Find out more about the best type of garden fencing for your garden. We look at the range of fencing types and the benefits of each.

Popular Forms Of Fencing

Some of the most common types of fencing available in the UK consist of pressure-treated wooden posts, PVC/vinyl, high tensile steel, colour fences and aluminium fences.

These constructed fences provide materials with unique advantages and disadvantages, local planning permission and building regulations, budget and differing climates, all of which can influence your overall decision.

For those concerned about the budget, we recommend DIY options and outlets, using the available lap panels or garden trellis panels you can find at garden centres and contacting local handymen to help.

Professionals wouldn't always recommend these as they are often not as good quality as what you would receive from a professional installation from a fencer. Contact your local fence installers for further advice on what may be best for your local area and your requirements.

What's the best type of fencing for your garden?

You must consider numerous factors when selecting the best fences for your garden, front or back or for any outdoor landscape space, whether domestic or commercial. 

To make the most of your outside space or site, you want to ensure you pick a style that you love that's the perfect height, colour, material, garden gates and a suitable privacy and security level that is best for your garden. 

Close board fencing

Close-board fence is a prevalent option for those household owners, primarily due to their strength, timeless appearance and versatility. They are most suitable for back gardens as they offer close-board fencing at medium-budget options.

Such solid fencing often stands approximately 1.8m tall (6ft), especially once combined with gravel board. Close-board is a fantastic choice for those who value protection for their garden's shrubbery or desire extra privacy. 

Essential pros to be aware of are:

1. They are ideal for most gardens, both front and back..
2. They are long-lasting and robust. For example, if your existing or previous fences have experienced exposure to winter storms or strong winds and are not entirely held up, this is an excellent alternative..
3. It is ideal for pet owners or young children to conceal them..
4. It offers the perfect height for security and offers complete privacy.

Essential cons to be wary of include:

1. They can be expensive, especially when comparing them to various fencing styles. 
2. If you wish to implement additional options like gravel boards, it matters not whether a professional installs them; it will add further value to the cost. 
3. Traditional close-boards are developed with timber and need maintenance to upkeep their lifespan. 

Slatted fencing

Slatted fences are contemporary and sleek to make your outdoor space look more modern. It is a style of fencing that many homeowners typically select as its an aesthetically pleasing garden partition against the garden wall or a boundary fence.

Slatted fencing is a fantastic option for those wishing to accompany landscaping projects or segregate parts of their garden. 

Essential pros to be aware of are:

1. It offers great dividers for specific sections of your space or garden.
2. It provides a sleek, modern appearance to enjoy
3. The small gaps in its design allow wind to seamlessly pass through, drastically improving the endurance to harsh weather and enhancing the resistance to high winds.
4. Gaps in between the slats of the fencing don't completely obscure the view of your garden.
5. Sunlight shining through the slants can create an exciting and stunning effect.

Essential cons to be wary of include:

1. Slatted fences cannot provide the same level of privacy
2. Weeds grow through the individual slats. 

Hit & Miss fencing

Hit-and-Miss is a particularly distinctive yet beautifully attractive form of fencing created using horizontal boards along the front and back of your existing fencing panel.

Such a range of fencing is of a medium-range budget that provides a stunning pattern and the promise of privacy that delivers every time.

Its design of vertical overlapping boards increases the durability, making the fences more hardwearing. These panel designs ensure your fences face less wear and tear throughout their lifespan. 

Essential pros to be aware of are:

1. You and your neighbour get the benefit of a modern, stylish fence as it offers the same design on the other side
2. It comes in numerous heights, making it perfect for security and privacy.
3. It's incredibly durable and hardwearing
4. It's a perfectly affordable option ideal for homeowners

Essential cons to be wary of include:

1. It has gaps in the boards that offer limited protection, meaning weeds could protrude from the neighbour's garden.
2. It's much higher maintenance, making it difficult to reach the boards on the inside of individual panels if you wish to complete treatments or painting jobs. 
   

Larch-Lap Panel Fencing

Larch-lap trellis fence panels are one of the most common styles of fencing curated from horizontal slats for those on a budget. Alongside close-board fencing, larch-lap trellis fencing can be utilised with concrete or timber posts and attached gravel boards, providing similar advantages and disadvantages.

They provide fantastic value, yet they aren't as robust compared to close-board fencing as close-boards can be prone to damage where high winds are concerned.

You may wish to include wire mesh to enhance the design and provide further protection for your fence and any growing climbing plants; however, if you're looking for something more robust, this might not be the fencing for you. 

