions tend to work best combined with a solid backing or facing rather than relied on alone, and their weight brings its own foundation requirements that need checking before a run is planned along a boundary.
A listed building's curtilage can bring garden walls, railings and even historic fence posts within the scope of listed building consent, regardless of the general permitted development rules that would apply to an unlisted house next door.
Cast iron railings removed during wartime salvage are a common feature many period properties never had reinstated, and some conservation officers now encourage sympathetic replacement rather than modern panel fencing on street-facing boundaries.
Consent applications for listed curtilage work typically want a heritage-appropriate material and jointing method specified up front, so it's worth involving the conservation officer before, not after, a design is finalised.
Arris rails are the triangular-section horizontal timbers that run between posts and carry the vertical boards in a closeboard fence, and how many are used per bay is set by the finished height rather than fixed at two everywhere.
A fence up to around 1.2m typically runs on two rails, but anything taller — particularly 1.8m closeboard — needs a third rail roughly at mid-height to stop the boards bowing outward under wind pressure.
Morticing the rail ends into the post rather than merely nailing them on gives a stiffer, longer-lived joint, which matters more as the number of rails and the height of the fence both increase.
Yes — balustrades, steps, integrated lighting and skirts. Useful on Stevenage's mid-size gardens. Six Hills Way, Broadhall Way Stevenage Old Town Stevenage Old Town, predating the New Town, sits within a conservation area with its own historic street pattern.
Yes — modest rectangular plots, typically flat, with rear access alleyways on the planned estates. We concrete-set every post as standard, and where trees or services are in the way we work around them properly.
Comfortably across hitchin, welwyn garden city, letchworth and the wider Hertfordshire area. A1(M) J7 / J8 keeps the radius practical.
Yes — Stevenage has a steady mix of rental properties, and we can invoice through agents and turn jobs around between tenancies.
We'll come back and put right any installation issue we're responsible for. Every Stevenage job starts with a free site visit and a written quote so you know exactly what's included before we start.
Every Stevenage job starts with an itemised written quote, so nothing is assumed.
Installing garden decking across Hertfordshire.
No subcontracted labour on site.
Stevenage gardens left clean at end of every day.
Within practical driving distance of Stevenage via A602 / A1(M) and A1(M) J7 / J8.
Regular decking work near Gunnels Wood industrial area, quoted from a site visit and installed by our own crew — no subcontracting. Speak to SG1 clients if it helps. Lytton Way, Shephall Way Stevenage station Six Hills Way runs alongside the Six Hills, a scheduled ancient monument comprising a row of Roman-era burial mounds.