Most people do not have to choose a timber garden fence on a regular basis. Usually a timber garden fence gets replaced at the end of its life when it is falling down beyond repair, sometimes the weather can bring a fence down leading to replacement and at other times you might consider changing your garden fence if you are carrying out a large landscaping or building project on your home.

With these scenarios in mind it is easy to see that few people genuinely get many opportunities to consider changing their fence and so when the time comes it can be difficult to know how to proceed to get the best deal and a quality fence that will last for years. At this stage most people opt for a like for like replacement without really considering or knowing what other options may be.

If you do opt to go for a new timber fence you should consider a number of factors to get the most suitable fence. Consider how much decoration you want, do you need security/privacy are you after a natural timber fence finish or a painted fence finish? Is the lifespan of the fence important and what sort of budget constraints do you have?

For security, a timber fence will not provide optimum performance against intruders unless it is tall and the front face is flat. It will never offer the security potential of a fence constructed from steel. A typical pattern of timber fence used with security in mind is the close board fence. This is a fence that is constructed from individual timbers to give a closed fascia without hand hold or foot holds and can be bought and installed in heights up to 3m tall. Clearly this fence also offers the greatest level of privacy and noise reduction in some cases.

If you require a more decorative fence you have many more timber fence options. One of the most traditional and common styles of decorative fencing available is the picket fence. This can be constructed in various different heights and offers a decorative approach with just a little security thrown in by way of the pointed pickets used. Pickets can be alternated in height or placed to form wave patterns along the top of the fence for decoration or any other patterns the installer can come up with or you could opt for a neat straight top finish.

If picket is a little too traditional you could opt for trellis fencing. Trellis normally comes in standard panel widths and although offering little in way of privacy are good for climbing plants in borders or if you are looking to create a hedge over time. They also allow sunlight into the garden at most times of day so can be worth considering. Perhaps you consider trellis to light weight and open? Then you could opt for other decorative panels with closed fascias but with timbers aligned to form various patterns. These are very common in Europe as they are mass produced to standard sizes so are cheap and easy to replace in the event of damage.

Budget, lifespan and to paint or not are interlinked options. The cheapest timber fence material will be pressure treated sawn timber. This is relatively cheap as the timber is rough grade carcassing timber. However, being pressure treated guarantees a long life time free of rot. Fences from these materials tend to be difficult to paint as the paint can’t bond with the pressure treated timber. Alternatively a planed timber, often used in white picket fencing, is more expensive due to the extra production involved and is not protected from the elements as it lacks chemical treatment but can be painted for protection and decoration.

Whichever route you go if you weigh up and consider your requirements for security, privacy and decoration you should be able to make a satisfying choice that will do you good service for years.

Find out more about garden fencing at Tom Bell’s site.

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