Fence Height Question

[JamesD]

Hi all,

I am wanting to build an c.8ft fence along one side of my garden. I am planning on running and fixing 2 sleepers along the base and then railing and nailing a 6ft fence on top (100mmx1800mm) butted up to one another.

A few questions. Are there any problems with going this high? Wind, weight factors etc. Also, at this height, how deep should I sink the posts and should I shorten the 2.4m spans for added solidity or would it be ok to leave them at that width?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

cheers
James

[craigb]

What does your neighbour think of the idea?

[Trav]

Craig's right. What does the local council and planning laws say about it? We (in Canberra) are allowed fences up to 1.8m I think - which is only 6ft.

I can't help you with the construction methods though.

Sorry

Trav

[knucklehead]

James, the rule of thumb for post is 1/3 of the above ground height, in the ground.
That is to do a 1.8m fence you will use a 2.4m post (1.8m plus .6m).

With the sleepers, it works quite well. Be aware that it can mean a heap of cutting of thick treated timber if the ground is slopped. The sleepers can also be partitaly burried to take up the uneven ground.

[bitingmidge]

As pointed out above, in Bris any fence more than 2000 high is considered to be a structure and requires a building permit.

Catch 22: a structure needs to be 1500 from the boundary!

Cheers,

P

[JamesD]

I am on a corner block and the neighbours house sits right on my back garden. That is, their bathroom and childrens windows look right onto our entertainment area (literally 2 metres away). They are happy with the concept because it means that both parties can have some privacy etc.

So if a 2000 fence is a structure and structures have to be 1500 from the boundary, ummm, not sure how to finish this sentence...

I have seen a few fences around the neighbour hood that exceed 2000, one of which is on a main road, the rest are dividers on props.

Have you any clues as to how I can get around this?
Thanks

[bitingmidge]

Sorry, I should have continued!

Most just build them and take their chances. The reality is that if a neighbour doesn't object, you have a 99% chance of never having a problem even if you don't apply for permission.

You certainly won't get an approval if the fence obstructs any view of traffic.

I'd suggest you find a local Building Certifier (yellow pages under Building Certifiers or Building Surveyors) and make an enquiry. They will fill you in and probably won't want to know about it.

DON'T phone the Council! :eek:

I'm waiting for a return call from a Building Surveyor and will post his response!

cheers,

P

[JamesD]

I'll have a chat with the neighbour. It is in a faily innocuous position and barely visible from the street.

Will probably build it on the quiet me thinks.

Thanks for your help