A garden in Wellswood, Torquay needed a fresh boundary, and the old one had already been taken away before we arrived. We built 30 metres of new featherboard fencing to a full two metres, finished with rebated capping, galvanised post caps and a pedestrian gate.
The property borders a public footpath, so the fence had to sit on the correct line as well as look the part. Wellswood is a residential part of Torquay, and a boundary like this one is what people walk past every day.
The finished fence, seen along the public footpath. Featherboard above a gravel board, with rebated capping along the top.
The Project: 30 Metres of New Featherboard in Wellswood
The customer had a clearance team in before we arrived. They stripped out the old concrete posts, the chain link and the brambles, and they levelled the ground. That left us a clear run to build on, which is always a help, so thank you to them.
The spec was straightforward: a full two metres, using a 150 millimetre gravel board topped with 1.8 metre featherboard.
What the project involved:
- Building 30 metres of new featherboard fencing along the footpath boundary
- Working through the maps so every post sat on the correct line
- Fitting a 150 millimetre gravel board along the base
- Fixing 1.8 metre featherboard above it, to give a full two metre fence
- Finishing the top with rebated capping
- Fitting galvanised caps to the posts
- Hanging a pedestrian gate
Posts and gravel boards in along the path, ready for the featherboard.
Getting the Line Right Beside a Public Footpath
When a garden borders a public footpath, the boundary is not just a line between two neighbours. People use the path, so the fence has to sit on the correct side of that line, all the way along.
We worked through the maps before the posts went in, and checked the line as we set them, so every post sat where it should. It is the sort of care that does not show once the boards are on, but it is the part of the job that matters most on a footpath boundary.
If you are not sure where your own boundary runs, our fencing questions answered guide covers the basics, including checking your title plan or deeds.
Checking the post line along the footpath before the boards went on.
Why Featherboard?
Featherboard, also called feather-edge or closeboard fencing, is built on site from vertical boards that are thicker on one edge than the other. Each board overlaps the next, so you get a solid face with no gaps. That means a private garden on one side, and a tidy boundary for anyone walking the path on the other.
Because it is built board by board, it can follow the boundary exactly, which is what we needed on a 30 metre run. A single damaged board can also be swapped later without taking out a whole section. For more on why so many local gardens use it, see why closeboard fencing is perfect for Torbay gardens.
The board side of the fence, running beside the wooded footpath.
A Full Two Metres
The customer asked for a full two metres, made up of a 150 millimetre gravel board with 1.8 metre featherboard above it. Two metres is the usual maximum you can build to without planning permission where a fence is not next to a highway. The rules are tighter next to a road, and a public footpath can count too, so it is always worth checking your own boundary before you settle on a height. Our guide to choosing the right fence height for your Torquay property sets the usual limits out in plain English.
The gravel board does a second job as well as making up the height. It keeps the featherboards up off the ground, so the boards themselves are not sitting in the damp. With the trees right alongside this path, that is worth having.
Rebated Capping, Galvanised Post Caps and a Gate
The top of the fence is where the rain gets in, so the finishing details matter.
Rebated capping runs along the top of the boards and covers the end grain. That is the part of the timber that soaks up water most easily, so a cap lets the rain run off instead. It also gives the run a neat line from the path. We talk through the same detail in our feather-board fence installation in Torquay.
Galvanised post caps do the same job for the posts. The galvanised finish will not rust in the damp air we get around Torquay. Our guide to protecting your fence before winter explains why capping the posts is one of the simplest ways to help a fence last.
A pedestrian gate finishes the run, with a bolt to keep it shut.
Fitting a galvanised cap to the top of a post.
The garden side of the fence, with the posts, rails, gravel boards and galvanised caps on show.
The pedestrian gate, with a bolt, set into the fence line.
The Result
Where there had been old concrete posts, chain link and brambles, there is now 30 metres of solid featherboard. From the footpath it is a clean, even face of boards, with the gravel board at the bottom and rebated capping along the top. From the garden you can see the posts and rails that give it its strength, and the galvanised caps on the posts.
The site was left clean, the fence is solid, and the customer is happy. That is the job done.
The finished boundary, with the woodland path alongside.
Planning a New Fence in Wellswood?
If your garden in Wellswood, or elsewhere in Torquay, needs a new boundary, we would be glad to help. We can talk through featherboard, fence height, and what to do when the line runs beside a footpath.
Get in touch for a free site visit and quote, or call Joe on 01803 494348.
You can also see another recent job in our 6ft featherboard fence replacement in Torbay case study.
