Category Archives: Fencing

Walls and fences can often cause big problems between neighbours. More specifically, we’re talking about the on-going debate over who is legally responsible for what. This is often an issue of boundaries, which for a lot of people in the UK, is something that isn’t always clearly outlined when purchasing a property for the first time.

So what do we mean by boundaries?

Boundaries between two gardens refers to the amount of land that is registered with a specific property. This is the area of space that you own and the area of space that your neighbour owns.

When you first purchase your home, you will be given lots of detailed paperwork with everything you need to know about the property. This will include a title plan drawing created by HM Land Registry, which shows the general boundaries of your land. These are your property ‘deeds.’

Unfortunately, when it comes to features such as fences and walls, it can sometimes get confusing. These are referred to as ‘boundary features’ and are more than likely not included within these documents. Sometimes information provided by previous owners will indicate who owns what, but this may not always be relevant once they have moved out.

So who is Responsible for Maintenance?

Discovering that your garden fence is in need of an upgrade can sometimes be an annoyance that you didn’t need. It can be especially frustrating for those who have fences that sit between two different properties – who does it officially belong to? Who is responsible for paying for a new one?

When trying to work out whether fence maintenance is solely your responsibility, you should first refer to your property deeds. If you’re lucky, it will clearly highlight whether it’s yours, your neighbours or joint ownership. Unfortunately, as we mentioned above, in a lot of cases there isn’t a definitive answer. This is where the problems arise.

Has Anyone Assumed Responsibility Previously?

The first thing to determine is whether anyone has previously assumed responsibility for the fence. Did you originally purchase the fence? Has your neighbour paid for repairs in the past? If either of you have done any of these things, that person is technically responsible for the fence. However, without legal documents, neither party can legally be forced to do anything.

If no one is officially responsible for paying for the fence, then any changes, such as purchasing a new one, needs to be agreed beforehand.

It’s worth noting that in this case, your neighbour is not legally obliged to pay any money towards purchasing a new fence. If you do pay in full for the fence, you should then ensure that this is erected on your property line to avoid these issues from arising again in the future.

What Should You Do?

We believe that the best (and easiest) thing to do is to simply speak to each other. By having an honest conversation about who should be responsible for repairing or replacing a fence, you could easily settle an issue that could become messy.

We suggest going into the discussion fully prepared to contribute to the costs of maintaining the fence – whether old or new. This is will go a long way to making them more willing to do the same AND help to avoid any unnecessary arguments over who pays what.

Even if you are fully prepared to pay the costs yourself, it’s always best to inform your neighbours of your intentions before carrying out any work.

If you are looking to replace your old or damaged fence, please contact Colourfence today for an alternative fencing option that is strong and durable.

Recently the weather forecast has been predicting flooding and tidal surges. Last year’s strong winds and high floodwater have perhaps caused ‘weather proofing’ to be one of the Telegraph’s gardening trends for 2017.

Climate

The world’s climate has definitely changed. Extremes are become more common and gardens are being affected. Surprisingly, plants can drown; and summer floods are worse than the winter variety. At least in winter, roots are dormant and plants can recover more easily. Coastlines are even harder on gardens; harsh winds, flooding and salt air all conspire to damage your garden.

Some solutions include clever planting, secure fixtures and landscaping. For example, raised beds can solve many climate related problems – they are also easier to weed and take care of. Seasonal pruning can reduce splintered trees and flyaway branches. Create windbreaks with pampas grass or high fences, and consider using paths to avoid churning the lawn on damp days.

Fixtures

Firstly, treat garden furniture with sealant, or else cover it carefully. Secure poly-tunnels and greenhouses to ensure they are not devastated by high winds.

Provide cosy, weather proof shelter for outdoor animals so that they have shade in summer and protection in winter. To protect yourselves from weather, try a pergola, retractable shade or pop up tent. Alternatively, a permanent terrace is a great investment in your home and is more durable than some options.

RHS Advisor Guy Barter, advises that traditional beech and box hedges are prone to loose roots and blight respectively. This makes high quality fencing an excellent alternative. Colourfence is weather resistant, resists gales up to 130 MPH and is very durable. It is also very low maintenance, especially in comparison to hedges which need a great deal of pruning and treatment.

