Establishing who owns the boundary
Title deeds don't always mark ownership clearly, and a security upgrade is exactly the kind of work that surfaces a dispute if the existing line is assumed rather than checked. Where a boundary is shared, we recommend confirming ownership and getting neighbour agreement in writing before work starts, particularly on a line that's being made taller or more solid than what's there now.
On terraced rows this matters more than on a detached plot, because a shared rear boundary can affect several neighbours at once.
Mesh aperture and 358 prison mesh
358 mesh — so called for its 3mm wire, 5mm x 76mm aperture — is specified where cutting or climbing resistance matters, because the small aperture won't take a boot toe or bolt-croppers the way a standard weld mesh will.
Standard weld mesh apertures run larger and cheaper for general perimeter use; the tighter 358 pattern is reserved for compounds, substations and sites where the threat model justifies the extra cost per metre.
Acoustic barriers near a listed building or its setting
A solid acoustic barrier can be visually at odds with the character of a listed building or its setting, and consent may be needed even for a boundary treatment that wouldn't otherwise require planning permission.
Discussing a barrier's design with the local conservation officer before ordering materials avoids installing something that then has to be altered or removed to satisfy a listed building consent condition.
Drainage at the base of the run
Standing water at a post base is one of the fastest ways to undermine an otherwise sound fixing, whether that's a low spot that collects rainfall or a boundary that sits below the level of the garden either side.
Where drainage is poor we build in a fall away from the post or add a soakaway detail rather than setting concrete into water and hoping it clears.
Sherardised nails and fixings
Sherardising coats small steel fixings in zinc through a low-temperature diffusion process using zinc dust rather than a molten bath, giving a matt grey, evenly distributed coating well suited to fasteners with fine threads.
Because the process doesn't build up excess zinc at edges and threads the way hot-dip galvanising can, sherardised nails and screws keep a cleaner, more precise fit than galvanised equivalents of the same size.
The coating is thinner than typical hot-dip galvanising, so sherardised fixings are generally specified for above-ground, moderate-exposure use rather than permanent ground contact.
Checking which face of a panel should face outward
Many panel styles have a clear 'good' face with a neater finish and a reverse face showing the frame, battens or rail ends, and getting this the wrong way round means the less tidy side ends up facing the client's own garden or the neighbour's, depending on convention and agreement.
Where a boundary is shared, it's worth agreeing in advance which side the good face should present, since local convention varies and assuming it defaults toward the neighbour without discussion can cause an avoidable dispute.
Checking panel orientation before fixing, rather than after several panels are already up, saves having to unfix and turn a run of panels that all went in the wrong way round.
Earth mound height compared with fence height
An earth mound or bund generally needs to be considerably wider at its base than a fence needs to be thick to achieve a similar screening height, since its side slopes have to be stable rather than vertical.
Where garden space allows it, a planted mound can outperform a fence of the same height because its sloped, planted surface absorbs some sound rather than reflecting it, but the space it takes up rules it out on many smaller plots.
Post depth as a ratio of height above ground
A common rule of thumb is that roughly a third to a quarter of a post's total length should be in the ground, so a post standing 1.5m proud typically needs somewhere in the region of 500-600mm of burial depth depending on soil and loading.
Taller fences, gate posts, and posts on exposed or poorly-draining ground all push toward the deeper end of that range, since the leverage on a buried post increases with height above ground far more than it does with depth.
Skimping depth to save digging time is one of the most common causes of a post working loose within its first few winters, well before the timber itself shows any sign of failing.
Checking fall along the base of a fence line for drainage
Where a fence runs along the low side of a garden or parallel to a slight natural fall, water can collect and run along the fence line itself rather than away from it, sitting against gravel boards and post bases for longer than on flatter ground.
A shallow channel or a slightly raised base at the lowest points along the run helps water continue past rather than pool against the timber.
This is worth checking during a wet spell before finalising post positions, since a dry-weather site visit can miss a drainage pattern that only shows up after sustained rain.
