Fencing & Garden Structures

Fencing covers the installation of fences, railings, ornamental ironwork, pergolas and gates that visually and physically bound a garden. Materials range from wood (douglas fir, pine, hardwoods like bangkirai or bilinga) to steel (ornamental fencing, mesh), concrete (concrete piers, low walls) and combinations. Placement is on concrete piers or in concrete footings, where wind load and soil type dictate how deep the foundation must go. Height is generally permit-free up to 2 metres behind the front facade line and 1 metre in front, though councils have variations. With wooden fences a good treatment extends life significantly — hardwood on concrete piers lasts 20+ years, douglas or pine on average 10–15 years, provided correctly placed and inspected annually for rot.

Our approach to fencing

1. Measuring and discussing — needs, boundary determination, height and style.
2. Material proposal — options side by side on look, maintenance and price.
3. Installation — foundation in concrete piers, posts plumb, panels straight, finished neatly.
4. Check and handover — you walk along to inspect everything.

What we watch for in fencing

A fence that goes off-line after two years, with posts slowly subsiding — almost always the foundation is the cause. The wood itself is rarely the problem.

Posts placed directly in damp soil without a concrete pier, or with a concrete footing too shallow, will inevitably tilt under wind load. With hardwood panels weight comes on top — a substructure that suffices for pine fails under bangkirai or bilinga. Soil type plays in: peat and clay shift with moisture, so the foundation needs to go deeper there than on sand. And without a bracing angle between panel and post, a panel can hang on a single post in a storm and twist it.

In practice we set concrete piers at least 60 cm deep, or drilled foundations for heavier panels. Posts are set strictly plumb with spirit level and string line, and the concrete gets enough cure time (at least 48 hours) before panels go on. With existing fences with subsided posts we reinforce with an extra pier next to the existing, or replace point-by-point without taking the whole fence down. With hardwood we use stainless fixings to avoid rust problems down the line.

Fencing in Purmerend and surroundings

On peat or clay — dominant in Zaanstreek, Purmerend and Beemster — fences stand against wind that comes unbroken across polder land. Heavier foundations and wind-resistant panels are no luxury there; a light panel on a shallow post is a matter of time. In city gardens in Hoorn and Diemen wind is less the issue, but visibility and privacy more often call for higher, denser panels within the permit limits. On sandy soil in parts of Hoorn posts can be shallower-founded, but sturdy ground-level edging matters more because of mole and dog runs.

Why clients choose us for fencing

• Plumb posts — a fence stands or falls on the foundation, not the panel.
• Honest material advice — what really suits your garden and maintenance appetite; bangkirai isn't always the answer.
• Tidy work — sawdust taken away, garden left clean.

The right fencing makes a garden feel both bigger and more private at once. We work throughout Purmerend, Zaandam, Hoorn, Diemen and Edam-Volendam. For green in front or behind the fence, see planting.