Planting 

Dr Ross Cameron of the University of Sheffield has advised that gardeners turn to more flood and drought resistant plants. An easy way to do this is with ‘native planting’. Look up tree and shrub varieties native to your area – attend heritage seed swaps and ask your garden centre for hardy local greenery. Skip sub tropical plants and focus on traditional planting for more resilient gardens. Traditional English options such as salad plants, root vegetables, and brassicas can be tolerant of rain and cold.

Avoid paving too much of your garden – as this can lead to standing water and soil erosion. To improve soil drainage, use a lawn aerator and consider nitrogen feed for plants. Mulch the roots of plants to keep them moist but protected from excessive water. Plant according to your soil type to reduce the impact of adverse weather conditions.

Check out our other articles on Winter Gardening, and let us know what you think in the comments.

Colourfence is a durable, secure, high quality fencing product – and it’s also beautiful. These coloured garden fences are made from Zincalume steel. They can be complemented by garden gates, deadbolts and secure locks. You can also get gorgeous trellis sections in contrasting or matching colours. They don’t need staining or painting and are guaranteed to look incredible for 25 years. The standard width of a Colourfence section is 8ft rather than the more standard 6ft panels, and Colourfence can also be installed at your preferred height, 5ft, 6ft, or even 7ft with the appropriate permissions.

Colourfence comes in four beautiful colours; for four different looks.

Classic: Green Fencing

Green is one of our most popular fence colours. Our green fences are made from the same tough yet beautiful material all our fencing enjoys. They can stand out or blend in as you would like; require very little maintenance and look very appealing. Our green fencing can be classic or contemporary, depending on your garden and the look you want. They can be paired with matching or contrasting trellis sections, posts and infills.

Homey: Brown Fencing

Brown fencing has a warm, homey appeal. It comes in all sizes up to 2.1m, and can be enhanced with a new, secure fence gate in the same material. You can accessorise your brown fencing with trellis top sections – they can look especially charming in a soft cream, wound through with dusty pink roses or a strong, evergreen climber. It’s one of the more traditional fencing styles and the second most popular of our fencing colours. Blends perfectly in a cosy cottage garden.

Contemporary: Blue Fencing

A more contemporary look, blue fences take a classic hue into an unusual setting for a gorgeous juxtaposition. The gentle Prussian tint ensures that the colour is not jarring in a traditional garden. Yet this modern fencing colour is a refreshing change in a world of typical, dull wooden fences. And, unlike cheap external paints or stains, this colour fencing won’t run or fade. They offer the same high quality of all Colourfence steel fences and look incredible in minimalist, new build gardens.

Cosy: Cream Fencing 

Cream is a warm, cosy garden fence colour, perfect for the English countryside. Cream garden fences can be mixed and matched with posts and infills, as well as a secure new gate, or fence top trellis. As you can see, it looks fantastic paired with green or brown. When building a fence, our franchisees will put your tastes and directions at the top of their consideration. You may be concerned about the upkeep of cream fences. But like all our coloured fencing, it just needs an occasional hose down to look good.

Short answer? Maybe. It depends on the height of the fence, the proximity of roads and (realistically) your relationship with your neighbours. If you follow height regulations, you can likely put up a fence up to 2m in height with no problems.

There are different rules for conservation areas and for listed properties – if you have purchased a heritage or ‘at risk’ property, it’s possible that you will not be able to make any changes at all.

How High Can a Fence Be? 

Planning permission is generally required if the fence is higher than 2 metres – and potentially as low as 1 metre if the fence is by a road. You can also apply for retroactive planning permission, if your fence accidentally exceeds regulations, or if another person can raise reasonable objections. (Remember that this may not be successful).

You are not generally obligated to have or maintain a fence, although it is the norm in our society. If you are planning to put up a fence, it’s advisable to talk to your neighbours. While it isn’t a legal matter, a chat at the right time can save a heap of trouble.

Planning Permission

Building a fence is one of those areas where it’s definitely better to seek permission than forgiveness. If you don’t get a permit and your planning application is rejected, the council can – and likely will – order your fence to be taken down. Housing authorities can be incredibly strict, especially if there have been several infractions and they want to make an example of someone.  

Sticking to height rules might not help if you are feuding with your neighbours, or if they have a ‘reasonable’ reason to disagree with your alteration. One hotelier couple had to take down their fence after their neighbours claimed it was put up purely to annoy them!

