Privacy and safety are two key benefits a fence can provide. But what type of fence should you choose? This is especially the case if your budget is a little on the low side or you’re specifically looking for a cheap fencing solution. Most of us will have a rough figure in mind of what we want to spend before we start researching garden fence types. With the cost of living and high inflation these days, we are guessing it is not excessive. So, with that in mind, here is the Buy Fencing Direct pick of the most affordable fencing options around.
Exploring affordable fencing options & materials
Just because fencing does not cost the earth, it does not mean it cannot be stylish and even awe-inspiring. We are thinking here of cheap fencing solutions built from plain wooden fencing panels, but which have beautiful trailing vines and buds, adding not just beauty to your garden, but scent too. Think honeysuckle, ivy, holly and even rambling roses.
Traditional overlap panels
One of the most affordable fencing options around, the traditional overlap panels provide privacy from neighbours and can easily be painted or stained in a colour of your choice.
Picket fencing
Another affordable and popular wooden fencing option is picket fencing. This fencing is only available in a low 6’x3’ size, which is one of the reasons for its low cost. Both stylish and traditional, choose picket fencing for sectioning and partitioning where privacy is not a main requirement. As it lets air flow through the gaps, picket fencing also performs well in windy and stormy areas, with its low height making it robust with a low centre of gravity.
Wicker screens
Easy to install and good-looking to boot, a wicker screen will give you privacy and should not hurt your pocket too much either. It is a great idea if you are looking for cheap fencing solutions.
Wire mesh fencing
It may not be the most attractive type of fencing and it is certainly lacking in privacy, but wire mesh does provide a boundary for your property. It is also extremely easy to install. As with trellis fence panels, you can disguise the gaps with bushes. It does not require a heavy foundation on which to erect, so you will save on this too, making it one of the more economical fencing options out there.
Post and rail fencing
The type of fencing often found in the countryside to divide the land and ensure animals remain in a field, post, and split rail fences give a rustic look to any property. Like wire mesh fencing it is not good for privacy but, on the plus side, it does not block out light and it still does the important job of creating an effective boundary. It is also an extremely affordable fencing option.
Best cheap fencing solutions
One way of securing the best economical fencing options is to limit the amount you will need. You can do this by placing the fencing on top of a small wall or even raised beds so that you do not need it to be quite as long as if you are placing it straight on the ground.
Turning that idea on it is head, you could invest in shorter wall panels and add to the height by placing trellis panels along the top, ensuring it works out one of the better cheap fence ideas around.
Then again, if the cost of any fence at all makes you baulk then why not use 100% trellis panels instead? There will be gaps when you first put it up, due to its design, but these can easily be covered with plants if, over time, you crave complete privacy.
More economical fencing options include choosing a fence that does not require sturdy foundations and negotiating a discount per metre with the seller.
Economical fencing options
Below we list a range of economical DIY fencing solutions, which you should consider for your garden.
Posts and planks
One particularly affordable fencing option is to make your fence using wooden posts and planks. This is not too difficult to put together if you enjoy working with wood. It can be time-consuming but well worth the effort when you see how much you save compared to buying off-the-shelf wood panels.
Reclaimed sleepers
Whether you buy new sleepers from a garden centre or, better still in a financial sense, find old sleepers in a joiners or junkyard etc, then you can have fun creating a very rustic garden fence (provided you can find enough sleepers to begin with, that is). Other reclaimed wood choices can also prove among the more economical fencing options.
Reclaimed scaffolding boards
Used scaffolding boards can be used in this way too. Again, these can be found in junk yards. You will need fence posts to secure them, and they will probably want a coat of paint or two as well. But it is still regarded as one of the better cheap fencing solutions.
Natural fence
Hedge plants, such as privet, laurel or beech can provide you with a boundary edge and a solid one at that. They will need to be trimmed regularly and looked after in terms of checking the soil is well-fertilised, but they work out at around £4 per one-metre-high bush, making this one of the better economical fencing options.
Comparing costs, longevity & quality
The material – i.e. wood, composite, barbed wire (or maybe chicken wire, or hog wire) mesh - you choose for your fence will have the biggest impact on cost. But it is not the only one. There is also the cost of the labour to think about (if you have it installed by a professional), as well as the quality of the material. Wire mesh fencing will probably cost around £10 per metre, we detail other options below:
Wooden fencing
Some wood costs more than others, and if the wood is pressure-treated beforehand then that adds to the cost as well. Wooden fence panels, measuring 6’x3’, can usually be purchased for anything from £30 upwards. Wood panels can be purchased for as little as £33 for a 6ft x 6ft wood panel and £39.99 for the same panels which have been pressure treated.
The wicker screen we mentioned earlier comes in around £35 for three metres. In terms of sturdiness and therefore longevity though, it is at the lower end of the scale.
Concrete fencing
If you are after an affordable fencing option that will last, then concrete is a good option. It is possible to buy textured concrete panels these days, giving your fence a more decorative and attractive appearance. A 6ft high panel will cost around £26 per metre.
Composite fence panels
Finally, for fencing with both looks and durability, you do not need to look much further than composite fence panels. These are not one of the more economical fencing options here but there is a lot going for them. They come in a variety of colours, including imitation wood. They need much less maintenance than wood and are pretty moisture-resistant too. For these, you will pay around £44 per metre for a 6ft high version.
Life longevity tips
You can extend the life longevity of your fencing in a few ways; we list some of these below:
- Clear the area of weeds - make sure you do not let any weeds grow near your fence either since their roots could affect the fence’s stability
- Gravel boards - fencing panels can last longer – especially here in the UK - if you use gravel boards to protect them from dampness
- Keep them clean and treated - cheap fencing solutions such as wood panels or planks always benefit from being kept clean and even dip treated
- Schedule regular maintenance - regularly maintaining wooden fencing panels helps them last longer too
Conclusion: Make an informed decision
To find the right fence for you it is important to first work out why you want it in the first place. Is it for security reasons i.e. to keep people out and children or animals from running off? Or maybe it is to enhance the look of your garden fences. Whatever the reason there are cheap fencing solutions that will do the job you are looking for. It is just a matter of how much you are prepared to pay for both the fencing and any fence panels or foundations. Installing it yourself will prove one of the more economical fencing options. But unless you are great at DIY, it is probably a better idea to get a maintenance person in.
Contact us
Looking for affordable fencing options and cheap fence ideas but are still not sure if you are about to make the right choice? Then why not get in touch with our team here at Buy Fencing Direct and ask our advice?
You can contact us in these ways:
- Call us - by telephone on 0333 003 0515 from Monday to Friday (7am to 5pm)
- Live chat - if you prefer, you can speak to us via the orange Live Chat facility at the bottom of the screen
- Email - alternatively, write to us about cheap fencing solutions via [email protected]