Railings, estate fencing, bow top, vertical bar, driveway gates and side gates across Finchley and N3, N12.
A fallen panel or leaning post next to a road, a shared path or a play area is treated as a priority repair on safety grounds, and the damaged section is made safe on the first visit even if the full repair follows later.
Where a repair is next to a boundary with public access, work is fenced off or scheduled to avoid the busiest times of day.
A timber or concrete sleeper set into the ground beneath a wide field or driveway gate gives the gate's bottom edge a firm, level reference to close against, preventing the bottom rail from dropping into soft or rutted ground over time.
This detail is particularly useful on unsurfaced openings where the ground either side of the gate sees regular vehicle or livestock traffic and would otherwise rut unevenly.
Where two plots sit at different levels, the general presumption in law is that whoever created the level difference — usually by cutting or raising ground during earlier development — is responsible for retaining it, though on old or unclear plots this isn't always documented.
A fence contractor isn't in a position to resolve a retaining dispute, but should flag it clearly where a proposed fence line runs directly along or above an unretained level change, since a fence is not a retaining structure and shouldn't be asked to do that job.
Getting this distinction agreed in writing between neighbours before work starts avoids the fence being blamed later for a ground movement problem it never caused.
Panels are usually fixed to posts with clips, brackets or nails through the frame, and levering a panel out with a bar without first locating and releasing those fixings risks splitting a post that would otherwise have been reusable.
Cutting through corroded nails with a reciprocating saw, rather than forcing the panel free, is often quicker and safer for the post than sustained levering.
Where only one panel in a run has failed, working carefully to free just that panel's fixings keeps the neighbouring panels and their posts undisturbed rather than loosening more of the run than necessary.
Panel sizing has changed slightly over past decades, and a fence originally built to an older standard width may not have a modern replacement panel that fits the existing post spacing exactly.
This becomes relevant on a partial repair where only some panels are being replaced and the remaining posts are staying in place, since a small mismatch can mean trimming a new panel down or accepting a slightly wider or narrower final bay.
It's worth measuring the actual existing post-to-post distance rather than assuming a 'standard' width will match, particularly on an older fence being partially rather than fully replaced.
Pergola posts generally need a larger section than a fence post of the same height, since they carry a horizontal beam and roof structure rather than just resisting wind on a flat panel, and undersized posts show up as noticeable sway at the top rather than immediate failure.
Softwood pergolas are almost always pressure-treated given the exposure, while a hardwood pergola can be left to weather untreated in the same way an oak gate can, at a higher initial material cost.
Screening timbers fixed to or beside a pergola structure follow the same gap and profile logic as free-standing slatted fencing, so the same trade-offs between privacy, light and wind loading apply.
A Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development can formally confirm that an existing boundary structure was lawfully built, which is useful where there's uncertainty or a dispute about historic permissions.
This is different from planning permission itself — it's a factual confirmation of lawful status, often sought before a property sale to resolve a conveyancing query.
Where a long-standing boundary fence's planning history is unclear, applying for this kind of certificate can settle the question more reliably than relying on assumption.
A post drilled to carry a solar light, festoon wiring or a mounted fitting has extra penetration points that can let water into the timber, accelerating rot at a spot that wouldn't otherwise be a weak point on that post.
Repair means addressing both the rot and, ideally, resealing or relocating the fitting so the same penetration doesn't cause the same damage again once the post section has been renewed.
Storm damage rarely hits a run evenly — a bay at the end of a straight run, or one next to a gap such as a gate, usually takes more wind load than the bays either side and fails first.
When repairing storm damage we check the bays either side of the failure too, since a post that's been leaned on hard by a falling neighbour is often compromised even if it's still standing.
Overlap (lap) panels are factory-assembled from thin horizontal slats stapled to a light timber frame, which makes them cheap and quick to fit but noticeably shorter-lived than boarded fencing.
The thin slats and lightweight frame flex in wind and the staples pull through over a handful of seasons, especially on an exposed run, whereas closeboard's thicker feather-edge boards and nailed arris rails tolerate the same movement without failing.
