Well, obviously the choice is yours as no one can force fencing onto you and your garden. But the choice is dazzling. So, here’s how to weave your way through to your fencing Utopia.
For me the first thought is, ‘What do I want the fencing to do?’ It could be a straightforward answer such as ‘to mark the boundary between my neighbour and me’. It may be something along the lines of ‘I need to support a rampant clematis currently sprawling over the soil’ or even ‘something to disguise where the bins hang out’. There’s even a new fence panel designed to answer that persistent and ever-growing problem of noise! Once you’ve decided on what you want the panel to do, you can choose a style.
Some gardens and houses are modern. Others are droolingly quaint and chocolate box affairs. Try to marry the fencing style to existing themes or looks. Unless, of course, you want to change the whole lot. Picket fencing lends a cottage garden atmosphere whereas, for example, Paloma and Valencia panels are very much modern in their appearance. If you need decorative panels, still long lasting with a superb quality of manufacture of course, screening is perhaps the answer (back to those bins again). Rather than blocking the view with a solid fence panel, it is often better to break a view. Trellis panels are perfect and they can also double up as a plant support. You can even fix them to strong walls and use purely as decoration.
Practicality is always the watchword with all wooden fencing, and on occasions a no nonsense post and rail fence is just the ticket. Easy to put up and clear in its message: ‘This is the boundary’. And being pressure treated it carries a 15-year guarantee against rot.
So, you’ve decided what you want your fencing to do, the style you want to achieve and practicality and ease of use is paramount as it’s just you and a friend who have to put the whole lot up. Next is the pricing. Cheaper fencing isn’t always the best option. Ideally, you only want to put a run of fencing up once. OK, a hurricane will blow down most fences but except for a quick check and adjustment, you don’t want to bother with fencing once you’ve put away your screwdriver and spirit level. Or at least nothing for 15 years. So, if your budget allows, buy pressure treated panels so rot isn’t a problem; buy quality panels that will stand up to the elements (one hurricane in thirty years isn’t too bad a record) and put it up correctly. Job done. Move on. Nice fencing.