Fences : Key Design Principles
General Guidance | Key Design Principles | Design List | Evaluation Summary
Post & Wire/Wire Mesh Fences
- it is best not to mix sawn and round timber on a single run of fencing because it can look untidy and unprofessional;
- sawn timber will produce a higher quality of fence and generally looks better than round timber, but it is more difficult to install, especially on hard or rocky ground;
- strainer holes dug by hand should be kept as narrow as possible and, during backfilling, should be well rammed with earth and stones;
- concrete is normally only necessary where difficult ground conditions prevent the strainer or posts being installed to an adequate depth;
- the appearance of post and wire fences can be improved by replacing the top wire with a timber rail.
Timber Fences
- a post and five rail fence is normally completely stockproof, even against hill lambs;
- a post and four rail fence will be proof against cattle and most breeds of sheep; if hill lambs are able to squeeze between the lower rails, one or two plain wires may need to be added;
- a post and three rail fence is not stockproof against calves, sheep or lambs; cattle may also get their heads between the rails and damage the fence;
- on post and rail fencing, care should be taken to ensure that all rails are the same length, since with the metrication of fencing timber, the metric version of a standard imperial 12' 0" rail may be 3600mm, 3660mm or 4000mm; since the length of rail will determine the separation of the posts, it will be important to ensure that all rails are of a known and uniform length;
- on post and rail fencing, posts should be at least 100mm wide and rails should be butt jointed preferably with no more than three joints on a single post;
- rails should always be parallel to the ground surface and posts should always be vertical;
- birdsmouth fencing is not suitable for use on slopes because of problems with making satisfactory joints between rails and with fixing the metal straps.