Your How-To Guide For Timber Fencing

With various intricate grains and vibrant earthy colours, timber fences are unique to your own property. From regional towns to inner Brisbane suburbs, Queensland is home to a variety of environmental landscapes with varying property types. Whether you’re after a contemporary or rustic style, constructing your ideal timber fence is the finishing visual touch for your beautiful home.

When building a timber fence, we’re the experts to help you overcome even the smallest mistakes to help your fencing project go as smoothly as possible. From planning your project to choosing the right type of fencing timber, our advice will leave you satisfied for decades with your timber fencing.

Contents

Planning your timber fence

Choosing the right materials

Knowing the benefits of your timber fence

Planning your timber fence

Before you start the work, it’s essential to plan your timber project thoroughly. Some of the biggest dilemmas DIY builders encounter are caused by skipping over these important details.

Your personal checklist

• Where is your fence located?
  • Different locations warrant their own specific features. Rural homes may want to reinforce the appearance of openness, while inner city homes may require security and provide soundproofing. 
• What style is your property? 
  • Understanding your property’s attributes will help you pick suitable materials to match the aesthetic.
• What function does the fence serve?
  • Pinpointing the ultimate function of your fence will highlight the necessary height and width required for your project. 

Avoid these common mistakes

It’s easy to slip up and forget small yet crucial components for the foundation of your fencing project.

• Not checking with your council, neighbourhood and other regulatory authorities
  • Make sure you’re building within your local council’s rules and regulations, as well as any neighbours to your property, to ensure you have permission to build
  • Contact your local council for advice on requirements and constraints for residential building projects
• Failing to ‘Dial Before You Dig Queensland’ 
  • ‘Dial Before You Dig Queensland’ is part of a national network to assist navigating infrastructure on your property
  • If you don’t dial before you dig, you could find yourself digging into a powerline beneath your property
• Not knowing your property line and building outside your property
  • Building a fence outside your property could lead to tearing down the fence and needing to rebuild it
  • Finding a clear property line gives you the guarantee your hard work won’t go to waste

Choose the best materials

For strength and durability, we always recommend hardwood when it comes to timber fencing. Excellent for outdoor use, many indigenous hardwoods provide natural protection against bushfires and termites. 

When constructing a timber fence on a budget, we recommend the use of treated softwood pine timber. Lightweight and soft, treated pine is an alternative economical choice and easy to work with.

For more guidance on choosing timber for your project, check out our ultimate guide on decoding timber ratings.

We recommend timber treated with CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate). CCA treated timber protects your fence against bacteria, fungus and insects while offering some water resistance. Containing chromium, copper and arsenic, it’s unsafe to use CCA treated timber for indoor use or decking. It does, however, create the perfect protection for unpredictable outdoor environments.

What to consider for your fence

• Palings
  • As the main component of your fence, we recommend CCA treated hardwood fence palings and CCA treated pine palings available in a range of sizes.
• Posts 
  • Stuck firmly in the ground, all fence posts must be CCA treated hardwood to offer long lasting durability against natural exposure.
• Rails
  • The timber to connect your palings together, rails can use CCA treated hardwood and CCA treated pine.

What hardware you’ll need

• Coil nails
  • When working with timber structures that require high strength, coil nails are plentiful, high performing and increase building efficiency
• Galvanised steel gate frames
  • For fences in need of a gate, we recommend the sturdiness of galvanised steel for extra security and strength
• Cement
  • Using cement will anchor your posts into the ground and increase your fence’s long-term durability

Knowing the benefits of your timber fence

Timber fencing is key in creating the necessary boundaries for your property. Renowned for its versatility and durability, the size and style of your timber fence can be adjusted to suit your home.

Why choose timber fencing?

• Guaranteed privacy and security
  • Whether you’re living in the inner city or amongst a close knit suburban neighbourhood, fencing preserves privacy and blocks out excessive noise. 
• Enhanced versatility 
  • Building a taller or shorter fence, timber fencing allows you to use taller palings for increased privacy or shorter picket fences to display your front yard.
• Aesthetically pleasing
  • Timber fences allow you to paint or stain in any colour to suit your property. It can easily be altered to suit any decor changes. While chain-link fencing may stand out, a timber fence integrates your home into nature.

For more information, read our Guide to DIY Fencing.