How much does closeboard fencing cost per metre?

Closeboard, feather edge and close board all name the same fence: vertical tapered boards overlapping by at least 20mm, nailed to horizontal arris rails running between the posts, sitting on a gravel board. Two rails are typical up to 1.2 metres and three above that. It is built on site from loose components rather than dropped in as a panel, which is why the labour content is higher than lap fencing. Factory made closeboard panels also exist, so a quote should say which of the two you are being priced for.

Our £90 to £130 per metre excluding VAT covers posts, gravel board, arris rails, feather edge boards, postcrete and labour. MyBuilder publishes the identical installed band and adds the honest caveat: on difficult ground, or where old concrete posts need breaking out and disposing of, costs rise to £150 to £180 per metre. Removal of the existing fence is a separate line unless agreed. On our figures a 10 metre run is £900 to £1,300 and a 30 metre run is £2,700 to £3,900, before VAT and before disposal.

You will find £45 per metre published for close board fencing. It does not survive checking. Checkatrade derives it by dividing a £50 panel across a 1.82 metre width, and £50 over 1.82 metres works out at £27.47 per metre. The published figure is also materials only: no posts, no gravel boards, no postcrete, no labour and no waste removal. Used as an installed per metre price it understates a real job by three to four times. Any per metre figure under about £60 is a materials price wearing an installer's coat.

Closeboard costs more than lap fencing for two checkable reasons. At Wickes a closeboard 6ft by 6ft panel is £68 against £32 for a dip treated overlap panel, roughly double on materials alone. And site built closeboard is assembled board by board rather than dropped into place. What you buy for the difference is wind performance and repairability, since vertical boards fixed to rails hold their shape and handle wind loading better than horizontal lap panels. That matters on the exposed gardens along the Cotswold edge.

The repair economics are the strongest argument for closeboard and they are easy to price. A damaged feather edge board is £0.80 to £2 in timber. An arris rail bracket is £2 to £5 with £7 to £15 of labour, and a failed rail is £15 to £25 in timber plus an hour. A damaged lap panel usually means a whole new panel. Send us the run length, the height you want and a photo of the ground line at both ends, and we will price it against the guide range.

More in fencing costs, or browse all 36 questions on the FAQ index.