Panel fencing
Panel fencing is the quicker, cheaper cousin of close-board. Pre-made panels slotted between properly treated posts, fixed with concrete gravel boards at the base. Right for the job a lot of the time. Not right every time. We'll tell you honestly which one your run wants.
What it is
Panel fencing uses factory-made timber panels, usually six feet by six feet, slotted between posts and sat on a gravel board at the base. The panel itself can be overlap, waney-edge, closeboard-style, decorative top or plain. The structural job, though, is done by the posts and the gravel boards; the panel is the infill.
Put up on the right spec, a panel fence goes the distance. Put up on the wrong spec, cheap softwood panels on cheap posts with no gravel boards, it's sagging in four and the panels are warped by year six. The panels aren't the weak point; the posts and the base detail almost always are.
Which is the honest answer to why two quotes for the same fence panel installation can be a long way apart. You're buying the post installation and the base detail. The panels are the bit you can see and the cheapest part of the job.
When a panel fence is the right call
- Your budget per metre is tighter than a close-board build and you'd rather have a shorter-life fence now than wait for the bigger job.
- The run is in a sheltered garden, away from the worst of the prevailing south-westerly.
- You're replacing an identical panel fence and the posts and gravel boards are fine; you just need the panels swapped.
- You want to match an existing panel run on a neighbouring boundary.
- The line is straight, the ground is reasonably level, and a panel run will actually fit without awkward cuts.
How we build it
- Properly treated posts, concreted in with postcreteNon-negotiable. Cheap posts rot at the ground line in five years. Properly treated timber is pressure-treated to the right grade and lasts the life of the fence. Concrete fence post installation is the other route, and on a long or exposed run it's usually the better one.
- Concrete gravel boards at the baseKeeps the timber panel off wet soil, which is where the rot starts. On long runs, concrete boards also give the run a steadier base on uneven ground.
- Panels in panel clips or slotted postsSlotted concrete posts are one option; timber posts with galvanised clips are the other. Either works, we pick to suit the run and the look.
- Capping on the postsA post cap sheds water off the end grain and adds a couple of years to the posts' life.
What we won't do
We won't fit cheap posts to win a quote, even on a panel run. The panels might last, but if the posts go at five you're paying again to have the whole line lifted and re-set. If your budget won't stretch to properly treated posts, we'll be straight with you that we're not the right outfit for that job.
If you want the fence that lasts longest for the money and the run is exposed, we'll usually steer you to close-board instead. Honest opinion, not a hard sell.
What panel fencing costs
Priced per metre after a site visit, with the panel spec and the post spec written on the quote. Length, height, ground conditions, removal of the existing fence, slope and gate integration all move the number. We put a written quote in front of you within two working days.
See how we price every job, across tree surgery and fencing →
Reviews from fencing work
★★★★★“Josh did an outstanding job installing a new fence and gate at my house. From the initial quote right through to the finished work, he was professional, reliable, and a real pleasure to deal with. The quality of the workmanship is excellent. I couldn’t recommend Josh more highly if you’re looking for fencing work — he delivers a first-class result.”
★★★★★“Highly recommend Josh for tree surgery and fencing work - he has made a big positive impact to our farm in Kent on the back of his hard work and high standards.”
Related work
Have a look at recent fencing jobs we've done nearby.
Panel fencing across East Sussex
We cover about twenty miles around Heathfield, which takes in Hastings, Battle, Bexhill, Rye and the villages between. Each town page has what the ground and the trees are actually like there.
Fence line had its day?
Fill in the quote form or give us a call and we'll come and have a look. No charge for the visit, no hard sell.