Does anyone have a composite fence? Pros and cons.

[ironingboardsarenotweapons]

TLDR: Éowyn's wrecked my fence, I need a new one, it rains all the time and I live on a bog. Should I get a concrete/composite fence instead of a wooden one?

I'm now sans garden fence both front and back thanks to Éowyn. To be fair we were expecting to need a new fence in the next year or two because ours was rotten, falling apart and generally 'had-it'. There's a VERY good reason the Lake District is called the Lake District. It rains alllllllllll the fecking time.

It's not all that easy though. Before the land my neighbours and my houses were built on, it was essentially waste ground with a beck running through it. Local legend has it the area used to be a brickworks circa 1900-ish so the ground is essentially pure clay. We had to get a soakaway system installed when we had the artificial lawn fitted. Before anyone jumps on me for having a fake lawn, yes I am aware they are evil as hell for the environment. However when your back garden is essentially a bog a lawn suitable for kids to play on ain't gonna happen. Trust me, we tried.

The wooden fence posts have completely rotted, and the bottom of the fence where it's in touch with the ground also isn't that great. So DH is looking at concrete uprights, concrete gravelboards and a composite fence. However it's also eye-wateringly expensive. So does anyone have a composite fence, and would they recommend?

We have a metal fence from ColourFence. Bought 10 years ago, it still looks brand new. Never needs anything other than the occasional wash down, maybe ever other year. It cost more up front, (I remember thinking bloody hell at the price) but considering it has a 25 year guarantee, I have never had to paint it at all, it doesn’t go green (or rather it it does, it washes off). It’s windy here a lot and the fence is guaranteed for gusts up to 130mph. Wouldn’t have any other fence. Don’t want composite and wouldn’t want any more plastic. Over time, this has saved me money, will never had a wood fence again, likely have another 20 years out of this fence.

www.colourfence.co.uk/metal-garden-fencing/

Fully composite (panels, gravel boards and fence panels) is going to be very costly. I’m having the same dilemma at the moment re durability.

what I’m leaning towards is Durapost for the posts, gravel boards and caps. Then with “normal” panels fitted to them - lots of varieties to choose from. I’ll be treating them with Bedeck paint (comes in lots of colours and finishes). It’s not money I want to spend, but have equally forked out too much trying to “maintain” my crumbling fences!

I would go wood panels on concrete gravel boards. Also get a willow tree and some other water sucking plantlife.

A willow is a really good call if your garden is big enough

Good suggestion. We have this one side, and all wood on the other. Guess which side Darragh pushed over?
Also, in terms of wind, it matters a lot how deep the posts are sunk.

If your current fence could be persuaded to survive for a couple years, I'd be tempted to do a willow fence/hedge. It's probably easier for you to Google than for me to explain!
Because you keep it relatively small it won't dry out your garden, cause subsidence, etc.
They're easy to look after on wet ground, but obviously need tied in and leaves gathered up each year...so higher maintenance but prettier & cheaper than a fence.

Concrete posts and composite panels here. A bit more than wood for cost, but should never ever need replacing. I've also got a concrete bottom layer below the first section of the drop in panels, as we have poor drainage in the area.