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Property/DIY

Price of fences and decking, not a clue! Help!

25 replies

CrispyFB · 08/05/2015 20:11

We're picking up the keys to our new house on Monday Grin and cannot wait!

The garden is fabulous, and one of the things that makes this house "the one", but it has some seriously steep terracing in the middle section. There are three parts to it - upper flat grassy bit, steep terraces with steps, lower patio. When the DC are all older the steepness won't matter, but for now our youngest and last is only 14 months so of course we need to keep her safe as there's nothing stopping her tumbling.

There are two things we can do:

  • build a child-proof fence/gate across where the slope begins (it's very sudden and steep) which is the cheaper option


  • build out raised decking over some of the steep terrace (maybe 2-3 metres?) increasing the usable flat part of the garden and it would also be a nice sun trap in the evening. A neighbour has done this so it is feasible. Obviously there would be a fence at the far end and we'd still need fence for the remaining part and a gate


The garden is approximately 10m in width.

We are completely and utterly new to any form of garden landscaping having always lived in tiny, flat gardens before and have not the first clue on the likely costs. If putting in a fence is going to cost loads, if we later got the decking done after doing the fence originally, the fence money would be wasted. This wouldn't matter if the fence was peanuts but if it's a significant amount we might as well tighten our belts and go for the decking straight off. However if the decking is going to cost a small fortune then we'll stick with the fence indefinitely.

I don't want to bother people for quotes until I'm more confident over the likely sort of prices for either fence or decking. Can anyone give me a rough sort of idea? I have no idea if we're talking hundreds or thousands here, I really know nothing on landscaping costs or how long it might take either! We're in the SE but not London.

Thanks!!
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Daffodilpots · 08/05/2015 21:45

21m of fencing cost approx £2800(a wall was rebuilt and some trees uprooted too but the majority of the cost was the fence)

It's always always more than you think it's going to be!

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Cassie258 · 08/05/2015 21:52

Around here it's £20 ish for a 6ft fence panel. £5 per 2ft4 deck board. Screws were £10 a box and joiny bits/frame under decking were £10 each.

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CrispyFB · 08/05/2015 23:32

Heh, there's a contradiction in price! Grin I wish we could DIY but I am hopeless at this sort of thing, as is DH. Sadly we don't know anyone who can do it either as none of our friends are this way inclined. We're all geeks, not hugely practical people.

In our last house in London we had a bunch of fence panels replaced, new holes dug, concrete for the posts etc (see all the clues I have over what they actually did..) and I think the fence panel part of it was very much Not Cheap, possibly well over a grand for around four or five full size fence panels all in. But I have no idea if we were ripped off or not as we were in a hurry and no other builders seemed interested in quoting us let alone being available to do the work. I was hoping as we'd need smaller ones as it's internal to the garden it might be cheaper but of course I'm being a bit daft there - it'll still need the same amount of work and that's the expensive part.

I think that's partly why I'm asking here because I'm so clueless over it and I'm afraid of being ripped off. The price for our external fence we had done sounds similar to daffodilpots though, so perhaps we weren't.

The decking will definitely require somebody very professional in and more than a regular gardener/landscaper because it needs to be very structurally sound as it will be probably at least a metre high if not more at the furthest point.

Fully expecting either to cost a sodding fortune but just trying to work out what is feasible!

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Cassie258 · 09/05/2015 07:32

I am very unpractical. Fortunately DP is both highly intelligent and highly practical he's a twat for it so he did it all.

I definitely think you could do the decking. If you are intelligent, you will be able to work out the plans and even I helped with the decking. Remember: measure twice, cut once.

Fences are an odd one. We got a professional company to do a pocket fence type thing at the front. It was £320. It's well made and strong but turns out massively overpriced. When we had two panels blow down, he wanted £120.

Do you have concrete posts in already? Everything like this has a YouTube video that you can copy. Grin

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PilchardsonToast · 09/05/2015 07:40

We had a six panel fence erected last winter and it cost £400. We're also in the process of getting decking (if we get planning permissionConfused) of approx 2mx4m raised 60cm and we got quotes from £850 to £1400. I'm in Sheffield

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Cassie258 · 09/05/2015 08:20

Planning permission for decking?

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PrimalLass · 09/05/2015 08:33

A fence you can definitely do yourself. Buy posts, postcrete, a metre-long spirit level and the fence bits.

Do check your council's rules for raised decking.

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CrispyFB · 09/05/2015 11:49

Thanks!!

Trouble is, I don't think we'd ever get around to it if we did it ourselves. When we got the fence panels done at the last place, they'd needed doing for several years and always said we were going to do it (even bought the concrete) and just never got around to it. Children/life get in the way. Realistically, we need to pay someone to do it!

Planning permission for decking! Eek, I had no idea. As I said, next door have it (have attached a photo) and that's the sort of thing we want, just without the shed on it. You can see how steep it is, definitely not something I'd want to do myself. I wonder if they got planning permission or even knew they had to?

Price of fences and decking, not a clue!  Help!
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Cassie258 · 09/05/2015 13:47

I can't see the photo as on mobile app. However, from what I've googled as long as you are not in a grade listed/in an area of beauty you're fine if under 30cm high

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Cassie258 · 09/05/2015 13:49
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CrispyFB · 09/05/2015 17:49

Ahh, that's a shame - it would be well over 30cm at the peak as we're planning on using it to create a larger flat space for the top part of our garden out over the steep terrace. So looks like we would need planning permission. Oh dear!!

Thanks!!

