Make your fencing a feature, rather than a plain necessity.
Here’s how to choose the right decorative fence panels for your home.
There are all sorts of reasons why you might want to add some decorative fencing to your property. Maybe you live on a busy road and need to add a bit of privacy, or maybe you just want to add a bit of personality to your garden.
There are various ways to make a fence decorative. Mostly in this article, we will discuss fences that have a decorative top such as a trellis or shape. In this image, the fence is plain but uses contrasting posts. Combined with the planting, this fence creates an extremely attractive backdrop.
Think about how you would like your garden to look and we’ll help you bring your ideas to life.
You can browse our fencing products and put them in the online basket. We will then contact you with a price and arrange delivery for your own installers or we can quote to install for you.
How to choose the right decorative fence panels for your garden.
When it comes to fencing and gates, there are a lot of options to choose from. You can choose a plain, standard fence which would always be the cheapest option. Alternatively, you can add a touch of personality and style with decorative fence panels.
In this article, we are going to explore some of the options and help you choose the right decorative fence panels so that you can enjoy your garden for many years to come.
A fence is not changed very often so you want to make sure you choose the right one.
Decorative fence panels can be more expensive than standard fencing, but there are a lot of options to choose from and with a bit of creativity, you may be able to mix and match a bit, so you can find something that fits your budget. You may also be interested in our article about modern fences.
Factors to consider when selecting decorative fence panels.
- The size of your garden. If you have a small garden, then you don’t want to purchase panels that take up too much space and block out the light. If you have a large garden, then you may want to choose a more grandiose design. So you’ll need to think about striking the right balance. If you have set your heart on something that may be a bit overpowering, consider mixing it with plain fencing to reduce the impact. That way, you have the best of both worlds.
- Your Neighbours. Will your new fence impact your neighbours and their enjoyment of their garden? Will you block light and affect the growth of their plants.
The Style of your House. You may want to choose a fence that compliments the style of your home. - Maintenance. Decorative fence panels come in a range of materials, so you need to decide what is best for you and your garden and how much work you want to put into keeping your fences looking good.
- Your budget. Obviously, the cost will be a factor. You want good value but you don’t want to skimp to the point of choosing the cheapest and then hating it every time you look at it.
- Planting. How much of your fence will be covered by plants, trees and hedges. Don’t waste money on decorative panels that will be hidden. Consider also that heavy hedgerows will be better supported by solid fences rather than the flimsier trellis styles.
- Security. Will you want to keep animals or intruders out and pets and children in. This may also affect your choice of base. You may want something that will stop a dog from digging a tunnel under a fence.
- Privacy. How high do you want the solid part of the fence to prevent nosy neighbours spying on you?
Benefits to using decorative fence panels in your garden.
Decorative fence panels can add personality and style to your garden, making it look more attractive. If we all had the same plain fence panels, our gardens would look a bit boring. Adding a decorative feature makes your garden stand out.
Fences can be a great way to define your property boundaries and keep unwanted visitors out. You may have areas such as for the allotment or to hide bins and compost areas that you would like to separate from the main garden so consider these as well when planning your garden.
Your choice of fence style may also be dictated by how much privacy you want. If you want to keep the neighbours from looking in, or you have a garden that needs to be kept private for security reasons, then you will need to choose a fence style that provides more privacy. If you plan to grow climbing plants through a trellis, remember that the cover from plants will not be there in the colder months.
Fence Panel Sizes.
Most fence posts and panels can be thought of in feet. 1ft, 2ft, 3ft, 4ft, 5 ft and 6ft. This translates as roughly 1830mm, 1520mm, 1220mm, 910mm, 600mm, 300mm. Where exact size is critical, always check. You can call us if you’re in the planning phase and we will check for you.
The highest standard panel height is 6ft because planning permission is usually required for fences over 2 metres high. This will allow for a 1.83m fence and a gravel board without the need for permission.
Remember that if standard sizes don’t work for you, we also manufacture bespoke sizes. Pop in and see us at our Garden Fence and Landscaping Centre near Asda in Gosport or give us a call on 02392 50 30 10.
Plan Your Fence.
If we are building your fence for you, we will take measurements and plan for you. In the meantime, you may like to roughly pace it out and think about areas that may be hidden by plants and sheds or maybe even go round corners. If you want to keep the cost down, you may be able to use plain fencing where it doesn’t show.
Front Garden Fences.
If you are choosing fence panels for the front garden, bear in mind that they will be the first thing visitors see when they arrive at your house. And of course, you want to be delighted when you arrive home too. You may want to choose a style that is more decorative than those used for the back garden.
The height of the fence will also be important as you don’t want it to dwarf your house unless you want complete privacy from the road. You will also need to consider your gate if you have one. Fences are usually of similar height where they meet the gate. If you want a high fence near the house and low as it reaches the front, we can supply an angled top fence to bridge the two heights.
Decorative Fence Panels on Top of a Dwarf Wall or Gravel Boards.
It is also popular to build fences onto dwarf walls. The fence in this image is made with the Sussex Wave fence panels. Although this is installed on top of decorative concrete gravel boards, installing it onto a dwarf wall would have a similar effect.
Back Garden Fences.
If your fence boundary is shared with a neighbour, you may wish to discuss your plans with them. To find out more about rights over shared fences, read Garden Fence – Frequently Asked Questions.
If you are lucky, your neighbour will be in agreement and may even share the cost of the fence. Usually, if the fence is shared, no matter how friendly you are, you will want a tall fence. You don’t want to feel like you are in view every time you nip out to the garden. Remember that fences are limited to approximately 2 metres so if you choose a plain fence to start with, you may not be able to add trellis on top if you change your mind later.
Some of Our Tall Decorative Fence Panels.
Using a Trellis Top as Decoration.
An alternative to using decorative fence panels is to choose our popular Pressure Treated Lap Panels with Pressure Treated Square Trellis Panel.
Trellis panels are available as standard 6ft wide with heights of 1ft, 2ft, 3ft, 4ft, 5ft & 6ft. The shorter heights make them ideal for adding to the top of the fence. As parts of your garden fence may be hidden by plants, trees or other structures, using trellis on only the fence areas that show, or where you want to let more light through, may offer an alternative to decorative panels.
We are always happy to help you plan your fence, whether you prefer to use your own trusty installer or the long-standing experts that we employ here at Solent Fencing.
Our customers find it easy to browse the products online and pop them in the basket. We will then provide you with a confirmed price and a date for delivery.
If you would like a quote for designing and installing a fence, please call or email and we will arrange a no-obligation free quotation.
