How long should a new close-board fence last, and what makes the difference

Fencing 19 July 2026 6 minutes read

A new fence is a real spend, so it is fair to ask how long it should last before you commit. The honest answer is that the timber you can see is rarely what fails first. Fences die from the ground up, at the point where wood meets wet soil, and the choices made there decide whether you get decades or a repeat job in a few years. Here is what actually makes the difference.

What actually kills a fence

Almost every failed fence fails in the same place: the few centimetres where the post or the bottom board meets the ground. That zone stays damp, and damp timber in contact with soil rots from the inside where you cannot see it.

This is why a fence can look fine from the garden and still be days from going over in a storm. The boards up top are sound; the post at the base has quietly rotted through. Grab a post and push. Movement at ground level is the warning sign that the footing, not the fence, has failed.

Get the ground line right and the rest of the fence has an easy life. Get it wrong and no quality of board on top will save it.

Concrete posts and gravel boards versus timber

The single biggest decision for lifespan is what carries the fence. Concrete posts do not rot, and a concrete gravel board along the bottom keeps the timber boards clear of the soil. Together they take the whole fence out of the rot zone, which is how you get twenty years and more.

Timber posts look softer and some gardens want the all-wood appearance, and they can last well if they are the right timber, set in concrete and kept out of standing water. On heavy clay that holds moisture, though, timber in the ground is living on borrowed time.

There is a middle path many people like: concrete posts and gravel boards for the working parts, with feather-edge timber boards on top for the look. You get the lifespan of concrete underneath and the warmth of timber where you see it.

Treatment, timber and the details in between

Above the ground line, timber quality and treatment set how the fence ages. Pressure-treated boards resist rot far better than untreated, and a coat of fence treatment every few years holds the colour if you would rather it did not weather to grey.

Fixings matter more than they seem. Galvanised or stainless nails and screws do not bleed rust stains down the boards and do not fail early. Cheap fixings are a small saving that shows within a couple of winters.

On sloping ground, a fence should be stepped or raked to follow the slope, with gravel boards cut to close the gaps at the bottom. Panels left floating above daylight let wind under the fence and let pets and leaves through, and they tend to work loose first.

Repair or replace: reading your own fence

If the posts are solid and only a board, a rail or a gravel board has gone, repair it. That is a routine, low-cost fix, and doing it quickly stops one loose panel working the next one free.

If the posts are rotten at the base or leaning out of line, patching panels is throwing money at a fence that is already going. When several posts have failed, replacing the run is usually the cheaper choice over the next few years.

The tell is at your feet, not at eye level. Check the posts at ground level first, and let that decide. If you are not sure, a quick look on site will give you a straight answer rather than a guess.

Common questions