However you can generally repair or replace a fence if it will be the same height and bulk as a pre-existing fence that has been in situ for a number of years.

Can I Object To Someone Else’s Fence?

 photo credit: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/garden/576280/Garden-wars

In short, yes you can. You can legally object if the fence exceeds height requirements, or is placed on the wrong boundary. Ideally, people planning to erect fences should head off any neighbourly disputes by letting you know first. If you have to object after the fence is built, be sure of your legal rights, and try to keep things civil.

There was an unfortunate case a few years back where neighbours feuded over a property boundary. One couple put up a fence to mark their legal boundary (as defined by their housing deed) – and when they were on holiday, their neighbours took it down. The other couple tried to justify their actions by saying that the fence was ‘tatty and unsightly’. The feuding neighbours ended up in a protracted legal battle which resulted in the objecting couple having to sell their house to pay legal costs.

The two largest factors in erecting a garden fence are the goodwill of your neighbours and the attitude of your council. If you determine that you do need planning permission, the best thing to do is to make your application online. Fences are not subject to building regulations. You can also apply for a ‘Lawful Development Certificate’, a slightly different form of planning permission that can be quite complex; professional advice is advised.

Your garden should not be an open invitation to burglars. As the UK Police crime prevention advice suggests, garden fencing in good repair is the first line of defence against any kind of garden invader from professional criminals through to noisy neighbours!

Choosing garden fencing can sometimes be an afterthought, but some research suggests that as many as 80% of burglaries are made through gardens, particularly back gardens. This statistic makes clear that failure to ensure good garden security can leave households at risk of burglaries or other forms of break-in such as opportunistic theft (often of garden plants and equipment, a growing area of criminal activity) and vandalism.

How good garden fencing protects against burglary

• Strong fences are a deterrent – intruders are opportunist and will pick on a garden that has low, weak or easily climbable fencing over one that has robust fencing that offers high security and little opportunity to be climbed over.

• Substantial fences protect your possessions from scrutiny – like Colourfence full screen fencing, protect your home from being examined as a potential break-in venue by burglars. By preventing visual assessment of your possessions and possible entry and exit points, full screen fencing provides you with peace of mind. Available with an optional decorative trellis finish, Colourfence full screen fencing is a stunning garden feature as well as a robust protection against intruders.

• Fence maintenance is vital to garden security – many householders ensure they have good garden fencing when they move into a new home but fail to recognise the need to maintain garden fences. Wooden fencing often turns out to be an inferior fencing choice, because it rapidly becomes dilapidated and can offer many opportunities for break-ins via loose slats and easily climbable panels. Colourfence is maintenance free and durable, giving you complete confidence in your household’s protection.

• Weak spots in garden fencing help burglars – professional criminals break and enter with ease. Vulnerable points include low or sagging fences, or garden gates with poor locks. Well-designed garden fencing offers strong lockable gates that are the same height as your fences and equally robust. Colourfence offers a range of substantial, versatile gate options that are tailored to each garden with a bespoke range of drop bolts, handles and locks.

• Garden fences need to look great as well as providing security – ColourRail tubular steel railing works perfectly in situations where full screen fences are not required or not suitable. The huge advantage of ColourRail is that it can be installed using our specialist posts or fitted between pre-existing pillars on walls to fit perfectly into traditional garden designs. Like all Colourfence products, ColourRail comes with a ten year non-flake, non-corrosion guarantee.

Good fences make good neighbours

Sometimes, sadly, our neighbours can become an irritant. Whether it’s a dismal view of next door’s ill maintained garden, the hullabaloo of rampaging children or simply the fact that you want your garden to be a haven of peace and tranquility, top quality garden fencing is a major contribution to quality of life.

How garden fences protect your home from burglars and vandals

We have four top tips to protect from burglars – any home that applies all four will be at a far lower risk of break ins. If you want peace of mind, apply these four ideas to ensure you are safe at home.

1. First and foremost, securing your garden is a major deterrent. In a 2007 university research project professional burglars revealed that they often check out locations to see if they are easy to break into. They even use security lighting to their advantage, as it helps them plan their entrance and exit routes. Where possible, choose fences that block a burglar’s ability to see your home, then you won’t be a top target – a burglar will choose an easier option and leave you in peace.

