What we install
Our fencing and walling work covers most boundary types you’ll see across Rugby:
- Closeboard fencing: vertical pressure-treated boards on horizontal arris rails. Best long-life domestic fence. £75–£110/m.
- Lap-panel fencing: pre-made overlapping panels. Faster to install, cheaper, slightly shorter life. £75–£95/m.
- Post-and-rail: agricultural-style three-rail with stock netting if needed. Used on paddocks, larger plots and rural boundaries. £45–£75/m.
- Picket fencing: front-garden picket in painted softwood or hardwood. Bespoke heights. £85–£130/m.
- Sleeper retainers: railway-style softwood or oak sleepers stacked horizontally for retaining walls. £180–£280/m.
- Brick walls: engineering or facing brick on poured concrete footing, with coping. Quoted bespoke.
- Bespoke fencing: slatted, vertical board with horizontal trim, mixed material, decorative gates. Quoted bespoke.
Concrete posts are standard on every fence we install. Timber posts rot at the ground line within 8–15 years; concrete posts last 25+. There’s no upcharge, we just don’t install timber-post fencing as new build.
Slopes, stepped vs racked
Two thirds of the fencing jobs we quote in Rugby involve a slope. Two ways to handle it:
- Stepped: each panel sits horizontally between vertical posts, with the next panel stepped down a course or two at the next post. Creates a small triangular gap at each step which gravel boards or stepped fillers close. Works on any slope. Looks tidy and follows the slope predictably.
- Racked: panels angled in plane to follow the slope continuously. Looks smoother across shallow slopes (under 1:8), but doesn’t work on steeper falls and limits panel choice (closeboard rather than pre-made lap).
We default to stepped for anything over 1:10. We’ll match neighbour ground levels carefully so the fence doesn’t sit obviously above or below their lawn line.
Permitted Development and Conservation Areas
Most domestic fencing in Rugby is Permitted Development: meaning no Planning Permission is needed, provided:
- Maximum 2m high in back gardens and side returns
- Maximum 1m high if next to a highway (front gardens fronting a road)
- Not in a Conservation Area (additional restrictions apply)
- Not part of a Listed Building’s curtilage (full Planning Permission needed)
Conservation Areas in Rugby, most of Dunchurch village, parts of Bilton’s older core, certain Rugby town fringes, have specific fencing restrictions. We’ll flag any consent issues on the site visit and handle the application if needed.
T-marks and boundary ownership
Before replacing a fence, we check who owns and maintains it. The convention:
- The T-mark on your title deed boundary plan shows ownership, the T points into the garden of the owner
- If both gardens have T-marks (a “double T”), it’s a shared/party fence
- Where deeds are silent, the fence with arris rails facing your garden is conventionally yours
- The “Right Side Rule” is a myth, no UK law specifies which side belongs to whom
We’ll confirm ownership on the site visit before quoting a replacement, and recommend a neighbour conversation in advance of work where the fence has been agreed shared.
Walls, when fencing isn’t enough
Walls suit three scenarios that fencing doesn’t:
- Retaining significant earth: over about 600mm of soil pressure, you need a proper wall. Sleeper retainers handle up to 1m unsupported; brick or concrete-and-render handles taller and longer runs.
- Boundary in a Conservation Area: local planning often prefers walls over fences, especially in heritage areas of Bilton, Dunchurch and Rugby town centre.
- Permanent stock-proof or security boundary: brick walls deter casual climbing and don’t get blown down.
We work on all three. Brick walls need a poured concrete footing (450mm wide × 300mm deep on most sites, deeper on heavy clay), which means full excavation rather than fence-post post-hole digging. The site visit confirms what’s actually needed.
Pricing for fencing and walling in Rugby
Typical Rugby supplied-and-fitted prices:
- Lap panel, concrete posts, gravel boards (1.8m): £75–£95/m
- Closeboard, concrete posts, gravel boards, capping (1.8m): £85–£110/m
- Post-and-rail with stock netting: £45–£65/m
- Picket fencing (1.0–1.2m, painted): £85–£130/m
- Sleeper retaining wall (up to 1m unsupported): £180–£280/m
- Brick wall: quoted bespoke, typically £450–£800/m for a 1m wall
Removal of old fencing and gateway openings are quoted separately for transparency. Talk to the Rugby tree surgery and landscaping team for a free written quote, and pair fencing with garden landscaping if the boundary work sits inside a wider project.
