How long should a new fence last?

It is the question we get asked more than any other, and the honest answer is that the panels are rarely what decides it. Two fences built from identical timber, a few streets apart, can be a decade apart in how long they stand. What separates them is nearly always what happens below ground and at the fixings.

The posts decide the lifespan

A fence fails at its posts far more often than it fails at its panels. Water sits where the post meets the ground, and that is where rot starts. Concrete posts sidestep the problem entirely and will usually outlast several sets of panels. Timber posts can last well, but only if they are properly treated, set deep enough, and given a way for water to drain away rather than pool around the base.

Depth matters more than most people expect. A post that is not set deep enough will lean long before it rots, particularly on an exposed boundary where the fence acts as a sail every time the wind comes off the coast.

Signs your posts are going before your panels

• A panel that has started to lean while the ones either side stay square
• Movement at the base when you push the post firmly
• Soft, crumbling timber at ground level — press a screwdriver in and see if it gives
• Rust bleeding down from the fixings

Exposure changes everything

Gardens near the coast take a harder beating than sheltered inland ones: more wind, and salt in the air that works on fixings. A boundary that catches the prevailing wind will always need more from its posts than a sheltered side return. It is worth building the exposed run properly even if the sheltered one is specified more simply — spending the same on both usually means overspending on one and underspending on the other.

Timber, composite, or a mix

Timber is the traditional choice and still the most cost-effective. It wants re-treating every few years to hold off the weather, and how diligent you are about that has a real effect on how long it lasts.

Composite costs more up front and asks almost nothing of you afterwards. It does not want painting or treating, and it holds its colour. Whether it works out cheaper depends entirely on how long you plan to be there.

Plenty of gardens are best served by a mix: composite or concrete posts carrying timber panels gives you most of the durability benefit at a fraction of the cost of going fully composite.

Getting the most from what you have

If your fence is sound but tired, it is often worth repairing rather than replacing. Individual panels can be swapped, leaning posts can be re-set, and a treatment coat can buy several years. We will tell you honestly which of those applies — replacing a whole run when three panels needed attention is not a recommendation we are comfortable making.

We fit and repair fencing across Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch, and estimates are free and no-obligation. If you are not sure whether yours needs replacing or just attention, ask us to take a look.