Fencing In Caulfield

Fencing is quoted per linear metre installed, and the two big variables are material and what has to be removed first. Timber paling is generally the most economical for a standard 1.8m boundary fence, Colorbond typically sits a little above it, and picket, custom timber and feature fencing cost considerably more per metre because there is far more labour in them. Removing and disposing of an existing fence adds to every job. Gates are priced separately, and a wide double gate or an automated gate is a substantial cost on its own. A typical suburban side and rear boundary will usually land in the low thousands for timber paling or Colorbond. Call 0468 347 781 and we will measure it.

A standard suburban boundary run of 20 to 40 metres is usually installed over two to three days, with post concrete needing time to cure before the rails and palings go on. Removal of an old fence adds half a day to a day depending on what it is and how it comes out. Colorbond goes up faster than timber paling once the posts are in. Retaining, level changes, difficult access and any need to work from a neighbour's side all extend it. Gates and automation are usually a separate visit after the fence is complete.

Under the Fences Act 1968, the cost of a sufficient dividing fence on a common boundary is generally shared equally between the two adjoining owners, and the process starts with a written fencing notice to your neighbour setting out what is proposed. If you want something better than a sufficient fence, you generally pay the difference. Disputes and neighbours who will not engage have their own process, and we are carpenters rather than lawyers, so we will explain how it usually works and point you to the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria if it gets difficult. What we will do is give you a properly itemised quote you can hand to your neighbour, which removes most of the argument.

We start by confirming the line, checking levels along the run and identifying anything in the way, including tree roots, services and existing footings. Posts are set out at correct spacings and dug to a minimum of 600mm, deeper on tall fences and in soft ground, then concreted and left to cure. Rails go on next, then palings or Colorbond sheets, with a plinth at the base where ground levels call for it and capping on top where the design includes it. We keep the run straight with a string line rather than by eye, and we check the fence does not obstruct sight lines at a driveway. Old fencing and offcuts leave with us.

Posts, nearly every time. The usual causes are posts that were not set deep enough, untreated or under-treated timber posts sitting in wet ground, water pooling at the base of the run because the ground drains toward the fence, and wind loading on a tall fence with posts spaced too far apart. In the older suburbs we work in, mature street trees are a further factor, because root systems lift and displace posts and footings over time, which is a real issue in Brighton East and other suburbs with a heavy established canopy. Catching it early usually means replacing one or two posts and straightening and re-fixing the rest of the run.

Timber paling is the more economical option up front, it is what most Melbourne suburbs already have so it will match your neighbours, and individual palings and posts can be replaced cheaply as they fail. It does need maintenance, and it will grey off and eventually rot at the base. Colorbond costs a little more installed, is essentially maintenance free, will not rot, and comes in a range of colours including the greys that dominate current suburban fencing, but a damaged panel is harder to patch invisibly and it dents. On a heritage streetscape neither is necessarily right, and a picket or matched timber fence may be the only appropriate answer. Consider what the neighbours have, how long you plan to stay, and whether you want to maintain it.