I'm planning a boundary fence: concrete slotted posts taking drop-in panels, to result in something like this
Yea, but then you end up with an edge of loose ends from the individual strips in the panel. OK, so you can probably recover the edging strip off the bit you're going to discard, and re-fix it onto those ends, but I wondered if there was something cleverer. As it's going to be a 6ft high fence, I had thought of getting a 6ft x 3ft panel and dropping it in edgewise, IYSWIM, but the strips on it would run vertically. OK if you can hide it, but it would look botched if you couldn't.
What you have to do, is buy a full sized panel, then pull it apart enough to resize it to the 3 foot width you need. It is not that difficult to do, just a matter of pulling off the vertical strips, refixing them at the 3 foot width, then sawing off the horizontal strips.
These were my conclusions last time i researched this problem. But do not forget to allow for the thickness of the posts between panel ends when calculating the length!
Isn't there a central upright at the 3ft mark ? If you cut down the middle of that upright then you can hide the half upright in the slot at the end.
Basically whatever you do, if all the other panels are 6ft and this one is 3ft its going to look a bit odd. For about the first week. After which it will be forgotten, assuming there are many more interesting things to look at in the garden deserving attention. It's no different from wallpapering into that final corner. Traumatic at the time but soon forgotten.
michael adams
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its there.
michael adams
Wot he said. Same applies for bottom edges of panels on slopey front paths (ie the panels get shorter as you walk up the slope.)
OK, thanks for the replies. Strip down and reconstruct a panel it will be.
Trivially easy to make one 6'x6' panel into a 6' high by 3' wide one if you can do any real DIY at all.
Normally you just prise off the edge strips, refix then where you want them, then trim the excess flush against the strips.
Yes indeed, they sawed one of mine, but you need to be careful, always a got idea to leave the wooden strengtheners a bit long so you can trim them if you want as vertical posts in concrete can creep.
Also if you are having a gate, there does seem to be a lot of timber around that is prone to twist after you or your contractor has made a good job of it meaning it all needs to be fiddled with a few months later grumble. Brian
Set all the posts at less than 6 ft pitch and saw a tiny piece from each panel.
Thanks, a useful range of ideas, which was what I was after, but I'll just cut one down, as has been suggested by many in this thread. Not actually having a panel to see its construction, I wasn't sure how they were put together or how easy it would be.
In message , Chris Hogg writes
I suppose it depends how visible each end of the fence will be. Really make work for yourself, and have an 18 inch panel at both ends. Be decorative, and have the 3 ft. panel in the middle.
Have you put up a fence like this before? If not you should be asking the best method of ensuring the panels will actually fit into the post slots, and how to get them in.
I helped a pal replace a broken panel, raising it up vertically to get it to drop in was a lot more difficult than expected.
Mike
I was thinking:- put in first post, with concrete, and ensure vertical, allow concrete to set; measure and excavate hole for second post; insert second post loosely; insert panel from the front, i.e. not from above; adjust position of second post to be snug fit against panel and hold in place and vertical with twine/bracing/cramps/etc; add concrete to hole and allow to set; move on to third post etc. It would get around the problem of having a 6-ft panel having to be held vertically 6 ft above the posts, which would certainly be difficult.
With waney lap there is usually enough bend in the panels to spring them in to place into concrete posts, certainly that's how I have seen the professi onals do it. The feather board type with vertical boarding are too stiff fo r that and far to heavy to drop down into place. If having to replace a fea ther type board it is better to simply build it in situ from loose panel co mponents which should be available from any good fencing manufacturer. When erecting a new fence the process is normally to dig the post holes, drop i n the first post and secure upright followed by inserting the concrete base panel if used and the timber panel into the groove then offer up the next post and secure upright and continue along. If needs be the final panel is the only one needing to be cut to size nothing unusual about that nor odd l ooking simply cut as has been described above.
Richard
And maybe use an additional thin spacer to take into account the size of the replacement panel in X years time may be at the higher limit tolerance of 6ft. A fence nearby to my property was fitted your way with a very snug fix and the bottom battens have expanded and bowed.
Use e.g. a ladder and rope to hang it vertically and lower into position?
I just made my own panels to suit the slope.
Chris, my ex next door neighbour is now out of prison and looking for a job. He built the fence in this photo.
email me if you need a hand with your fence and I'll get you in touch with him:-))))
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