Most of our Shephall decks go in for repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals — neighbours who've seen the last job stand up to a few winters and decided their own boundary needed sorting. Across SG2 the pattern is consistent: access yards make material delivery easy — most jobs complete in a day. The fix is to spec around it, not patch it later.
Most of our Shephall decks go in for repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals — neighbours who've seen the last job stand up to a few winters and decided their own boundary needed sorting. Across SG2 the pattern is consistent: access yards make material delivery easy — most jobs complete in a day. The fix is to spec around it, not patch it later.
A side gate in a narrow return often has to be worked on from one side only, which changes how a hinge repair or frame rebuild is approached compared with a driveway gate that can be accessed from both sides.
We plan tool and material access before starting so a repair in a tight space doesn't take longer than it needs to.
A drop bolt is typically dropped into a socket set in the ground or a hard surface to secure the closed leaf of a double gate, and that socket is one of the most exposed fittings on a gate to standing water and debris.
Galvanised or stainless drop bolts resist the corrosion that a plain steel bolt develops from sitting in a damp, dirt-filled socket, which can otherwise seize the bolt in place within a season or two.
Regularly clearing debris from the ground socket does more for a drop bolt's long-term function than the bolt's material alone, since even a corrosion-resistant bolt can jam against compacted grit and soil.
Straightforward disputes over the cost or condition of a shared boundary fence can, in principle, be pursued through the small claims track of the county court, which is designed to be accessible without needing a solicitor.
This route is generally reserved for lower-value, relatively clear-cut disagreements rather than complex boundary line disputes, which usually need more specialist legal input.
It's worth exhausting direct discussion and mediation options first, since even a successful small claim can be a slower and more stressful route than reaching agreement directly.
A deck built dead level holds standing water after rain, which speeds up algae growth and softens the timber surface faster than a deck with a slight fall built in to shed water away from the house.
The fall is normally built into the joist or bearer heights during construction, angled away from any adjoining wall or door threshold, rather than relying on the boards themselves to slope.
Getting the fall direction right at the design stage also avoids water pooling against a house wall, which risks damp ingress at the threshold over time.
Allotment sites are typically let by the local authority or an allotment association under a tenancy agreement that sets rules on plot boundary fencing, often restricting height and material to keep sightlines open across the site.
Individual plot fencing usually needs to stop short of shared paths and communal water points, and materials have to be carried in by hand or barrow since most allotment sites don't allow vehicle access beyond a car park at the entrance.
Community garden boundaries also often need a design that keeps the plot secure from casual access out of hours while remaining welcoming during open sessions, which is a different brief from a private garden fence.
Structural and treated timber is typically stamped with a grading mark showing the strength class, treatment use class, and sometimes the treatment company's code, which is the practical way to verify what was actually supplied rather than taking a description on trust.
For fencing, the marks that matter most day to day are the use class (confirming it's rated for the ground or above-ground exposure intended) and a visible batch or treatment date, useful if a defect needs tracing back to a supplier.
Unmarked or unstamped 'treated' timber from an unclear source is harder to verify and is one of the more common shortcuts on cut-price quotes.
A narrow side alley or return between two properties can act as a channel that carries noise from a rear garden or road round to the front, or vice versa, bypassing a rear boundary fence entirely.
Where this kind of path exists, a gate or screen across the alley itself may do more to control noise reaching a specific window than additional height on the main rear boundary.
A boundary fronting a road used by vehicles is limited to 1m under permitted development, but corner plots have a second constraint: the highway authority's visibility splay, which can require even lower boundary treatment near a junction so drivers can see pedestrians and oncoming traffic.
These splays are measured as a triangle from a set point back along both roads and are sometimes fixed by a planning condition on the original build rather than by the general permitted development rules.
A solid fence built to the letter of the 1m rule can still be a highway safety problem on a tight corner, so it's worth checking the local plan or asking planning before finalising height on a corner boundary.
Applications affecting conservation areas or listed curtilage structures are usually submitted through the same planning portal as a standard householder application, with an additional heritage statement often required to justify the proposed materials and design against the area's character.
Determination periods and validation requirements are broadly the same as ordinary planning applications, typically eight weeks for a straightforward decision, though heritage input from a conservation officer can extend that where the proposal is contentious.
Fees for these applications follow the standard national planning fee schedule rather than a separate heritage tariff, so cost isn't usually the barrier — the main risk is a longer timeline if amendments are requested.
A common trade rule of thumb is burying roughly a third of the total post length below ground, so a 2.4m fence post typically needs around 600-750mm set depth in reasonable ground.
That ratio needs adjusting upward on wind-exposed sites, in poor bearing ground, or on taller runs above around 1.8m, where the extra leverage on the post multiplies the load on the buried section.
On very firm chalk or dense gravel, slightly shallower depths can be adequate, but as a rule it's easier to justify going deeper than to explain a leaning post two winters later.
A heavier acoustic panel needs a deeper and often wider post foundation than a standard fence panel of the same height, since both the static weight and the increased wind load have to be resisted by the base.
Skimping on foundation depth to save time on a heavy panel run is a common cause of leaning posts within the first couple of seasons.
post-war terraces and 1970s estates. The gardens behind them are rear access yards plus standard rectangular gardens.
That shapes the decking brief — every quote we write here factors in access yards make material delivery easy — most jobs complete in a day.
Specified where it suits the brief — depth, exposure, garden style.
Specified where it suits the brief — depth, exposure, garden style.
Specified where it suits the brief — depth, exposure, garden style.
Specified where it suits the brief — depth, exposure, garden style.
Specified where it suits the brief — depth, exposure, garden style.
Within practical driving distance of Shephall via A602 and A1(M) J7.
Yes — balustrades, steps, integrated lighting and skirts. Useful on Shephall's mid-size gardens.
Yes — rear access yards plus standard rectangular gardens. We concrete-set every post as standard, and where trees or services are in the way we work around them properly.
Comfortably across stevenage and the wider Hertfordshire area. A1(M) J7 keeps the radius practical.
Yes — we regularly install around Shephall Green parade in Shephall, with security-spec heights and proper paperwork for site access.
Pricing varies with run length, materials (softwood / yellow balau hardwood / Q-Deck composite) and access. Every quote we send for Shephall is itemised so you can see where the cost sits.
WhatsApp a photo of the existing boundary in SG2 and we'll come back with rough pricing same-day, full quote after a 20-minute site visit.
If you want garden decking in Shephall (SG2) done once, properly, by a fixed local crew — that's what Capital Fencing has built its name on around A602. Free site visit, itemised quote, and we'll explain exactly why we're specifying what we are.