Fences

Fence Builders in Wairarapa

A fence marks the boundary, keeps children and dogs in and gives a section privacy. We build fences across the Wairarapa and Tararua Region, as a job on their own or as part of a new build or renovation.

Get a quote 027 367 1635

Dark slatted privacy walls around a kwila deck with two timber gazebos and outdoor seating

Fences for every kind of section

Most fences do one of a few jobs, and the job decides the design:

Boundary fences: the line between your section and the neighbour's, built where the boundary really is.
Privacy fences: taller, closed-board fences that screen a deck, a garden or a living area from the street.
Front and garden fences: lower fences that define the section and keep children and pets in without closing it off.
Fences around a new build: finished with the house, so the section is complete when you move in. See our new builds.

Privacy walls we have built

The photographs on this page are privacy walls we built as part of outdoor living areas. At the top, slatted walls enclose a kwila deck with two gazebos; here, a solid timber wall with a recessed shelf closes off the end of a 90 square metre kwila deck.

A privacy wall like these is built the same way as a good fence: posts set solid in the ground, rails that stay straight, and boards fixed to last. Planned with the deck it belongs to, it turns an open section into a sheltered outdoor room.

Solid timber privacy wall at the end of a new kwila deck beside a dark-clad house

Before a fence goes up

Three things are worth settling before any posts go in. The first is where the boundary actually is: an old fence line is not always on it, and survey pegs or the title plan are the reliable guide. The second is what is under the ground along the fence line, such as water pipes, power or drains, which a post hole can hit. The third, for a boundary fence, is the neighbour, who shares both the fence and, usually, the decision.

What a fence costs depends on its length and height, the timber and the style of boards, the gates in it and the ground it runs over, so every quote is based on your section.

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Fences, consents and your neighbours

Most residential fences need no building consent: Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004 exempts a fence up to 2.5 metres high above the supporting ground. A pool fence is the exception. Every residential pool that can hold water 400 millimetres deep or more must have a barrier that stops unsupervised children under 5 years of age getting in, and building.govt.nz notes that fences to swimming pools are outside the exemption and need a building consent.

The district plan can set a lower limit. Carterton District Council says that, in general, a boundary fence up to 1.8 metres high needs neither a building nor a resource consent, a fence over 1.8 metres needs a resource consent, and one over 2.5 metres needs both. Masterton District Council publishes the same thresholds. If you are in another district, check with your own council.

A boundary fence is also governed by the Fencing Act 1978. Neighbours whose land is not divided by an adequate fence are generally liable to share the cost of work on a fence in equal proportions, but a neighbour who wants the other to contribute must first serve a fencing notice. The other neighbour then has 21 days to object with a cross-notice, and is taken to have agreed if they do not. Unless they agree otherwise, they do not have to contribute to work done before the notice was served, or while they still have time to object or an objection is unresolved, except where a fence has been suddenly damaged and needs immediate work. Talking to your neighbour first is the easiest start.

Fences: common questions

Does my fence need a building consent?

Not if it is up to 2.5 metres high and is not a pool fence. Carterton and Masterton District Councils say a boundary fence over 1.8 metres generally needs a resource consent.

Who pays for a boundary fence?

Under the Fencing Act 1978, neighbours whose land is not divided by an adequate fence generally share the cost of work on a fence equally. The neighbour who wants the other to contribute serves a fencing notice first, and the other has 21 days to object.

What about a fence around a pool?

A new pool fence needs a building consent. Every residential pool that can hold water 400 millimetres deep or more must have a barrier that stops unsupervised children under 5 getting in, and the barrier has to be in place before the pool is filled, because the rule applies as soon as a pool is filled or partly filled with water.

Do I need to check for pipes and cables before the posts go in?

It is wise. BeforeUdig is a free service that gets plans of nearby cables and pipes from its member utility companies, and asks for an enquiry at least two full business days before work starts. Its plans show that services are there, not their exact position, and may not show the pipes and cables you own inside your boundary, so care is still needed around them.

How do I get a quote for a fence?

Call Martin on 027 367 1635, email martin.amos@xtra.co.nz or send the form below with the length and height you have in mind and where it runs. We work Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.