Fencing in Chesham
Half the job here is getting the old one out.
Chesham sits at the end of the Metropolitan line, down in the Chess valley with the housing climbing both sides. Most of what we take out here went in between the sixties and the eighties, and most of it has done its time.
Two questions come up on nearly every job in the town: what happens to the old fence, and whether all of it genuinely needs replacing. Both are better answered before you get a price than after.
What happens to the old one
Taking a fence down is a job in its own right, and we would rather it showed on your quote as a line than sat hidden in the rate. On a thirty metre run it comes to roughly £34 a metre including VAT: about £400 to dismantle and load out, and another £310 in disposal and tip charges.
The part that catches people out is the concrete. A fence put in properly in 1978 has footings the size of a bucket under every post, and those have to come out before new posts go back in the same line. If your posts have snapped off at ground level, the concrete is still down there and we are digging for it.
The form has a tick for taking the old fence away. Leave it unticked only if you truly intend to dismantle and dispose of it yourself. Unticking it to make the number look better does not make the old fence disappear.
Price it now →Does all of it need doing?
Often it does not. If the posts are sound and it is the panels or a few boards that have gone, three blown bays cost a few hundred rather than a few thousand. Put the repair option through the form and compare: five or six metres of repair prices around £680 to £790, against £5,490 to £6,380 for a new thirty metre closeboard run with the old one carted away.
We will tell you which you actually need. A fence with rotten posts comes down in the next gale whatever you do to the top of it, and patching that is money spent twice. A fence with good concrete posts and tired panels is worth saving, and we will say so even though it is the smaller invoice.
What we build in Chesham
All services →Closeboard / featheredge
The workhorse. Built on site, board by board. 20+ year life.
from £140/mPrice thisPanel (lap / waney)
Fast, tidy and kind to the wallet. Great for garden boundaries.
from £112/mPrice thisPicket
Cottage-front charm. Low, friendly, painted if you like.
from £116/mPrice thisSlatted / contemporary
Clean horizontal lines. The one architects ask for.
from £183/mPrice thisPost & rail (agricultural)
Paddocks, drives and field boundaries. Stock-proof options.
from £65/mPrice thisRepairs & replacement bays
Snapped posts, blown panels, storm damage. Sorted.
from £108/mPrice this
In and around Chesham
All of these are a short run for us, and priced exactly the same as the town itself.
- Chartridge
- Bellingdon
- Ley Hill
- Ashley Green
- Botley
- Waterside
- Newtown
- Hyde Heath
- Latimer
- Chenies
Chesham questions
Do you take the old fence away?
Yes, if you tick it. It covers dismantling, loading out and the tip fees, and it appears as two separate lines in your quote so you can see exactly what that part costs. On a thirty metre run it is about £400 for the labour and £310 for disposal, before VAT.
Do the old concrete footings have to come out?
If the new posts are going back on the same line, yes. There is no way to put a post where a lump of 1970s concrete already is. Where the line allows it we offset the new posts slightly and leave the old footings undisturbed, which is quicker and cheaper. On a tight boundary between two gardens that is usually not an option, so we dig them out by hand.
Is it worth repairing instead of replacing?
It comes down to the posts. Push hard against a post at shoulder height: if it gives at the base, it is done and so is the run around it. If the posts stand firm and the problem is panels, boards or a gravel board, a repair is the sensible answer and a fraction of the cost. Send a photo on WhatsApp and we will give you an honest view before you spend anything.
What happens to the old timber?
It goes to a licensed waste transfer station, which is what the disposal line on your quote pays for. Treated fencing timber is not something you can burn or chip for the borders, so it costs money to get rid of properly. We would rather show you that fee than quietly fold it into the price per metre.
More of the general ones on the FAQ page.