Lap panels suit a budget-driven job with modest exposure; anywhere wind-loaded or expected to last well past a decade is better specified as closeboard from the outset.
Cutting a galvanised post or rail to length on site removes the zinc coating from the cut edge, leaving bare steel exposed exactly where water is most likely to sit if the cut faces upward.
A cold galvanising paint or zinc-rich primer applied to the cut edge immediately after cutting restores meaningful protection, and skipping this step on a security run is a common reason a fence corrodes first at bay joints rather than along the main rail length.
A spur bolted to a repaired post can work loose if its own footing wasn't set deep enough or wide enough to resist the same wind loading that failed the original post, showing up as a visible gap opening between spur and timber.
Refixing means re-tensioning or replacing the bolts and, where the footing itself has moved, breaking it out and repouring rather than simply pulling the spur back tight against a footing that's already failed.
Feather-edge fencing uses individual tapered boards nailed vertically to horizontal arris rails, built up on site board by board, which makes it easier to repair a single damaged board without disturbing the rest of the run.
Pre-made overlap or lap panels are faster to install since they arrive as a complete unit, but a single split board usually means replacing the whole panel rather than one board.
Feather-edge also tends to be the sturdier choice on an exposed or long run, since the individual boards and rail structure resist wind loading better than a thinner factory panel.
Standard buildings insurance policies frequently exclude fences from cover for storm damage, or cover them only up to a modest specified limit, which surprises many homeowners after a bad storm.
Where a fence is shared or ownership is unclear, storm damage can also raise the question of whose policy, if either, is expected to respond.
Checking a policy's specific wording on fences and gates before relying on it for storm repair avoids finding out about exclusions only after a claim is made.
Before any post hole goes in near a driveway, front boundary or previously-disturbed ground, a cable and pipe locator (CAT and Genny) sweep is standard practice, since gas, water, electricity and telecoms runs aren't always where a plan suggests.
Rear gardens are lower risk but not risk-free — older properties sometimes have redundant supply runs or septic/drainage pipework crossing the plot from a pre-mains era.
Where a locator flags a hit, hand-digging around the service rather than augering through is the only safe approach, even if it adds time to the job.
Concrete won't cure properly in a hard frost, and post holes dug in heavy rain can collapse or fill with water before the post goes in, so a genuinely bad-weather day is a legitimate reason to reschedule rather than push through and risk a poor-quality fix.
Wind strong enough to make handling full panels unsafe is a similarly clear-cut reason to delay, particularly when working at height on taller gates or fence runs.
Being upfront about a weather delay as soon as it's known, rather than on the morning the crew was due, gives the client time to adjust their own plans around the new date.
A timber gate is easier to match to an existing fence line and easier to repair in sections, while a metal gate holds its shape better against warping and racking but is harder to alter once fabricated.
We recommend based on what the existing boundary is built from and what the client actually wants to maintain over time, not a single default material.
A standard post-fix or wet-mix concrete works well in firm, free-draining ground, but the same mix in waterlogged clay can trap moisture against the post rather than supporting it, encouraging rot from below rather than preventing it.
In consistently wet ground, a free-draining aggregate base under a shorter concrete collar generally outperforms a full concrete plug for timber post longevity.
In very loose or made ground, a wider hole with more concrete volume compensates for poor natural bearing, essentially building an artificial firm base where the soil itself can't provide one.
A small gap between a panel edge and a post face, caused by a minor inconsistency in post spacing rather than a genuine error, can often be taken up with a thin timber packer rather than re-digging and resetting the post.
Packers need fixing securely rather than simply wedged in, since a loose packer left to rattle under wind load will eventually work its way out and leave the original gap again.
Repeated packing along a run is a sign the underlying setting-out was slightly off rather than a one-off issue, and it's worth checking overall spacing again if more than an occasional panel needs correcting this way.
Not every board or rail on a damaged run needs replacing — sound timber from a section being taken down for other reasons can sometimes be reused elsewhere on the same boundary.
