Fencing for Windy and Exposed Gardens: What Stays Standing

Short answer: in an exposed garden, choose a fence that lets some wind through (slatted, hit-and-miss or open styles) or one that's built to resist it (closeboard on concrete posts, set deep and close together). Solid 6ft panels of any material act like sails, so if you need full privacy, invest in bigger posts and better footings, not just a stronger panel. Lap panels on shallow posts are the fence most likely to be lying on the lawn after a named storm (the Met Office lists current named storms on its UK Storm Centre).

Why fences blow down

A 1.8m × 1.8m solid panel presents over three square metres of surface to the wind. The force goes into the posts and, through them, into the ground. Fences usually fail in one of three places:

1. The post snaps at ground level, typically a timber post that's rotted where it meets the soil.
2. The footing rotates in the ground because the hole was too shallow, or the soil is soft or waterlogged.
3. The panel blows out of its frame or brackets, especially thin lap panels.

Fixing the wind problem is mostly about posts and footings.

Designs that cope best

Hit-and-miss. Boards alternate on each side of the rails. You can't see straight through, but air passes between them. Wind load is lower than on a solid fence, and privacy is still good.

Slatted. Horizontal or vertical slats with gaps. The wider the gap, the lower the load and the lower the privacy.

Closeboard (feather-edge on arris rails). Solid, but stiff and well fixed, and a broken board doesn't take the whole bay with it. Installers widely regard it as better in wind than panel fencing.

Lattice-topped panels. A solid lower section with an open top. Less load at the top, where the lever effect on the post is greatest.

Open styles. Picket, post-and-rail and railings barely catch any wind.

Hedges and shelterbelts. A permeable windbreak slows the wind over a longer distance downwind than a solid barrier, which can cause turbulence on the sheltered side. A hedge behind a low fence is a good answer for coastal and hilltop gardens if you can wait.

Posts and footings

Whatever the infill:

• Go deeper. As a rule of thumb, about a quarter to a third of the post in the ground, and more on exposed sites. Coastal installers often recommend deeper holes, closer spacing or concrete posts.
• Use bigger posts. 100 × 100mm timber is a minimum for 1.8m in exposed spots. Some fencers use 125mm.
• Concrete posts don't rot at ground level, removing the most common failure point.
• Space posts closer on the most exposed runs.
• Drain the base. Gravel at the bottom of the hole. The Wood Protection Association warns against concrete "boots" that keep a timber post wet.
• Brace corners and ends, where the load is greatest.

Materials compared in wind

A word on warranties

Almost every fencing warranty, timber, composite, PVC and ours included, excludes wind and storm damage. Manufacturers can control product quality, not the weather or the footings. Check your home insurance for storm cover of boundary fences too. Many policies treat fences differently from the house, so read the wording.

If you need full privacy on an exposed site

1. Consider a lattice-topped or slatted top section instead of fully solid.
2. Use the largest posts the system allows, set deep in well-drained concrete.
3. Shorten spans or add intermediate posts where the system permits.
4. Plant a hedge or shrubs on the windward side over time.
5. Keep it to the height you actually need. A 1.5m fence with a trellis catches less wind than a 1.8m solid one.

If you're considering PVC privacy, choose the lattice-top Cascade on exposed sites and set the 5 × 5in posts properly. Our privacy collection has both options. Ask us about rail inserts for long runs.

After a storm

• Check every post for movement at ground level.
• Re-seat or re-fix panels that have shifted.
• Don't leave a loose panel flapping. It levers the post loose.
• Photograph damage before repairing, for insurance.

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