If you're a passionate gardener who wants their outdoor space to look its best, or you just fancy some privacy, a fence can go a long way in giving you both. But how do you go about installing one? We here at The Range have created this short and simple guide to help you do just that. Keep in mind that this is one of the many ways you can get this done.
First things first, speak to your neighbours. There's nothing wrong with giving them the heads up on what you’re about to do. Once that's done, pick up a pair of rigger gloves, safety glasses, and some high-quality pressure-treated fence posts that are roughly 60cm longer than your fence panels And last but certainly not least, toss your pride away and consider asking someone to give you a hand, because this can be a tiring task!
With those things out of the way, it's time to get to work.
- To begin, remove any and all obstructions, clearing the work area of debris and plants, as well as checking for any cables and pipes.
- Having a general idea of where you want your fence posts to be is okay, but you can make your life much easier by creating a visual aid. Take a wooden stake and hammer it into the ground to indicate where a fence post will go. Now tie some string around it, and wrap the other end on another stake a short distance away (around six to eight feet). Continue doing this until you've covered all the space that will soon be occupied by your new fence.
- You can now finally get to digging! {#page|354768|Dig#] a hole near a wooden stake around 45-60cm deep and three times as wide as your fence post. Finish by filling the base with around 2.5cm of gravel.
- Place your fence post in the hole, keeping in mind that around a third of it should be underground. If someone’s been kind enough to lend a hand, they can hold it still, but there is another method you can try. To stop your post from leaning, simply take two battens cut to the appropriate sizes to form a T-shape and nail them to either side.
- Next, add concrete mix to the hole (don't forget to check the instructions on the packaging). The mix should just about reach ground level, meaning you’ll need to use a trowel to smooth it down and away from the post so any rainwater can run off on either side.
- While the concrete is drying, use a spirit level to align your post correctly. Now is also a good time to secure it with those battens if you haven’t done so already to give your helper a break.
- Complete the above steps for every fence post while you wait for the concrete to dry.
- When all the concrete has hardened, remove the battens and cover the holes with soil so everything looks as natural as possible!
- Position some treated gravel boards across the bottom of your panels (this will prevent rotting). They should elevate the panels around 10cm above ground and can be secured with L-brackets and 20mm screws. If your garden isn’t flat, fill the gaps underneath the panels by cutting your boards to the appropriate sizes to ensure everything looks natural.
- Grab some 35mm steel screws and two U-shaped brackets per fence post. The brackets should be screwed on the inside of each post between 10-15cm from the top and bottom.
- Your panels should now fit nicely between each bracket, so all that’s left is to secure them in place and you're done!
We hope this guide has been useful. If you fancy some more tools or want to increase your garden's appeal, check out our entire Gardens Department.