Essential pros to be aware of are:

1. They are much cheaper to invest in than close-board fencing, which means you can simply replace them
2. They are suitable for a wide range of outdoor landscapes, especially gardens
3. It is the kind of fencing that deters intruders
4. It provides a great deal of privacy
5. It is ideal for those with pets or small children, as they come in a range of various heights.
   

Essential cons to be wary of include:

1. It requires plenty more maintenance to lengthen the life of the timber
2. It can be less attractive compared to various other styles available on the market
3. Not as long-lasting or robust compared to close-board fencing
   

Timber Palisade / Picket Fencing

For those who wish to choose more decorative fencing with a traditional style to match their home's theme or decking, we recommend picket fencing, known in the industry as timber palisade fencing.

Front gardens typically have picket fences, as this is where they best shine and provide households with the most kerb appeal. Picket fences are perfect for friendly households that enjoy a brief chat over the fence with bypassers or neighbours and enjoy the sights of their surroundings as they are low enough to do so.

Wood is the traditional material; however, you can still achieve a stunning and aesthetically pleasing fence design using less maintenance PVC.

However, PVC offers a few disadvantages; for example, they are prone to mould, high-quality PVC fences are more expensive than wood, and unfortunately, drastic temperature changes can cause them to become brittle.

Its general fencing style tends to be of relatively low heights; it doesn't offer much protection for certain plants, yet the spacing within the timber means it's far less prone to detrimental wind damage. 

Essential pros to be aware of are:

1. It's a suitable option for front gardens to increase kerb appeal
2. It offers an explicit boundary marker
3. Provides a traditional appearance
4. It's ideal for protecting swimming pools or ponds
5. It lets in plenty of light and doesn't block any nice views
6. It's less prone to wind damage due to the fence spacing
   

Essential cons to be wary of include:

1. It doesn't offer privacy
2. It doesn't offer much security, as it can be easy to hop over
3. If you have a particularly jumpy dog, this kind of fence will not contain them
4. It requires plenty of maintenance to protect the timber
5. It cannot protect your plants
   

Additional considerations for your garden fence

The style, durability, height and level of security will be your first thoughts when selecting the most suitable backyard or garden fence for your household or establishment. However, you must make other additional considerations to ensure you tick every box. 

Fence Posts

Suppose you now have an idea of the style of fence panel that best suits your existing garden or outdoor space; you need to consider the type of fence post best for stability and appearance.

There are three essential choices of fence post type:

Timber posts can be a more effective and cheaper option for those on a stricter, more tight budget. However, it's paramount to take time at least once every year to perhaps repaint or apply a protective stain to your fences to maintain appearance and durability.

Timber is wood, and over time, if not maintained, it can rot and potentially begin to lean or blow over in the wind due to a lack of strength. In contrast, concrete posts are far more durable and likely to last longer in harsh weather or against intense gusts of wind, as they are solidly cemented at ground level to reduce resistance.

Another perk you'll receive is that they require far low maintenance than other post materials like wooden posts.

Concrete posts are more expensive, offering a much higher up-front cost than timber posts; however, they are best known for their longevity, making them a wiser, cost-effective investment. 

You'll still need to change all existing garden fence panels from time to time to renew them, yet they won't require replacing as often as others.

Galvanised steel posts are installed with a system known as Durapost, which is stronger yet more lightweight than concrete. One of concretes most significant pitfalls is that it takes up time to install; however, galvanised steel posts are quick to install.

Steel posts aren't known for warping, rotting or cracking; they can withstand winds ramping up to around 110mph. You can style and install these posts with virtually all fence types. 

Painting

For those opting for timber fences, these typically come in a range of more natural wood shades, like mahogany, ash, oak, cedar, etc.

However, you may be opposed to the appearance of the timber alongside the rest of your garden, so we recommend painting it in a colour or shade that suits the theme or style you're going for. 

Remember that if you have darker wood, you must complete more than one or two layers to achieve a brighter, more even paint job, unless you're going for a more 'shabby-chic' look with delicate, unpolished layers.

However, even if you like the colour of timber you've selected for your outdoor space or garden, we recommend safeguarding your fence from harsh weather, using clear stains to polishing liquids with protective wood treatments inside.

For those that have chosen a PVC fencing material, you ought to remember that this material cannot be painted over, so once you purchase it, you must be committed to the colour and shade of wood. 

Wind Protection

When it comes to protecting your front or back garden or outdoor landscape from the wind, there are two routes you can choose from:

The first is to utilise Durapost fence posts or a strong substance like concrete to hold your fences in place firmly. When tackling the wind, a strong foundation for your fencing is vital. We recommend choosing fencing with gaps, for example, a picket fence.

Whilst this may seem counter-productive, a gapped fence allows wind to blow through, meaning the wind has somewhere to squeeze through instead of batting against solid wood.