Garden Fencing in Surrey

Name: Wild By Design
Price range: $$

Wildlife-friendly fencing for the gardens of Surrey and Sussex. Properly-set posts, integrated with hedging and planting, built to last 15 years with no leaning panels.

We install garden fencing Surrey-wide as part of a whole-garden approach — posts set in concrete to the right depth, rails and boards selected for the specific exposure and soil conditions, and every panel integrated with the surrounding planting rather than bolted in front of it.

Timber fencing Surrey projects range from simple close-board boundary panels to bespoke oak post-and-rail rural fencing — all pressure-treated or naturally durable species, built to last 15 years without leaning, twisting, or losing panels in the first autumn gale.

Closeboard fencing is our most requested style for residential boundaries — the overlapping feather-edge boards create a solid, private screen that’s far more structurally rigid than panel fencing and handles the clay soil movement common across Surrey without lifting posts.

All our wildlife friendly fencing incorporates hedgehog gaps at ground level as standard — a 13cm square cut at the base of each panel costs nothing and gives Surrey’s declining hedgehog population safe passage between gardens.

As a fencing contractor Surrey homeowners and developers return to repeatedly, our reputation is built on getting the groundwork right — correctly set posts at the right depth are the difference between a fence that stands for 15 years and one that leans within three.

Most garden fencing in Surrey gets thrown up in a single afternoon by two lads with a post hole digger. The result is a hard line across the garden, no wildlife corridor underneath, and a fence that leans within five years. We do things differently.

Wildlife-friendly by design

Hedgehog gaps at the base, gravel boards raised, planting set in front. A fence that doesn’t cut the garden off from the next.

Posts set 600mm deep

Postcrete to the right ratio, concrete shoulders to shed water. Fences that don’t lean in the first January gale.

Designed with hedging in mind

Fence first, hedge planted in front. In ten years the hedge takes over and the fence works invisibly behind.

Why most garden fencing goes wrong

Most fencing across Surrey is rushed in by sub-contractors paid by the metre. A year or two later:

posts set too shallow start to lean after the first big wind
gravel boards rotting at ground level
no gap for hedgehogs, the garden is sealed off from the neighbours
larch lap panels orange-brown, no thought given to colour or planting in front
solid fence drops a hard line across the garden, no soft edge
no plan for what the boundary will look like in five years

The fence does its boundary job for a year, then becomes a problem. The garden looks fenced off rather than framed.

What Wild by Design does differently

We treat fencing as part of the garden, not the end of it. Every fence we install is planned alongside the planting that goes in front of it. That means:

13cm x 13cm posts set 600mm deep in concrete shoulders
pressure-treated timber, FSC certified, 15-year service life expected
13cm x 130mm gravel boards raised off the soil to stop rot
hedgehog gaps at the base (130mm x 130mm) at intervals
planting designed in front of the fence (hornbeam, beech, native mixed)
trellis tops where height is needed without solid mass
darker stains (charcoal, slate, dark green) to recede behind planting

The fence does the practical job (boundary, privacy, dog-proof, deer-proof where needed) and disappears visually within three growing seasons.

What’s included in our fencing installs:

Posts, panels, gravel boards, trellis, hedgehog gaps, planting prep and aftercare, the whole boundary, not just the panels

Closeboard, Hit-and-Miss, Trellis Top

Most Surrey gardens land on one of three fence types.

Closeboard is the strongest. Vertical feather-edge boards nailed to horizontal arris rails. Built panel by panel on site, so it can follow a contour or a wall. Used where privacy and longevity matter most. 15-year service life standard.

Hit-and-miss is softer. Boards alternate front and back, letting wind and dappled light through. Reduces wind-loading on the panels (a real factor on exposed Surrey ridge sites) and keeps the boundary feeling part of the garden, not a wall.

Trellis-top adds 30cm to 60cm of trellis above a 1.5m solid panel, giving useful height without the visual mass of a 2m solid fence. Climbers grow through, the boundary softens, the height feels lighter.

We pick the right one with you on the site visit, after measuring exposure and considering the planting that will sit in front.

Hedgehog Gaps and Wildlife Corridors

Hedgehogs need to move. A single hedgehog can travel two kilometres a night looking for food and a mate. A garden sealed off by solid fencing is a dead end.

Every fence we install includes hedgehog gaps as standard, 130mm x 130mm cuts at the base of the gravel board, placed three or four times along a typical garden boundary. They make almost no difference to security or privacy and they reconnect the garden to the wider network.

It’s a small detail that matters. Hedgehog populations are down 70% in the UK since 2000, largely because of fragmented gardens. Wild By Design fences are part of fixing that, one boundary at a time. Same logic guides our approach to hedge cutting and wilding work.

Fence post set 600mm deep in concrete in a Surrey clay garden, by Wild by Design

Hedgehog gap cut into the gravel board at the base of a Wild by Design garden fence in Surrey

Fence First, Hedge in Front

The best garden fences disappear.

