Planning a fence: The ABC of planning a fence that is worth knowing

Planning a fence

Would you like to plan a fence? Our fence planner explains everything from A to Z that you need to know about fence planning: From A for construction to B for greening, L for noise protection, K for costs to R for repair and Z for fence types – you will find everything here Aspects of Planning Your Fence Information. Without a long foreword, today we go straight to the topic of planning fences – and start our fence planning ABC. Here we go!

A – structure

Once the decision has been made in favor of a fence, it must be built. You can either do this yourself with good instructions and manual skills in order to save assembly costs. Or you can leave the fence construction to a professional and pay them for their services.

Our tip: In our magazine article ” Building a fence: Guide to building a fence yourself out of wood, metal, plastic and stone ” we provide you with easy-to-understand and comprehensible instructions for building fences. Take a look!

B – greening

Should your fence be greened, for example with climbing plants? Then the greening should be part of the fence planning because the fence material plays just as much a role in the planting as the fence type. Our article on the subject of fences & climbing plants explains everything you need to know and gives you many examples of plants climbing, twisting or climbing along the fence.

C – computer programs

You can find numerous online fence planners on the Internet. These are practical configuration programs that you can use to plan your dream fence step by step. To do this, you usually have to select the desired fence model in the desired dimensions. In the end, the configurator “spits out” a fence package made up of individual components, which you only have to put in the shopping cart of the associated online shop and pay for.

D – design

Fences are available in numerous designs: from simple to ornate, from traditional to modern – you can choose from a wide variety of materials and designs.

Our tip: When buying a fence, pay attention to what purpose your fence is supposed to fulfill and choose a fence that also visually matches your garden or property to be fenced in. You should also take a comparative look at your neighbors and their fences to find out about the “local design” and ask the responsible building authority whether there are regulations for your fence project that not only include the size of the fence (see under G), but also affect the fence design.

E – permit (building permit)

You should definitely contact the responsible building authority in your community in the course of planning the fence in order to find out which regulations you have to observe when setting up a fence. There you can also find out whether your fence requires a permit.

Our tip: Take a look at our guide “ Fence building permit: You need to know about fencing! “, In which we explain everything you need to know about building permits for your planned fence and also name the federal states-specific” local “dimensions for fences, which as a rule do not require a permit.

F – foundation

When planning the fence, keep in mind that the fence must be set up so that it stands securely. Depending on the design, a fence forms a more or less large obstacle for the wind that blows around your house corner. The forces with which wind and weather act on the fence must be diverted without damaging the fence. Knowledge of statics is therefore required here. Special attention is therefore paid to the foundation of the load-bearing fence posts, which give the structure strength.

Our tip: In our guide, we will inform you about different types of foundations, such as the point foundations common for fence posts.

G – size

Depending on the purpose your fence will serve, you need to plan its size. In particular, the fence height is a fence size that should be planned: Because a fence on your property is subject to local building regulations. Depending on the purpose of the fence, it may only have a certain height, otherwise you need a building permit (see E for permit) for it. Here we give you general guidelines:

• Height of garden and willow fences: about 100 to 140 centimeters
• Height of fences for symbolic demarcation: around 40 to 90 centimeters
• Height of fences to protect against unauthorized entry: up to 80 centimeters (can still be climbed)
• Height of fences to protect against falling: 110 to 120 centimeters
• Height of fences to protect young children and animals: 100 to 140 centimeters
• Height of privacy fences (eye level 160 centimeters): 170 to 190 centimeters

H – wooden fence

When planning a fence, you should know that a wooden fence made from wood, a natural building material, will rot under the influence of the weather. Precipitation and UV light add to the fence wood and thus shorten the life of your wooden fence. Suitable wood protection that you apply regularly to your fence can help. If you are planning a wooden fence, you should therefore take into account that its maintenance and care mean regular expenditure: time and costs for the wood preservatives.

Our tip: Read our article of the same name about wood fence care!

I – ideas

Sometimes you can’t see the fence because of all the fence pickets. Therefore, you should take enough time to plan the fence and decide on your dream fence in peace. After all, such a fence will stand for decades! Walkthrough your place and look around what fences there are and which ones you like. It is also worth taking a look at the Internet: Our article ” Original fences: tips for designing fences for beginners, advanced and professionals ” provides you with beautiful fence ideas.

J – Art Nouveau

Wrought iron fences from the Art Nouveau style (turn of the 19th and 20th centuries) are still popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland today. The typical Art Nouveau fence often has curved struts that tend to fan out from a point and are decorated with stylized flowers, leaves and tendrils. Such fences are elaborately hand-forged and therefore have their price. They are used in particular as front garden fences, also in the Art Nouveau districts of cities.

K – cost

Due to the variety of fences, it is impossible at this point to give you concrete fence costs and prices. These depend on the type of fence as well as the fence material, its processing and dimensions. For the first impression of fence prices and costs, we recommend that you take a look around our online shop, where we offer many fences including accessories for property and garden.