2. Consider maintenance, because professional thieves do. What’s clear is that professional burglars are hard to deter, and will mark up houses that they plan to revisit in a couple of year’s time to see if the fences have deteriorated. Maintenance-free fencing, like Colourfence, gives you complete certainty that your garden will never be an attractive proposition to professional criminals.

3. Railings may at first seem like a less secure option, but if you can top them with burglar-frustrating hoops or spears, they become an unattractive obstacle course for a burglar. Garden invaders prefer fences they can simply vault or scramble over – anything that could catch clothing or inflict physical damage as the thief climbs over will make your garden much less likely to be targeted.

4. Don’t have trees or shrubs growing against fences if they will allow criminals or vandals easy access to your garden. Similarly, avoid positioning wheelie bins and other household items where they can be used as tools to enter your garden, either as climbing aids or simply as places to hide whilst the criminal scopes out a good way to break in.

Learn more about how to keep your pet safe with Colourfence…

Here we’re going to analyse the costs of wooden fence panels as compared to more long term solutions. We’re working on the basis of 70ft of fencing, at 6ft high. This means that for standard wooden fencing, 12 panels x 6ft wide are required, or 9 Colourfence Panels (as they are 8ft wide).

Wooden fencing may seem like an economical option, but could be much more expensive in the long run compared to higher quality (but more expensive) options. This is a debate that continues in fashion (cost per wear), electronics and housing.

These are just material costs; we have excluded labour costs for the purposes of this comparison, as some people will install their own fencing and some will hire fitters – whose rates may vary.

The wooden fencing and treatments are hardware own brand – branded treatments such as Cuprinol or Ronseal may be significantly more expensive. The metal fencing posited is made from Colorbond steel.

Initial Cost & Replacements

This is how much the fencing will cost you overall, including initial fencing, installation, and any necessary replacements. A wooden fence is a cheaper option initially, but will require replacing at least every 10 years, potentially more often if you live on the coast or in a windswept area. The overall cost is roughly the same, but the wooden fence will need replacing 3 times – while a metal fence will last 25 years without needing replacement or costly maintenance.

Wooden Fencing:

Initial Cost: 12 panels x £34 = £408, 13 posts = £299, 13 Post caps x £45.50, Total £752, Replacements: 3
Total Cost: £2256

Metal Fence by Colourfence:

Initial Cost: 9 Panels x £108.33, £975, Replacements: 0
Total Cost: £975

Cleaning

Timber, while it is a great material, is prone to rot and mildew when kept outside due to it’s exposure to moisture. As a result it requires a thorough clean with a fungicidal wash every two years, preferably 24 hours before applying a sealant. Metal fencing can be cleaned by hosing it down with water, making it lower maintenance and easier to keep clean. Pressure washers can be harsh on metal, so plain water is better, with a little detergent if necessary.

Wooden Fencing:

£32 fungicidal wash every 2 years
Total £400

Metal Fence by Colourfence:

£1 detergent, £5 metered water every 2 years
Total £75

Sealing / Staining / Painting

To help keep wooden fence panels water resistant, you’ll need to apply a wood treatment / sealant every two years. This is ideally applied 24 hours after a fungicidal wash is used to remove any mould. Metal fences do not need to be sealed or polished, due to their anti-corrosion base and powdered steel coating. (can you talk about painting too, as im sure theres many people who just paint the fence (sealing a fence seems to be done in many ways, i,e paint, stain or other sealant, so it would be good to include these)

Wooden Fencing:

£30 Wood Sealant every 2 years
Total £375

Metal Fence by Colourfence:

Total £0

Pest Control

Pest control is an important job for any keen gardener and homeowner. Dealing with ‘woodworm’ (a generic name for a variety of wood boring insects) is an extra expense that comes with timber fencing. The death watch beetle tends to favour oak, while the powder post beetle focuses on hardwoods. The furniture beetle is less discriminating, and will lay their eggs in any kind of wood. Metal fences are not susceptible to beetles in the same way.

Wooden Fencing:

£45 woodworm treatment as needed.

Metal Fence by Colourfence:

£0 – None Required

Conclusion

So overall, wooden fencing will cost you £2320 over it’s lifetime – compared to £1050 for metal fencing. That’s a total saving of £1270 – not to mention the time saved!