Fencing panels?! Any tips?

[namechangedtoday15]

We now have to replace the fence in our back garden - old concrete posts are leaning and looks like whole thing will have to be dug up so they can start again with new concrete bases / panels / post.

Any tips? Any design of fence longer lasting than another? Of course, the fencing i'd like (kind of modern, vertical batons) is ridiculously expensive so may have to change that, but with the labour, it's going to cost a small fortune whatever so want to make sure we don't have to do it again in a few years! We've had bifolds and raised seating area done to make most of garden / view of garden from house so fence needs to be right!!

Any advice appreciated.

concrete posts last a long time. I wonder why yours are leaning? Perhaps they are not set deep enough in the ground, or the soil is soft. Are they all leaning away from the prevailing wind? Dig up one of the leaning posts to see, and be sure to plant the new ones deeper. you can use formwork near the top so there is not an ugly mass or concrete peeping out of your flowerbed.

If you use a standard spacing, and they are not leaning, it is possible to renew the panels. It can be difficult.

On one side I used concrete spurs with wooden posts bolted to them. Since the posts are clear of the ground they have not rotted. I am now replacing the old panels by making a fence out of horizontal decking boards screwed to the posts, which I consider very attractive as well as strong. You could do closeboard fencing the same way.

Thanks Pigletjohn. I think the posts are leaning because our garden is higher than neighbours - so there's about 30cm of earth pushing against base of posts. Not sure how long they've been in - looked old when we moved in almost 8 years ago.

That's a great idea about decking boards- wouldn't they be heavy?!

there are a number of vids showing ways to get old posts out of the ground, but this is quite an amusing one. Usually you wrap a chain or rope round the posts, this fellow was lucky his screws didn't pull out.

decking boards are softwood. I used poor quality cheap ones that are only an inch thick, and quite light. Some of them are long enough to span three posts for added rigidity, so you need two hands. You only have to lift one at a time.

A fence is not a retaining wall. I think you'll need to bank up your garden to resist the push, unless you want to start putting in concrete or something.

I didn't mean lifting, I meant heavy in comparison to normal fence panels. Thank you for advice, a great help!

yes, it is heavier, or as I like to think, more substantial. I think it may be more stable in storms. The weight will only push on the posts in the ground.

ordinary fence panels are rather flimsy.

thank you