Fencing Dilemma
SusanE
Posts: 3
We have a stepped wall in our back garden, which backs onto the street. On one side the wall is 6ft high and on the other side it is 4 ft high. The width of the steps on the wall varies and is not the same as each other. We are looking to have a fence put on top of the wall for privacy and we had someone come round to give us a quote today. He is suggesting posts connected to the existing wall and lap boards overlapping the wall so the height of the fence is the same level all the wall around and not stepped.
The lapboards would be 1.5 metres, with 0.5 metre fixed to the wall, and 1 metre fence above the wall (would need to confirm if this would be at the highest section of the wall)
The fact the height of the fence would be level all the wall round sounds good, but not sure about the fact the fence is overlapping the wall, rather than sitting on top of the wall.
What do you think of a fence overlapping a wall, rather than sitting on top of a wall. Do you think it would look odd?
Does anyone have a fence overlapping a stepped wall?
Thanks in advance
Susan
Posts
Could we have a photo of the site please Susan? I think I understand what is being proposed but a picture would help clarify.
Hope the photo helps???
I expect he has suggested overlapping the wall as otherwise every fence panel would have to cut (made) to a different height
I would go for an even top, but a stepped bottom to match your current fence.. the extension poles mounted on top of the existing fence. I think a lattice would look good too, or perhaps one of those every-other-side horizontal board fences? Something a bit visually "lighter" than solid panels.
i know it would be a slower option to gain privacy but have you considered a hedge? There are lots of companies around that now supply 'mature' hedging and the birds would love you.
Thanks for the picture Susan - it does help!
I think I would prefer to see something akin to WillDB's suggestion of vertical boards (I'm thinking of feather boarding mounted on horizontal rails mounted on vertical posts) cut to give an even top and a stepped bottom which appears to sit on top of the wall.
I know it's tempting to try to gain instant privacy but I would not make the fence too high as it could feel quite oppressive. After the fence has been erected, I would consider Abi's suggestion and plant either a 'proper' hedge at the base of the wall and fence or (my own preference) an informal mixed tall growing shrub border.
This will eventually hide the join between wall and fence and any supporting posts and well chosen and well placed trees or shrubs will screen you from neighbours windows etc.
I would include a few fast growers such as buddleia, eleagnus, black and / or gold elder, amelanchier (airy, light small tree or large shrub), hazel and perhaps small ornamental trees such as crab apple and acer elegantissima. You could intersperse these with some slower growing evergreens etc aiming to get a range of height and foliage.
The fence will give you an immediate sense of increased privacy and the trees and shrubs will eventually give you more interest, and more privacy.
Planning considerations - you say that although it is your back garden the wall is adjacent to a street, this may affect how high you can go before planning consent is required. If so good luck getting confirmation as to which side of the wall they will measure the height in relation to these rules.
Engineering considerations - a wall is a gravity stucture, the weight of the wall does most of the work holding it in place, the mortar does relatively little. If you extend a wall with a lightweight fence attached to the top of the wall, when the wind blows on the fence it will just prise the top row of bricks out fo the mortar and fall over, still attached to the top bricks. To get around this you want to overlap the posts, either attaching to the sides of the wall or driving into the ground so that any extra wind load is transferred to the wall lower down, not just at the top level - there is more weight on the lower courses to stop them being pried out. So if you have to overlap the posts, this will impact on your fence - you could still fit horizontal rails and vertical palings cut to the top of the wall, palings themselves would be above the wall, just the posts offset - but this is custom construction with rails and palings probably needing cut on site to ensure proper fit, great for a enthusaistic DIY, expensive to get a man in! If you want to use standard panels with standard spaced posts, they drop in between posts so the whole panel will overlap the wall. This then adds securtity considerations - which side to place the posts, inside with panels and someone can stand on the wall and climb over, outside with panels is good if it is allowed. Inside with vertical palings would be OK, by the time the rails and palings are fitted over the wall it will be quite narrow to climb onto from outside, but if the posts are outside with rails and palings inside someone can climb on the rails to get in.
Apart from planning consent, there may be building control issues if you go above standard heights - you may need to have someone prove the combined wall and fence will be strong enough. You may also run into problems if the wall is classed as a retaining wall on account of the different in heights each side - this is my particular problem, towards the rear of my garden the stepped wall is up to 6' high on my side and as little as 6" on the other side, which is an open grassy area so kids can easily step on the wall and then jump onto the roof of my garage. I never got any response to queries I made to my planning department about it - they responded quickly to a simple question about the roof, but garden walls are apparently too complex to deal with....
Make sure you talk through the considerations with your fencer, and assure yourself that they understand the rules and laws and will take them into account properly, obtaining any planning consent or building warrants you might need (it may be none, hopefully it will be none).