I'm looking to build a featherboard fence (approx 5-6" high) connecting the end of my house to my garage (approx 4m)... theres a couple of things I'd like to check with some experienced people... hope you can help.
I was thinking the best way to put up the end posts would be to bolt/screw them directly to the house and garage wall. Are there any issues with doing this that I am unaware of and if not what is the recommended screw length to make them secure (standard 75mm fence posts).
The rest of the posts are going to be concreted into the ground using postmix. 2nd question is how deep should these go down I was thinking about 2ft would be plenty correct?
For a fence that uses 75mm posts, a couple of M10 rawlbolts will usually be fine; or maybe three for a 2m fence. Either use long studding to go right through the posts, or counterbore the posts and use the bolts supplied (with a long tubular box spanner).
Don't drill too close to the corner of a wall, or it may split off. If in doubt, use a wider wooden wall plate so the bolts can be further away from the corner (150 x 50mm should do).
2ft in the ground for a 6ft post is ok, you could go a little deeper if using 9ft posts.
A couple of tips I would offer:
Put the buried end of the posts inside pvc piping, use 110mm sewage piping for this, suggest the brown colour. You should find that 3" post will fit inside the sleeve, you might have to shave the corners slightly.
Make sure that the pipe sleeve sits about 50mm + above the ground level at the top end of the sleeve and fill it to the top with a sealer. Also make sure the bottom end of the pipe is sealed and the post is say 30mm to 50mm above the bottom of the sleeve.
Then post mix the protected posts in.
Doing this will protect the post from the water content in the soil at a point where most fence posts will always rot. Its easy to do and your post will last as long, if you keep treating them.
Ok it adds a little bit more cost but its well worth the expense when you consider it against taking out rotting posts later on, wood aint what it used to be. Also if a post goes for some reason you can get it out much easier.
On the house side, fixing to the wall is ok, but make sure that you screw, not nail it to the wall. I also put a pvc membrain between the wall and the post. But you should also make sure that this post is not in the ground. Sits above the DPC level, about 2 bricks up from the ground.
Wherever possibe I always use screws on fences as it is always easier to go back and get things out if ever you need too.
Excellent... thanks for you help. I think I'll go with the aris rails directly into the walls. Sounds like it will be easier and won't break off the corner of the wall... although how far should I be away from the corner to stop any crumbing issues?
If the walls are in good nick there shouldn't be a problem with small fixings - rawlbolts can split unsupported masonry when they expand. Just to be sure you can put the fixings a full brick away from the corner.
Using a 150mm wide wall plate, I've had no trouble drilling for M10 rawlbolts about 80-100mm back from the corner. And that's in soft brick, with render which reduces the thickness of brick and makes it impossible to choose the strongest places to drill.
The main thing is to avoid overtightening the bolts. They only need to be firm enough to prevent the wall plate and post from slipping - anything more is pre-stressing the brick and actually making the wall weaker.
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