Fencing is an important part of any property - not only is it convenient for marking land boundaries, it also keeps your garden private, and in many cases will look good as a part of the garden.

Fences can come in any number of designs and styles. The most common type is the panelled design, which is usually supported by concrete or wooden fence posts. A range of fence boards can be placed between these posts, from simple square panels with thin 'screens' to allow wind through, to more aesthetically pleasing chevron or continental panels with more technical designs.

Alternatives include picket fencing, metal railings, or just a basic three or 5 bar fence. It all depends on what you want for your garden, and what will look best. If privacy is what you want, perhaps because you are overlooked by neighbours, or because you have a street or alleyway alongside you, you will probably want a 6' fence, which allows little or no viewing through the panel (although, perhaps a small amount of trellis may be appropriate on the top of the panel, to allow some light through). If you simply want to mark the property boundaries, or if you live in a more rural area, a simple picket fence, or a 3 or 5 bar fence may look more in keeping with your surroundings.

You may already have a wall around your house boundary. If this is a low wall, it is perfectly possible to add either a fence or a trellis on top, for extra privacy.

For the front of your home, it may not be appropriate to add a 6' fence, and so a lower down one will be more appropriate, so as not to ruin the look of your neighbourhood. Alternatively, a hedge or bushes may make an altogether more pleasant boundary marker, and can sometimes raise the tone of your area.

If you are installing a fence, in most cases it will start connected to a wall; be it a wall or the side of a house. Using mounting brackets, which you must affix to the wall, you can put up the first fence piece.

If you do not need to start from a wall, you will need to place a fence post first. You firstly should dig a hole, with as deep a foundation as possible. The hole should be filled with concrete, in order to prevent soil erosion, and to keep the fence post stable. Before pouring concrete, ensure that the fence post is vertical, else the panels may not fit inside the posts correctly. To install the posts, you should push a post socket into the hole, filling around it with concrete as necessary. The socket should be knocked into the ground until the top is level with the ground. You can then put a post into the socket. This should be repeated the length of the fence.

The posts should be put up at 6ft intervals, to fit the panels, which are manufactured to a standardised 6ft length. Concrete posts will normally have grooves down the sides in which the fence panels fit. This allows for easy removal or replacement. If you are using wooden fence posts, you will need to affix brackets to the post, and the fence panel will need to fixed to the bracket, which may take a little extra time in comparison to concrete posts. However, the concrete posts are not as pleasing to the eye, and don't normally blend in too well with the fence panels, while the wooden ones can be stained to match perfectly. The look once complete will probably make the extra time spent. Extra care must be taken with wooden panels, however, as they may rot, while concrete panels tend to last for years.