Installation of Concrete Fencing up to 1.8 m

A fence up to 1.8 m blocks the view from the pavement and clearly marks your boundary without feeling like a fortress. It suits most family homes, back gardens and plots next to a quiet or moderately busy road.

If you need more height, for example next to a busy road or a neighbouring plot that sits higher than yours, taller systems exist. They need stronger, reinforced posts, deeper footings and often lifting equipment. That is a different job. At 1.8 m the construction stays simpler, though wind load and accurate posts still matter.

Panels come in several finishes: smooth, or textured to look like stone, brick or timber. The finish does not change how the fence goes up, but decorative surfaces need careful handling so the edges do not chip.

A low concrete fence on level ground is within reach of a skilled DIYer. Keep in mind that the panels are heavy and that the accuracy of the posts decides how the whole fence turns out. Always work with at least one helper and follow the manufacturer's instructions for your fence system.

1. Mark out the fence line from your boundary, drive in pegs and stretch a string line.
2. Measure the post positions exactly to the panel length of your system.
3. Remove any old fence, including its old footings.
4. Dig the holes for the footings to the depth and width the manufacturer recommends.
5. Set the posts in concrete, check them with a spirit level in both directions and brace them so they cannot move.
6. Add extra bracing or reinforcement at corners and ends as the manufacturer specifies.
7. Let the concrete cure until it has gained enough strength.
8. Slide the panels into the post grooves from the bottom up, checking the line and level as you go.
9. Fit the post caps, backfill and compact the soil around the posts and finish the ground so water runs away from the fence.

Why can you not fit the panels straight after concreting? Fresh concrete cannot yet take the weight and sideways pressure. A post could shift and the whole run would end up crooked. The manufacturer's instructions and the weather tell you how long to wait. In cold weather concrete hardens more slowly.

Footings should reach at least below the local frost depth so that freezing ground cannot lift them. This depth varies by region and is usually somewhere around 0.8 m in much of central Europe, but less in mild climates and more in cold ones. A local builder or your building authority can tell you the usual depth in your area. On clay, waterlogged or made-up ground, expect more digging and possibly wider footings or drainage.

For footings, a concrete of suitable strength is normally used, for example class C16/20 or higher under EN 206, well mixed and compacted. The posts must match the fence height and panel system. Do not mix posts and panels from different manufacturers, as the grooves and spacing often differ.

When choosing panels, check that they are frost resistant and well finished. A cheap panel with a porous surface can start to flake and crack after a few winters.

• Level, accessible ground speeds the work up, because the materials can be unloaded right along the fence line.
• A slope means stepping the panels, more careful measuring and more cutting or levelling.
• Stony or waterlogged ground makes digging harder and often calls for deeper footings or drainage.
• An old fence has to be taken down and its footings dug out first, or they get in the way of the new ones.
• Poor access, such as a narrow drive or a garden behind the house, means carrying materials by hand.
• Gates need their own, stronger posts, which should be planned from the start.

Whether you need permission for a fence depends on local building regulations. Height, position, local planning rules and whether the fence faces a road all play a part. Fences next to roads or junctions are often treated more strictly because they affect visibility. Check the rules with your local building authority before you order materials. If you live in a flat or on a managed development, also ask the building management or owners' association.

The boundary matters just as much. The fence should stand on your own land. If you are not sure where the boundary runs, have a surveyor mark it out. It is also sensible to tell your neighbours before you start, since a solid fence changes their view and can shade part of their garden.

• Shallow footings: frost lifts them and the fence leans after a few winters.
• Inaccurate spacing: a panel will not fit the groove, or a gap remains.
• Posts out of plumb: small errors add up over a long run and the line starts to wave.
• Rushing the panels into concrete that has not cured yet.
• Unbraced corners and ends, where the load on the fence is highest.
• Ignoring water: if water collects around the footings, frost damages the concrete and the ground softens.

• Posts stand plumb, checked with a spirit level in both directions
• The fence follows one straight line, checked against a string line
• Panels sit fully in the grooves without gaps or steps in height
• No panel has chipped edges, cracks or a flaking surface
• Corners and ends are braced and do not move when you push them
• Post caps are fitted and secure
• Soil around the posts is backfilled and compacted, and water drains away from the fence
• The fence stands in the agreed position relative to the boundary