Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham
Fencing Medway: garden fences put up from Rochester
Garden boundaries in the Medway towns face slopes, river edges and protected streets. CRF Services Ltd puts up and replaces garden fencing across Medway from a base in Rochester ME3, with Danny digging every post and hanging every panel himself.
Sloping gardens on the North Downs
Medway's southern suburbs, Walderslade, Luton, Hempstead and Wigmore, sit on the slope of the North Downs, so many gardens there rise or fall away from the house. A fence cannot simply run flat. Each bay is stepped down to keep panels level, with gravel boards cut to close the triangle gaps underneath, or a closeboard fence is built on rails that follow the ground. Setting the line out first keeps the steps even, so the run looks deliberate rather than lurching down the garden.
Across Medway, 37.7% of homes are terraced and 30.9% semi-detached, so most back fences are shared, and a terrace boundary often joins several neighbours' runs. Being local to Rochester means a site visit is quick to arrange, and a short repair can be fitted around a longer job nearby.
Riverside gardens and protected streets
Environment Agency Flood Zones 2 and 3 follow the Medway riverside at Rochester, and lower Strood, built on marsh, flooded in 1953, 1968 and 1979. In gardens on that lower ground, posts are set with drainage in mind and concrete gravel boards keep timber panels clear of wet soil. Newer riverside housing in Strood and estates such as Medway Gate, around 400 homes in a former chalk pit, have their own developer-built boundaries that often reach replacement age together.
Front boundaries need more thought in the conservation areas, which include Historic Rochester, Star Hill, Chatham Historic Dockyard, Brompton Lines, New Road in Chatham, Railway Street and Gillingham Park in Gillingham, and Rainham and Lower Rainham. A new front fence, gate or wall there may need consent, so check with Medway Council, not Kent County Council, before materials are ordered.
Fencing work carried out across Medway
How each type of fence is built is explained on the main fencing page. Where only part of a fence has failed, the fence repair page covers fixing it rather than replacing the lot.
- Full runs replaced on concrete or timber posts
- Stepped panels for sloping hillside gardens
- Closeboard fences built on site
- Concrete gravel boards to lift panels off the soil
- Side gates and back gates hung on new posts
- Old fences and footings taken down and removed
Planning a new fence in a Medway terrace
On a terrace, one back fence often joins three or four others, so it helps to speak to the neighbours before the old panels come down. Agree which side the posts will sit, whether the old fence is coming out completely and how long the gap will be open, especially if anyone has a dog. Where the only way in is through the house, materials are carried through on a protected route and the old fence leaves the same way, which is planned into the day.
Exposed gardens see stronger winds than sheltered ones, so concrete posts and sturdier closeboard panels are worth considering where a light lap panel has already blown. If you are not sure who is responsible for a boundary or how high it can be, the guide to who owns the fence explains the general rules.
Town pages and getting a quote
The local pages for Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham list everything else carried out in each town. For a fencing quote, send photos of the boundary, a rough length and your postcode through the enquiry form, email crfservicesltd@gmail.com or call 07470 053613. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm. The fence installation cost guide explains what affects the price.
Common questions
Medway fencing questions
Guides before you book
Fence post replacement: broken, leaning or blown down
When the panel is fine but the post has given up.
Gate repair: how to fix a sagging garden gate
Why gates drop, why latches stop catching, and when the post is the real problem.
Fence installation cost: what goes into a new fence
The real price drivers for a whole new fence, and when a repair is the cheaper answer.
Have a job in mind?
Tell Danny what needs doing and get a clear, no-obligation quotation.