After an afternoon battling with the hedge trimmers we’ve decided the leylandii hedge that forms our front boundary needs to come out.

Any ideas what sorts of costs we’re looking at for 10m of 3 ft high fencing?

I did 70m of 3ft high post and rail picket fencing for about £500 of materials.

You’ll be talking 6 posts (£35) and 18x 3600x150x14mm planks (£100), plus fixtures and postcrete x12 bags (£50). Labour, around a day. To get someone in I’d say £450 all in.

whatever you do get the plastic/bitumen wraps that go round the post at ground level

I seriously recommend concrete posts and concrete bases for the panels. It adds a bit more to the cost – but means the fence is pretty much permanent. There is nothing touching the ground to rot and then get blown over.

I now start with concrete repair spurs and bolt my posts to them, a bit easier on the eye than full concrete posts, keeps the posts clear of the ground and still easy to change them if needed.

It’s the cost of getting the leylandi out that you want to worry about, although while the guy is there wit the digger he can do you fence post holes.

isn’t it just time for a better hedge trimmer?

Or plant a nicer hedge? (serious suggestion!)

Hedge is past point of no return I think. It’s about 2m deep.