We install the fence as the boundary structure, then plant a hedge in front of it. Hornbeam, beech, native mixed, yew, depending on the property. Within three years the hedge is doing the visual work and the fence is invisible behind it. Within ten years the hedge is the boundary in every practical sense and the fence is the safety net.

This is how country gardens have always done it. It’s also why most modern gardens look “fenced off” rather than “boundaried”, they’ve installed the fence without planning the planting.

We work the fence and hedge together. Hedge nursery stock ordered alongside the timber, planting dates set into the install schedule, and aftercare watered into our garden maintenance visits for the first two years until the hedge is established.

Gates, Repairs and Aftercare

Gates, side-access, repairs to existing fences, and re-staining all sit alongside the main install service.

Custom timber gates made to match the fence, with stainless hinges, soft-close where useful, key-coded or smart-locked. Side-access strips re-built where the previous owner ran out of patience.

For existing fences that have started leaning, we replace the failing posts (always the cause) without replacing the whole boundary. Most “the fence needs replacing” calls turn out to be three or four bad posts, not the panels.

Every fence we install gets an annual visit from our maintenance team for the first two years: check the staining, re-tighten any post brackets, water in the hedging.

How much does garden fencing cost in Surrey?

Fencing costs in Surrey typically sit between £130 and £220 per linear metre for a 1.8m closeboard fence installed with posts, gravel boards, hedgehog gaps and trellis tops where needed.

A rough guide:

Small garden boundary (15m): £2,000 to £3,500
Average Surrey rear boundary (30m): £4,000 to £7,000
Full property boundary (60m+): £8,000 to £15,000+
With integrated hedging package added: +£40 to £80 per metre

Every project gets a written quote after a site visit. No surprise post-counts once we’re on site.

Areas of Surrey and Sussex we cover

We install fencing across Surrey from our Dorking base, with site visits anywhere within an hour’s drive.

Surrey: Woking, Guildford, Dorking, Reigate, Cobham, Weybridge, Leatherhead, Esher, Epsom, Ashtead and Farnham.

Sussex: Horsham, Crawley, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead and the surrounding villages.

See our full garden design and build service across Surrey for related work.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does garden fencing cost in Surrey?

Most Surrey gardens come in between £130 and £220 per linear metre for a 1.8m closeboard fence installed with posts, gravel boards and hedgehog gaps. A small 15m boundary sits around £2,000 to £3,500. An average 30m rear boundary runs £4,000 to £7,000. A full property boundary of 60m or more runs £8,000 to £15,000+. Adding a hedging package brings another £40 to £80 per metre.

What is the best garden fencing for wildlife?

The best wildlife-friendly fencing is any solid panel with 130mm x 130mm hedgehog gaps at the base, ideally three or four spaced along the boundary. Hit-and-miss panels are even better, they let small birds through and reduce wind-loading. Adding a hedge in front turns the fence into a proper wildlife corridor.

How long should a garden fence last?

A properly installed pressure-treated softwood fence should last 15 years with no significant intervention. Most fences that fail early do so because the posts were set too shallow or in poor-quality concrete. The panels themselves rarely fail first. With hardwood or composite, the lifespan extends to 20 to 30 years.

Do I need planning permission for a garden fence?

No, as long as the fence is under 2 metres high (or 1 metre if it borders a public highway), no planning permission is needed. Conservation areas, listed buildings and some new-build estates have additional rules, we check this as part of the site visit.

How deep should fence posts be set?

For a 1.8m fence on Surrey clay, posts should be set 600mm into the ground in a properly mixed Postcrete or concrete shoulder. Anything less and the post will lean within five years. Corner posts and gate posts go deeper, 750mm minimum. This is where most contractor fences fail.

Should I have a fence or a hedge?

Both, usually. A fence gives instant boundary, privacy and security from day one. A hedge planted in front grows up over three to five years and eventually does most of the visual work. The fence becomes the safety net and the hedge becomes the boundary in every practical sense. For pure hedge work see our hedge cutting service.

Who owns the fence between my garden and the neighbour's?

Check your deeds. Most properties have a “T mark” on the boundary plan showing which side owns which fence. If unclear, the convention in much of Surrey is that the owner has the smooth side facing into their own garden and the post side facing the neighbour. If you’re installing a new fence on a shared boundary, talking to the neighbour first is always the smart move.

Book a site visit

Every fence install starts with a free site visit. We measure the boundary, check soil and access, talk through panel options and hedging, then follow up with a written quote inside a week. No obligation, no high-pressure sell.

Get in touch

Or call the team direct, find the number on our contact page.

Garden Fencing in Surrey

What’s included in our fencing installs:

Closeboard, Hit-and-Miss, Trellis Top

Hedgehog Gaps and Wildlife Corridors

Fence First, Hedge in Front

Gates, Repairs and Aftercare

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does garden fencing cost in Surrey?

What is the best garden fencing for wildlife?

How long should a garden fence last?

Do I need planning permission for a garden fence?

How deep should fence posts be set?

Should I have a fence or a hedge?

Who owns the fence between my garden and the neighbour's?

Get in touch

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