Old Fencing Removal

The job has a clear order, and it pays to follow it. A fence comes down from the lightest parts to the heaviest. That way nothing collapses unexpectedly, and any material worth keeping stays in one piece.

1. Inspection. The tradesperson checks what the fence is made of, how the posts are fixed, whether there is a base wall and how easily machinery can reach it.
2. Preparing the area. Plant pots, garden furniture and climbing plants are moved, paths and lawn are protected, and the work area is fenced off if the fence faces a street or pavement.
3. Infill. Mesh, tension wires, boards or metal panels come off first.
4. Posts and rails. Posts are either pulled out together with their footing or cut off at ground level, depending on what you agreed.
5. Footings and base wall. Concrete is broken out by hand, with a breaker or with a mini digger.
6. Sorting and removal. Metal, timber and concrete are stacked separately and made ready for collection.

Before work starts, decide whether the footings can stay in the ground or must come out completely. Leftover concrete often gets in the way later when you dig holes for new posts.

Chain-link or mesh fence

This is the simplest case. The tension wires are released first, then the mesh is rolled up. The harder part is usually the posts, which are often set in concrete.

Timber fence

An old timber fence comes apart easily because the joints are often rotten. For the same reason, boards tend to snap, so you end up with a lot of waste wood. Painted or treated timber should never go on a garden bonfire, because it releases harmful smoke.

Metal fence and fence panels

Bolted panels can be taken apart and sometimes reused. Welded frames and rusted bolts have to be cut with an angle grinder, which takes longer and needs care with sparks, especially near dry grass, hedges or a shed.

Concrete fence, garden wall and combined fences

Concrete is the most work. Precast panels can often be slid out of slotted posts, but a base wall, low wall or footings have to be broken out. With combined fences, for example a concrete base with metal infill, each material is removed separately.

The effort, and so the cost, depends mainly on how much concrete is in the ground and how far everything has to be carried. The job takes longer with:

• Large footings, a continuous base or a low wall
• Welded or rusted joints that need cutting
• A slope, a narrow side passage or a garden a mini digger cannot reach
• An overgrown fence with shrubs and roots growing through it
• A request to keep panels intact for reuse
• A large amount of waste and a recycling centre or tip that is far away

The job is easier with clear access, no continuous base wall and a clear agreement on what stays and what goes. A longer run of fence also tends to go more smoothly, because machinery only has to be brought in once.

Boundary and neighbours. Check who owns the fence. Title plans or property deeds sometimes show this. If the fence stands on the boundary or is shared, agree with your neighbour in writing before any work starts. If you are unsure where the boundary actually runs, a land surveyor can mark it out for you.

Permission. Taking down an ordinary garden fence usually needs no permit, but this depends on local building regulations and the situation. Check with your local building authority, especially for a fence or wall facing a road, a wall that also retains soil, or a property in a conservation area or next to a listed building. If you live in a flat or on an estate with shared grounds, ask the building management or owners' association first.

Underground services. Electric cables, gas pipes, water pipes and drains often run along fence lines. Before breaking out footings, ask the utility companies for service plans or have the services traced. If you hit an electric cable, do not touch it and call the electricity network operator. If you smell gas, leave the area, do not use naked flames or power tools, and call the gas emergency number for your area or the emergency number 112. Any work on the gas pipe itself is for a qualified, registered gas engineer only.

Asbestos. Some older fences and sheds have infill panels made of asbestos cement. Do not cut or break them. Their removal belongs to a contractor licensed to work with asbestos.

You can take down a light fence with small footings yourself. Leave heavy concrete walls, fences next to a road and anything where cables or pipes may lie underground to professionals.

1. Agree the work with your neighbour and check with the local building authority whether anything needs to be reported.
2. Get the underground services along the fence line traced.
3. Prepare gloves, safety glasses, sturdy boots, wire cutters, a crowbar, a saw and a spade.
4. Clear away plants and objects that get in the way.
5. Cut the tie wire, release the tension wires and roll up the mesh section by section.
6. On a timber fence, unscrew or lever off the boards and pull out the nails.
7. Dig away the soil around each post down to the footing.
8. Rock the post loose and pull it out with its footing, or break the footing with a sledgehammer.
9. Backfill the holes with soil and compact it.
10. Sort metal, timber and concrete and take them to a recycling centre or scrap metal dealer.

Metal parts can usually go to a scrap metal dealer, concrete counts as construction rubble, and timber goes either to waste collection or for reuse, depending on its condition. Councils and municipalities have their own rules for small amounts of building waste, so check with your local council or recycling centre. In the quote, check whether waste removal is included or charged as a separate item.

When you accept the work, check:

• All infill, posts and rails are removed along the agreed length
• Footings are taken out to the agreed depth or cut off flush with the ground
• Holes are backfilled, compacted and the ground is roughly level
• No pieces of wire, nails or sharp metal are left in the soil
• Paths, kerbs, lawn and your neighbour's property are undamaged
• Waste is taken away and reusable material is stored where you agreed