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Cassie258 · 09/05/2015 19:30

Good job you posted.

I'm now very nervous as our house is under offer so I'm hoping it doesn't need retrospective planning permission like the conservatory did when we purchased. Confused

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CrispyFB · 10/05/2015 11:26

Oh dear!!

I would never have imagined it to be honest. It seems you can now build conservatories to a certain size without planning permission (correct me if I'm wrong, think rules have been less strict recently) but a bit of decking 31cm is a no-no? Wow.

DH jokingly suggested we fill in the triangular bit below with earth (not quite sure how we'd hold it in place, mind!) and then the decking wouldn't be over 30cm in height off the soil!

Think we will talk to our neighbours once we're moved and ask them about what they did..

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Marmitelover55 · 10/05/2015 13:56

We have a deck at the bottom of our garden that is well over 30cm high. It was done 4 years ago. Last your our architect (who was designing kitchen extension) mentioned our raised deck and asked if we have planning permission. We don't as didn't realise we ended it. Anyway she said that if no one complained that after 4 years it would be legal - I think there is a 4 year rule. Thankfully 4 years are now up and no complaints Smile. So if you aren't planning to move for 4 years you could risk it.

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TeddyBee · 10/05/2015 14:40

We had building control round to sign off our extension. They didn't bat an eyelid at our 1m high deck (we have a very steep drop off the back of the house.

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uggmum · 10/05/2015 14:48

I would shop around for fencing. I had new fencing installed recently.
10 six foot panels, concrete boards and posts, including fitting and removal of old fence and digging up of a huge privet hedge all for £650.
I obtained 3 quotes and they varied by a few hundred each.

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TeddyBee · 10/05/2015 15:49

That was a great bargain! Any chance you're in the south east ;)

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Marmitelover55 · 10/05/2015 16:37

I thing it is a planning issue rather than a building control one teddy

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caroldecker · 10/05/2015 17:48

Pretty certain they measure ground level from the highest point not the lowest - so under 30cm at the top can be any height at the bottom of the slope.

Article 1(3) of the legislation defines “height” as follows:
“Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Order to the height of a building or of plant or machinery shall be construed as a
reference to its height when measured from ground level; and for the purposes of this paragraph "ground level" means the level of the surface of the
ground immediately adjacent to the building or plant or machinery in question or, where the level of the surface of the ground on which it is situated
or is to be situated is not uniform, the level of the highest part of the surface of the ground adjacent to it”.

Also you will not want a 6ft fence, probably one of these so about £200 for 10m. gate for £50. Most of the fitting work is digging the holes, so offer to labour for the fitter and change from £400.

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TeddyBee · 10/05/2015 17:52

Well ours is definitely less than 30cm at the top! The bearers are resting on the old patio by the house, but the drop off is ridiculous.

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CrispyFB · 11/05/2015 08:24

Thanks all! :-)

Thanks caroldecker - that's really helpful and obviously also very reassuring! It did seem mad to me that it might need planning permission but stranger things have happened. The costs sound very reasonable too if I can find somebody to do it (DH may not mind volunteering to help - I would but somebody has to watch the baby and he's about twenty times stronger than me!)

Marmitelover - that's interesting as well, thank you!

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LBOCS · 11/05/2015 13:51

Just to throw in a curveball - what about a raised bed? We live on a hill so the rear of our house is lower than the garden - there's a sunk patio area then three steep steps up to the lawn, which just stopped at the edge of the wall down to the patio. In order to stop small children just running off the edge, we built a raised bed the length of it, about 1m deep. This way we had an extra planting area, plus if they trip over it they'll fall into my plants rather than onto the concrete below.

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LBOCS · 11/05/2015 14:32

Oh, and it was the cost of sleepers + 1 days labour - about £320 all in. CONSIDERABLY cheaper than having the garden fenced (which we also had done at the same time. 22m with feather edge fence panels slotted into concrete posts cost us the best part of £3.5k, all in.

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CrispyFB · 12/05/2015 19:33

The idea of a raised bed is not a bad one. We noticed today that next door seems to have similar but more of a "raised lawn" I guess - that would be nice if we had something like that.

So much to look into! It's quite a large garden and we could do so many different things once we're more settled (and saved some cash!!)

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CrispyFB · 27/05/2015 19:09

In case anyone is interested, we're getting it put in on Friday. We've been quoted £1600 but that is 11m of very fancy fencing (not a bog standard lap panel, properly finished solid stuff with nice trellis bits and so on), gravelbeds where needed as the ground is uneven, a fancy gate AND a rather nice matching arbour over the gate. I know from looking at the site where we chose the panels, gate etc that the cost of the materials is around half the final price. It's going to take two people (gardener to dig holes, move bushes/trim branches out the way, and a proper experienced carpenter) two days to do, so the price seems fair to me.

It's a forever feature so it needs to look really good, and will only add to the future saleability of the house in the very distant future as I'm sure plenty of people with children were put off this one due to the drop. This makes the top part of the garden safe, and attractive.

So long as we're happy with the work, we'll probably get the same people to do the decking at some point too - after looking in more detail at where the sun shines in the evening etc we'll probably have the decking (4mx3m) as an entirely separate thing further down the garden, so we'll end up with fence AND decking in the end. We've been rough quoted around £3K at least, but I suspect it'll be a little more, these things always are. Especially as it is so very, very steep so there will be quite a hefty drop off the top so deep holes will need to be dug for stability. Chaps said there would be enough room to put a proper storage area or a den in underneath which would be good.

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