Need advice for improving garden fence

nhb80 · 8 August 2019 at 7:42PM

I recently bought a house and have begun to notice that the garden fence is not as opaque as it first seemed! The lower half is a brick wall and then there is a small gap before vertical fence boards, which are on the roadside of the horizontal support rails. The boards are separated by just a couple of millimeters, which is enough that when a car drives past you can see it clearly.

My initial idea was to get another lot of fence boards, stain them to match the colour of the existing ones and nail them up on the garden side of the support rails, offsetting the gaps in the new boards, so that the two gaps don't line up. (Are these gaps inevitable, even if I nail the boards in side-by-side, or are the deliberate to cope with expansion?) The new boards would also be about 50mm lower than the existing boards to cover the gap at the top of the brick wall.

However, I then worried that people on the roadside could push rubbish between the boards and it would be trapped (there is a bus stop there) and that any knot holes in the boards (there are a few in the existing fence) might still allow light through.

So, my second thought was that I could get more fence boards and put them horizontally, screwing into the existing fence boards. I wouldn't want any screws to go right through the existing fence and snag people on the road, so I would probably want to use screws that only went halfway into the existing 14mm thick fence - would this be enough to hold? Would it cause any problems having two layers of wood so close together? I think it would be quickest and easiest to only drill pilot holes through the new fence boards and then screw straight into the existing fence - is that likely to cause the existing fence to split and I should drill through both or will I be likely to get away with that?

The main reason for doing this is to stop being able to see through the fence, but I assume the three layers of wood would also help to insulate the noise from the road more than currently and more than two.

Thanks for your help,

N

Tom99 · 8 August 2019 at 8:45PM

Post a photo.

Davesnave · 8 August 2019 at 10:05PM

Featherboard fences always shrink in the summer and may well close up again in the wetter months. Yours has just been built with too little overlap to accomodate seasonal change.

Somthing not too otrusive, like black garden weed suppressant or shade mesh could be stapled to the boards as a temporary measure until you grow some plants or a hedge there.

nhb80 · 9 August 2019 at 1:38PM

The forum won't let me insert an image, but I've uploaded it here:
ibb.co/p2Gqvkd

unrecordings · 9 August 2019 at 2:57PM

nhb80 wrote: »

The forum won't let me insert an image, but I've uploaded it here:

that took some figuring out

unrecordings · 9 August 2019 at 7:08PM

For the record nhb, I don't think the MSE insert image function likes that ibb service that you used. the actual link I used above in post 5 is this:

https://i.ibb.co/0q85jzr/fence.jpg

And i got that by dropping your link into a browser, downloading the image, then looking up the file proprties to get the original url

Back to the matter at hand I forgot to add, I'd be looking at securing that loose brickwork too. Actually looking at the photo again, can people on the steet sit on the wall ? If so I'd also seriously look at pushing/extending the panelling out so it sits on the wall rather than just on the inside - which should solve some of the other problems too

Davesnave · 9 August 2019 at 7:54PM

The wall is of more concern than the fence at present. People waiting at the bus shelter are gradually pushing the bricks inwards and the mortar joints aren't holding in places. It won't be long before someone has it down.

As for the fence, it's a home made affair not using the correct featherboard, but what looks like 150 x 22mm boards. These might have been put there because of the extra wear and tear you will get where people hang about, but the joints will probably not close up.

You could screw 38 x 25mm battens on in line with the joints to stop people looking through.

unrecordings · 9 August 2019 at 8:09PM

Maybe some nice climbing plants to improve privacy, maybe something like weed suppressing membrane or reed matting/screening stapled neatly into the sections as a starting point

(we've got reed screening stapled to a pretty open fence that's topped with clematis - works pretty well)

JIL · 12 August 2019 at 12:33AM

Theres some good ideas on pinterest.

I was just looking at one as I have a horrible wall.

I think it's the colour that's a bit bright on the fence, I would paint it grey, it will tone in better with the wall. Then plant some shrubs in front of it.

Kojak12 · 15 August 2019 at 4:41PM

I think you need to decide on your budget and then act accordingly. If you don't have a lot to spend then a layer of net as a support for plants and planting will work well for privacy and noise reduction.

If you hammer a load more heavy wood onto an already dodgy wall I think you are asking for the whole lot to fall down and that will be a waste of your time and money.

If you have some money to spare then take the lot down and put up a sturdy replacement. You will get exactly what you want to the right quality and you won't need to worry about it anymore. If noise is a big nuisance you can get acoustic fence panels which do make a difference.

Need advice for improving garden fence

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