Timber paling fences are the standard boundary fence in Melbourne. EasyFixed gives you an instant online price for timber fence installation with hardwood or steel posts across Melbourne and surrounding suburbs. Pick your height and options, and get a fixed price inc GST in under a minute.
Hardwood posts, treated palings, professional install.
What goes into a timber paling fence
A paling fence is only as good as the posts holding it up. We set hardwood or galvanised steel posts in concrete at standard 2.4 metre centres, then run two or three rails depending on the height, and fix treated pine palings to the rails.
Heights are quoted at 0.9m, 1.5m, 1.8m, 2.1m and 2.4m. The standard boundary fence in Melbourne is 1.8m. Anything taller usually needs three rails, and some councils want a permit above 2.0m.
Optional extras that change the price are lattice or slat toppers for extra height, capping along the top to protect the paling ends, and a plinth board at the bottom to keep soil and mulch off the palings.
Hardwood posts or steel posts
Hardwood posts look traditional and are the standard choice. They are cheaper up front and easy to fix rails to, but the section at ground level is where rot eventually starts.
Galvanised steel posts cost a bit more and outlast the timber around them. On a fence you intend to keep for twenty years, steel posts are usually the better spend, and they are the fix we recommend when we are replacing failed timber posts one at a time.
The calculator prices both, and the what's included list updates to match whichever you choose.
How the job runs
You price the fence online, book with us, and our tradie contacts you within 24 hours to confirm access, the exact line and any complications like tree roots, services or a slope.
On the day, old fencing comes out if you have added removal, the post holes go in, posts are concreted and left to set, then rails and palings go on. Most standard residential runs are done in a day or two.
We take leftover concrete and offcuts away. Excavated soil stays on site.
Much of Melbourne sits on reactive clay. Clay swells in winter and shrinks through summer, which works fence footings loose over the years. It is the single biggest reason posts lean here, and why we set footings deeper than the bare minimum.
Most Melbourne councils allow a boundary fence up to 2.0 metres between neighbours without a planning permit, with lower limits on street frontages. Heritage overlays across the inner suburbs add extra rules, so check with your council before going tall at the front.
Hot dry summers and wet winters are hard on timber. Expect to re-stain a paling fence every three to five years, and expect the north and west facing runs to weather first.
Housing ranges from period terraces and weatherboards in the inner suburbs to newer estates further out. Timber paling and Colorbond dominate back boundaries, while aluminium slat and blade fencing is the common choice on modern front boundaries.
How long does a timber paling fence last? Properly installed timber paling fences with hardwood posts typically last 15-20 years before posts need attention. Staining every few years extends the life of the palings.
Do you remove the old fence? Yes. Add removal in the calculator. A minimum removal charge of $550 applies to cover dump fees and labour.
Do I need council approval? Most boundary fences under 2.0m do not require approval, but rules vary by council. We can advise on your specific job.
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