Reused timber is checked for rot and fixing damage before refitting, since timber that looks sound from one face can be split or split-prone where an old fixing has been removed.
A retail service yard behind a shop or unit typically holds delivery access, waste storage and sometimes gas or refrigeration plant, so its fencing needs to allow regular vehicle and trolley movement while still closing off the yard from the public shopping area.
A sliding gate is often preferred here over a swing gate because it doesn't intrude into a tight yard footprint shared with delivery vehicles manoeuvring at close quarters.
Dense planting alone reduces perceived noise mostly by psychological and visual screening rather than genuine sound-blocking, since a hedge thin enough to see through offers little real acoustic mass.
A solid acoustic fence combined with planting in front of it gets the best of both — genuine sound reduction from the solid barrier, softened by greenery that also helps with dust and visual softening.
Where space is tight, prioritising the solid barrier over depth of planting usually gives a better acoustic result than a wide but thin screen of shrubs.
We supply and fit metal fencing and gates across Finchley and the N3, N12 postcodes: railings, estate fencing, bow top, vertical bar, driveway gates and side gates, all galvanised and powder coated. Edwardian terraces in Church End, large semis around Hampstead Garden Suburb borders, and 1930s housing in Woodside Park set the pattern locally, and tree-root activity in clay soil regularly lifts old fence runs — full re-set is the typical brief.
Mid to large gardens; mature trees and London clay are the recurring constraints, which decides how the posts are set and where a gate can swing to. We set out levels and hinge heights on site rather than working to a standard drawing.
Ballards Lane and Tally Ho Corner covers the commercial side of Finchley, where heavier vertical bar railings and full steel gates with commercial ironmongery are the usual specification.
Access is planned around Finchley Central, West Finchley, Woodside Park (Northern line) and A1000 / A406 North Circular, with M1 J2 (10 min) / North Circular A406 for deliveries of longer steel sections.
Finchley spans the N3, N12 and N2 postcode areas, each with a different housing character — tighter Victorian terraces with rear-alley access toward East Finchley, and more spacious post-war semis around Woodside Park.
The Church End Conservation Area covers much of the historic centre around Avenue House.
Access is the first thing we check around Etchingham Park Road and Squires Lane: longer steel sections have to come in past parked cars, so delivery and set-out are planned with you rather than sprung on the day.
Fallow Court Avenue and Squires Lane share a back-alley layout with a pedestrian corridor running between the plots.
Almost everything we fit here is residential: front boundary railings, steps and light wells, a pedestrian gate to match, and double gates across a drive where the opening takes them. Barnet Council is the authority to check with if a frontage sits in a conservation area.
Nether Street runs close to the historic course of the Mutton Brook, a watercourse partly culverted as the area was developed.
Streets we work on regularly: Ballards Lane, Long Lane, East End Road, Hendon Lane, Etchingham Park Road, Squires Lane.
Plenty of Finchley jobs turn out smaller than people expect, and if a rehang and new galvanised ironmongery will sort the gate we will say so instead of quoting for a replacement. Call 07885907880 or use the form.
What suits Edwardian terraces in Church End, large semis around Hampstead Garden Suburb borders, and 1930s housing in Woodside Park best, with the frontage patterns first and the heavier specifications further down.
Dropped, sticking, rusting or storm-damaged metal gates put right: new hinge pins, new posts, welded repairs where the frame has failed.
Heavier gates for yards, units, schools and car parks, with commercial ironmongery and full steel frames rather than domestic fittings.
Traditional low estate fencing for open frontages, paddock edges, verges and long garden boundaries where a solid panel would block a view.
If you are weighing up a metal boundary around N3, the deciding factors here are mid to large gardens; mature trees and london clay are the recurring constraints and what the neighbouring frontages already use. For a house frontage a low railing run with a matching pedestrian gate is usually the answer, with double gates only where the drive is wide enough to take them.
Full detail on galvanising, powder coating and how metal compares with timber on lifespan is on the metal fencing and gates page.
Wooden and metal gates · Garden fencing · Decking · Commercial fencing
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