Fencing an uneven lengths with standard panels?

Hi,

I'm currently planning on fencing my previously open garden with standard, budget lap panels from Homebase (six foot-ish wide and six foot tall - comprising horizontal slats).

Like this one: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...artNumber=924668&Trail=searchtext>FENCE+PANEL

My problem is that the sides of the garden are different lengths as one side has our extension as part of the boundary, and the width across the end is not cleanly divisible by 6ft.

So, with fence panels like these, what do you do about small gaps or spaces too small to put a full 6 ft panel into? Surely they can't just be chopped up and shortened due to their construction?

Thanks in advance!

Yes they can, have done this a few times. I even did this to a panel that was going down 2 steps so had a zig zag shape.

1) Lay the panel flat and prise off the end uprights off with a claw hammer, then do the same to the back, this should be easier as they are nailed together with the first one.

2) Place these where you want the end to finish and nail back together.

3) remove the center upright on both sides and put this center again (if you it looks like it needs it, i.e you have shortned it by less than half.)

4) Cut off the ends you don't want

4) Voila

or you can halve the work by only cutting off one end

deefadog said:

Yes they can, have done this a few times. I even did this to a panel that was going down 2 steps so had a zig zag shape.

1) Lay the panel flat and prise off the end uprights off with a claw hammer, then do the same to the back, this should be easier as they are nailed together with the first one.

2) Place these where you want the end to finish and nail back together.

3) remove the center upright on both sides and put this center again (if you it looks like it needs it, i.e you have shortned it by less than half.)

4) Cut off the ends you don't want

4) Voila

Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. I didn't realise they were so simply put together - basically are the horizontal slats just sandwiched between a pair of uprights on either end then?

and one or two flimsy wire nails or staples.

we normally screw them back together, much stronger, and yes the ones from the diy sheds, are certainly flimsey construction. Youll get ones for about the same price that are much better quality from a decent fencing supplier

I've done something similar in my garden - rebatoned the edges and trimmed off the excess - but what do people do about gravel boards? Make something / angle grind a full length one / do without....?

I cast one in concrete

A couple of tips as home-made castings are not as strong as professional ones and my first attempt was not too good:

Give it the maximum possible time to cure, kept damp and covered in polythene (two weeks is not too long)

If you can cast it in place this saves lifting and moving it, which may cause it to crack

If you can round off the top smoothly this will encourage rain to run off rather than soaking in and possibly spalling in frost.

Make a slight trench under it and set it in concrete in the ground (this also discourages burrowing animals). You can link this to the concrete you set your posts in and it will discourage settlement

Put in some steel reinforcment to resist cracking (mesh would be ideal, but you can use steel rod or wire, even straightened coat hangers with the ends bent up will help!)

I like to paint the concrete parts of my fences with dark brown masonry paint to help them blend in with the stained wood.