We recently completed a closeboard fence for a residential property in Paignton. The job covered both the garden boundary and a long run down a narrow brick side passage - two different settings, one consistent feather-edge finish.
Paignton plots often combine a usable garden with tight side access between houses. That is where panel fencing can struggle to follow the ground, and where a fence built on site with posts, gravel boards, and overlapping boards holds a better line.
New closeboard fencing along a Paignton garden boundary, with a clean capping rail and stepped height to suit the plot.
The Project: Privacy for the Garden and Side Access
On the garden side, the new closeboard gives a solid private edge with a timber capping rail along the top. Heights step where the plot needs it, so the top line stays neat rather than fighting the ground.
Down the side passage, the same style runs the length of the brick path between the buildings. Working in a narrow alley means every post and board has to be true - there is little room to hide a wave in the line.
What the project involved:
- Closeboard (feather-edge) fencing built on site from pressure-treated timber
- Posts set for a straight, durable run along both the garden and side passage
- Timber gravel boards at the base so the vertical boards stay off damp ground and paving
- Capping rail along the top to protect the end grain and finish the line
- Galvanised fixings suited to coastal Torbay weather
- Heights stepped where the garden and path rise
A long closeboard run along the narrow brick side passage, built for privacy in a tight space.
Why Closeboard Works Well in Paignton
Closeboard is one of the most popular choices for Paignton and wider Torbay homes. The overlapping vertical boards create a solid barrier with no gaps, which matters when gardens sit close together and when a side passage would otherwise feel open to neighbouring properties.
Unlike drop-in fence panels, feather-edge is fitted board by board. That makes it easier to follow a slope, step a height change, and keep a clean top line on an uneven path - exactly what this Paignton plot needed.
Salt air and splash from paving are hard on timber. Gravel boards take the wet at the base, while the capping rail sheds water at the top. Together they help the fence last longer in a coastal climate.
The side-passage fence follows the slight rise, with gravel boards at the base and a continuous capping rail.
Overlapping feather-edge boards give a solid, gap-free screen beside the brick path.
The Installation
We built the runs on site so the posts, gravel boards, and feather-edge could be set to the ground and the brick path. The side passage is a confined space, so materials and working room have to be planned carefully. The finished line should look simple even when the access is not.
On the garden boundary, the fence steps with the slope and sits cleanly beside the existing deck and planting beds. Those features were already part of the garden - this case study is about the new closeboard fencing only.
Garden-side closeboard stepping with the slope to maintain a neat top line where the ground rises.
Looking down the finished side passage - straight posts, gravel boards, and a tidy top line.
The Result
The client now has a coherent Paignton boundary: solid closeboard on the garden edge and a long, private screen along the side passage, finished with gravel boards and a capping rail throughout.
If you are replacing tired panels, securing a side access, or looking for a proper feather-edge run in Paignton or elsewhere in Torbay, get in touch for a free site visit and quote.
Call Joe on 01803 494348.
You can also see an earlier project in our Paignton closeboard fence installation case study.