L – noise protection

A fence can perform various tasks, including fencing, delimiting, securing, privacy protection and property protection. In our louder and louder world, noise protection is becoming more and more important as a task for the fence. For example, your fence should be you

• in front of the noise of a sports facility (soccer field, swimming pool),
• a street or
• a noisy commercial company

protect that is directly adjacent to your property? Then, as part of your fence planning, find out about the possibilities of noise-protecting fence constructions!

M – metal fence

In addition to the wooden fence, the metal fence is very popular because it is particularly weather-resistant and safe. There are metal fences in a wide variety of shapes for a wide variety of purposes – from the simple chain link fence to the bar mat fence to the elaborately hand-forged Art Nouveau fence (see J).

N – New

A good fence will last for decades. Especially with components with such a long lifespan, there is now a good opportunity to buy and sell them second-hand. Look around the Internet for component exchanges that specialize in buying and reselling, if for budget or environmental reasons you don’t want to buy a new fence, but a second-hand one, or if you want to sell an old fence that does not live up to expectations, that you have on your fence.

O – optics

When planning a fence, optics play a decisive role. You have the choice between a fence that visually stands out from the overall picture or one that blends harmoniously into it. Sometimes the look is also subject to official regulations, for example when it comes to a historical building complex that is a listed building.

P – care

The level of care that you give your fence depends on the material and workmanship. Roughly speaking, wooden fences require the greatest care, while fences made of plastic (WPC – see W) and metal (see M) hardly need any maintenance.

Q – quality

A fence is a construct of fence posts and fence panels that are integrated into the door and / or gate. All individual components must be perfectly coordinated with one another and set up in such a way that the construction as a whole is stable. Everyday use of the movable fence parts such as door and gate as well as the weather attack the fence mechanically. The better the quality of the fence material and its processing, the higher the probability of a long, damage-free fence life. Save when planning the fence and don’t buy at the wrong end: If you choose cheap offers, you usually have to pay extra in the end. Instead, it is better to use fences whose manufacturers guarantee you high quality and good workmanship.

R – repair

Your planned fence can also break. Whether you should do the repairs yourself or leave the fence repaired to a professional depends on what kind of fence it is. When planning a fence, take a look at our article “ Repairing a fence: How to do it right! “To find out in advance what you can expect in the event of a” broken fence “. In this way, you can also choose your dream fence from the point of view of its reparability.

S – privacy screen

Many fences are designed as privacy screens. It should protect against prying eyes from neighbors or passers-by and ensure privacy. Or the view from your house and garden is so ugly that you would rather look at a beautiful fence, which can also be landscaped (see B). A privacy fence should be about a man’s height, around 1.80 meters. Privacy fences are available in a wide variety of designs: made of wood, stone, metal and plastic (WPC – see W). Our contribution ” Set up privacy fences & create privacy: you need to know that ” gives you a good overview of the possibilities of erecting a privacy fence.

T – door & gate

Are you a parkour athlete? Then you can skip this point because you take your fence safely in the leap. For everyone else, it is important to think about the door and gate when planning the fence. Also consider long-term aspects: If you don’t have a car, you might be planning to buy one and need a correspondingly wide gate. Find out about the security that fence doors and fence gates offer! Last but not least, the manageability of doors and gates is important: Are they easy to open? Do you need both hands to open? These are questions to ask yourself when planning your fence.

U – underground

Not every surface offers your fence the support it needs. Inquire with fence experts what to look for when setting the fence posts. Depending on the subsurface, special foundation points are necessary to protect the wooden pillars from rising damp. You can find out more about this in the article ” Building a fence: Guide to building a fence yourself from wood, metal, plastic and stone “

V – galvanized

Galvanizing iron and steel is one way of protecting these metals from rust damage with a thin layer of zinc. When buying metal fences (with the exception of aluminum, which is considered corrosion-resistant), look out for the quality feature “galvanized”.

W – WPC fence

WPC is a composite of wood and synthetic fibers that looks like wood but has the properties of plastic. For example, WPC is durable and easy to care for. WPC fences are becoming more and more popular, especially as a noise-insulating variant (see L).

X – XS to XXXL

Fences are available in all imaginable sizes: as a mini version, XS to delimit flower beds or as a man-sized XXXL security fence around the property. Decide on a fence that fits both optically (see O) and functionally to your property or garden. A fence that is too small will hardly be able to do its job, while a fence that is too big will cost you money. Be sure to seek advice on the size of the fence – both from the fence specialist and ex officio (see E)!

Y – Do it Yourself (DIY)

The fence builder himself – or not? In addition to ready-made fences from the trade and fences made especially for you by fence experts, you can also plan a fence that you build yourself in a do-it-yourself fashion. This takes a good deal of manual skill and often also a helper. Allow time and money for the self-construction! Everything you need to know about building a fence yourself (including instructions) can be found here: ” Building a fence: Guide to building a fence yourself from wood, metal, plastic and stone “.

Z – fence types

It sounded like the whole fence planning ABC: There are different types of fences, whereby the typing can be based on the material, shape and purpose of the fence. Our little fence customer will give you a good overview of common fence types.