Cheapest and easiest way to re do a fence/not striagtforward

[plugy]

Hi All,

After suggestions on how to reflace the fenceline. Where there are base panels the ground is made up on the inside, and over the years it pushed the fence over, inside the flags etc are all movinf towards the allyway. At its highest would say the fence is 12/13ft and lowest 7ft. Looking g at the best way of redoing that's cost effective and will last 15-20 years, ill be in a hole my self then so not bothered after that.
Should we replace posts for 10fts, getting another foot in the deck? Does it make any difference on what leaning against it, for example stone or just soil, do we need to need two fences? a short one then one that just sits behind? Any suggestions welcome with an estimated cost?

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Looks like a liability to me. Make sure your home insurance covers third party risks in case that lot lands on someone's head while they're walking down the path.

It either needs completely replacing with a proper retaining wall, from foundations below the lower ground level upwards or leaving well alone. I wouldn't even consider trying to repair it.

I don't know what official permission you'd need, given that it adjoins a narrow public footpath. You might need to close it while it's done.

You have a can of worms there.

 

[plugy]

thought about digging out the backside taking the weight of it, then replacing with longer posts, and backfill. The fence itself is pretty solid, been there for 15+ years but slowly moving, don't want to have to repair when I'm to old! Think a brick wall may have the same problem with raised earth, plus would be 1000's just for the bricks.

 

[Highway Man]

I am surprised the council hasn't sent you an order to sort that wall out, equally surprised at the state of the pavers sticking up all over the place, the whole footpath looks like a disaster area.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

They don't make fence posts long enough to botch the job in the way you describe. You need 50% more in the ground - so for a 4 foot fence use 6 foot posts, for a 6 foot fence use 9 foot posts. You have about 12 feet of fence and retaining wall so need 18 foot posts. Which would need to be about 4 times the width and would need a crane. And they don't exist.

It needs a massive fundamental rethink, it's been botched from the start. I'm assuming the garden level's been raised over the years, it was never built like this by any reputable builder.

 

[blup]

Get a pro fencer in, the concrete gavel boards will be effective retells if done properly. Otherwise it’s bodge time

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Get a pro fencer in, the concrete gavel boards will be effective retells if done properly. Otherwise it’s bodge time

Any "pro" fencer who thought that a fence was appropriate would definitely not be a pro.

No idea what a "retell" is though. I guess you mean re-use it? Don't, even if they appear OK. The rebar will be corroding, and it's very difficult to replace them later. They're dirt-cheap, it's false economy to penny pinch on them.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

What I built in a similar situation...

The wall has a 235mm cavity, which has rebar mesh inside then is filled with concrete. I part-filled it to just above the level of the base of the fence posts then trimmed the posts to get them to sit at precisely the right height. Prop and wedge them absolutely perfectly, fill to the top with concrete then cap with engineering bricks. Foam mat at intervals to form a movement joint, with movement ties within the brickwork and concrete.

Definitely not a trivial job, and beyond any fencing type, "pro" or not.

Cats like foam mats.

 

[blup]

Any "pro" fencer who thought that a fence was appropriate would definitely not be a pro.

No idea what a "retell" is though. I guess you mean re-use it? Don't, even if they appear OK. The rebar will be corroding, and it's very difficult to replace them later. They're dirt-cheap, it's false economy to penny pinch on them.

No idea, spell check gone random. Yours is impressive but way over the top. A properly anchored concrete post will be fine for the OPs requirements and timescale.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Anchored where exactly?

That wall I built replaced a previous one where the posts were concreted into the ground behind the wall. They were all tipping all over the place, as the OP's are. If you stand anything in made-up ground then it will definitely move. The fence needs to be attached to the wall, which needs to have a foundation on undisturbed subsoil.

A fence from the subsoil, i.e. below the footpath shown by the OP, would need to be vastly taller than any fence posts in existence.

I doubt that the heap of stones at the bottom even has a foundation, it looks like an old drystone wall that's fallen over. There's some good stone there though - it would be great to jetwash and re-use it somehow in the new wall.

I don't think there's a good way to corner-cut this job. If you don't want a major contruction job then option 2 would be to lower the soil level of the garden, presumably back down to where it was when the place was built.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I'm assuming that the concrete gravel boards are retaining soil. If not, e.g. if there's raised decking and nothing but fresh air behind them then perhaps you could get away with just replacing the fence and keeping the heap of rocks holding up the soil.

I wouldn't though. A visiting builder looking at mine while I built it described at as "Victorian" in how overdone it was. Most building seems to be designed to last 3 years now, nobody cares beyond that. Fine if you're doing it for money and don't care about your customers, not if it's your own house and want to stay there and not worry about it.

 

[plugy]

Thanks for the advice lots of different methods. The base panels are retaining soil with most bays having just one to half of a base panel showing on the inside. The fence has been up for 7-10 years and moved about 4inching out of plum in the length of the post apart from the one that has moved more in the middle. I'm thinking of erecting another fence inform of this one, so the posts are staggered, like in the center of the old panels. With 10ft posts, giving me an extra 2ft in the deck. But they will be very tight up against the some walling with little to no concrete in the front, not sure if this is pointless as that's where the weights is pushing? Then Cut the old posts of below ground level for the the fence acting as a buffer/retainer?