Fencing Installation Edgware

New Fencing Installation in Edgware

This job in Edgware, NW9, involved putting in a full run of new fencing for a customer who wanted something that would stand up to the weather and last a good few years without any fuss. We fitted 12 inch concrete gravel boards, concrete posts, and 6 foot closed board panels along the boundary. It's a straightforward combination but one that, done properly, gives a garden a solid and private edge for a long time.

The customer got in touch after their old fence had reached the end of its life. Timber posts tend to rot at ground level over time, and once that happens the whole fence starts leaning. We talked through the options on site and agreed that concrete posts and gravel boards were the sensible way to go for this particular garden.

12 Inch Concrete Gravel Boards and Concrete Posts

Gravel boards sit at the base of the fence, between the ground and the bottom of the panels. Using a 12 inch concrete board here means the timber panels are kept clear of the soil, so there's no direct contact between the ground and the wood. This is one of the main reasons fences fail early doors — damp ground sitting against timber for months on end will rot it out from underneath, even if the rest of the panel is fine.

Concrete posts do a similar job at the uprights. They don't rot, they don't warp, and they hold their shape regardless of what the weather throws at them over the years. For a boundary fence that's expected to do a proper job of marking out the garden and giving some privacy, concrete posts are the more sensible choice over timber ones in most cases we come across.

6 Foot Closed Board Fence Panels

The panels themselves are 6 foot closed board, which is a common height for garden boundaries where privacy matters. Closed board panels are built from overlapping feather-edge boards rather than a woven or lattice pattern, which gives a tighter, more solid finish with fewer gaps. There's less give in them too compared with some of the lighter panel types, which matters when you get a bit of wind funnelling down a garden.

Slotting the panels into the concrete posts keeps everything held square and reduces the chance of movement over time. Combined with the gravel boards at the base, the whole run sits as one continuous line rather than a series of separate sections that can shift independently.

Preparing the Ground and Setting a Solid Base

Before any posts went in, we checked the ground along the full run to work out post positions and spacing. Getting this right at the start matters more than people think — uneven spacing or posts that aren't properly set will show up within a year or two as the fence starts to move.

Each concrete post was set into the ground with a proper base to keep it upright and stable. A fence is only as good as what's holding the posts in place below ground, and this is the part that doesn't get seen once the job's finished but makes the biggest difference to how long everything lasts. We took the time to get each post plumb and level before backfilling, checking along the run as we went so the finished line stayed smooth and straight rather than following any dips in the original ground.

Why We Use Concrete Rather Than Timber

We get asked fairly often why concrete posts and gravel boards cost a bit more upfront compared with an all-timber fence. The answer's simple enough — timber in contact with wet soil rots, usually at the point where you can't see it until the fence is already leaning. Concrete doesn't have that problem. It won't warp in the sun or swell after heavy rain either, so the whole fence keeps its line better through the seasons.

For anyone thinking about fencing installation on their own property, particularly on a boundary that gets a lot of weather or shade, concrete posts and gravel boards are usually worth the extra cost. They take the pressure off the timber panels and mean you're not replacing rotten posts every few years, which ends up costing more in the long run anyway.

Guarantee and Peace of Mind

All work at HighPoint Roofing And Building is covered by public liability insurance and comes with a 10 year guarantee, so the customer in Edgware has that peace of mind long after the job's done. We give every customer a free, no obligation quotation before any work starts, and we talk through the materials and options on site rather than over the phone, so there's no confusion about what's being fitted.

With over 40 years of combined experience across the team, we've fitted a good number of fences across North London and know what holds up and what doesn't. This job in Edgware is a fairly typical example of the kind of straightforward, solid fencing work we do regularly.

Get a Free Quote for Fencing in Edgware

If you're in Edgware or the surrounding NW9 area and need a boundary fence replaced or repaired, get in touch for a free, no obligation quotation. We'll come out, look at the ground and the run you need covering, and give you honest advice on whether concrete posts and gravel boards make sense for your garden, or whether a simpler option would do the job just as well.