How Many Fence Panels and Posts Do I Need?

One more than the number of panels. A ten panel run needs eleven posts, because there is a post at each end as well as between every pair of panels. It sounds obvious written down and it is the most common ordering mistake there is. If your fence returns around a corner, that corner post serves both runs, so count the corner once, not twice.

Around £160 to £220 per panel installed in 2026 for a standard 1.8 metre closeboard fence on concrete posts with concrete gravel boards, including VAT. Lap panels on timber posts come in nearer £120 to £180. That per-panel figure is the most useful way to compare quotes, because contractors measure runs differently and a price for the whole job hides how many bays they have actually allowed for.

Two 20 kilogram bags per post is the standard allowance for a 1.8 metre fence in normal ground, giving a hole around 300 millimetres across and 600 deep. Go to three bags for exposed sites, gate posts, corner posts and anything over 1.8 metres. Postmix is not the same as concrete: it is designed to be poured in dry and watered, sets in about ten minutes and is why a fence can go up in a day.

Concrete, in almost every case. A timber post rots at ground level where the wet and the air meet, and in the Northern Ireland climate that is usually eight to twelve years even with treated timber. Concrete posts with slotted sides last decades, let panels be lifted out and replaced without digging anything up, and pair with concrete gravel boards to keep the timber clear of the ground. They cost roughly £14 more per post and are the single best value upgrade on any fence.

Not for a fence up to 2 metres high in a back garden. The limit drops to 1 metre where the fence adjoins a road used by vehicles, or a footpath beside one, which catches a lot of front boundaries. Listed buildings and conservation areas have tighter rules again. It is also worth checking the deeds before you start: replacing a boundary fence that is not yours is a conversation with your neighbour that is much better had first.

Yes. Fencing materials and installation for a domestic customer are standard-rated, and Northern Ireland suppliers and fencers quote inclusive of VAT at 20 per cent. Timber prices move more than most building materials, so a quote given in March may not stand in September, and any fencer working from last year's rates will either reprice or cut the specification. If a price looks well below the range here, check what height the panels are, whether gravel boards are included, and whether the posts are concrete or timber, because that is usually where the difference is hiding.