Fencing in Earley

Earley and Lower Earley are among the most densely built parts of our area, and that density defines the work. Almost every boundary here is shared, almost every access route is tight, and almost every job affects a neighbour.

We are based at Valley Crescent in Wokingham, about 4.9 miles from Earley, and we have been fencing across this part of Berkshire since 1992. Earley falls under Wokingham Borough Council for planning purposes.

Shared boundaries and who owns what

In a dense suburb virtually every fence is a boundary between two households, and the first question is always the same: whose fence is it? The honest answer is that there is no universal rule. The deeds may say, a T-mark on the title plan may indicate it, and often nothing says anything at all.

What we would suggest, from thirty years of doing this, is to have the conversation before the work rather than after. A neighbour who was told in advance is rarely a problem. A neighbour who came home to a new fence sometimes is, and that tension outlasts the fence.

Access down the side of the house

Lower Earley in particular has a lot of properties where the only route to the back garden is a side return under a metre wide, sometimes with a gate and a meter box narrowing it further. Six metre arris rails do not turn that corner.

We work around it constantly, by cutting on site, carrying in shorter sections or occasionally going over a fence rather than through a gap. It is not a reason to say no to a job. It is a reason we want to see the access before quoting rather than pricing it off a photograph of the fence.

Storm damage and why Earley gets it

Long uninterrupted runs of back-to-back gardens create wind corridors, and after a serious blow we get a concentration of calls from this area: panels lifted out, posts snapped at ground level, whole sections leaning into a neighbour's garden.

Our first job after a storm is making the boundary safe, especially where there are children or dogs. The proper repair follows once everyone can see what is actually left, and it is very often a spur rather than a replacement. That is covered on the repairs page.

Side gates

Because the side return is the only way in, the side gate in Earley is doing real work: security, access for us, and access for anyone bringing anything larger than a shopping bag into the garden.

A gate here needs to be built to the opening rather than bought off a shelf, because these gaps are rarely a standard width and the ground often slopes away. See our gates page for how we handle that.

What we do in Earley

The full range: fence supply and installation, made-to-measure gates and repairs including concrete spurs. Free site visit, itemised written quote, and the old fence taken away when we are finished.

We also cover Finchampstead, Twyford, Bracknell, Winnersh, Reading and the rest of the area listed on our areas covered page.