Composite Fencing in Devon

A fence you don’t have to treat every year

Composite fencing is made from a mix of wood fibre and recycled plastic, formed into boards that slot into aluminium or composite posts. It doesn’t rot, it doesn’t need staining, and the colour holds. For gardens that take salt spray along the Exe estuary and the Teignmouth seafront, or north facing plots that stay damp all winter, it is a fair answer to timber that greens over and goes soft at the base.

Who it suits

Homeowners who want a smart boundary and never want to paint it
Holiday lets and rentals where upkeep needs to be close to zero
Modern houses where a clean, even line matches the building
Gardens where timber has failed early from damp or salt air

At a glance

Typical job: depends on the run; most back garden boundaries are a day or two
Included: survey, post setting in concrete, boards, caps, trims, clear-up
Colours: commonly greys, browns and charcoal; some ranges have a wood grain finish
Price: given after a free site visit

What to expect from it

Composite costs more to buy than timber, and it needs the posts set dead plumb and at the exact spacing the system calls for, because the boards slide into a channel and won’t forgive a post that’s off. On sloping ground the fence is stepped rather than raked, so we plan the steps on the survey. In return you get a fence that looks the same in ten years as it did on day one, needing only a wash down now and then.

Composite that lasts, and composite that buckles

Room to move: boards grow and shrink a little with the temperature. Each make states the allowance it wants at the ends, and boards jammed in tight on a cool morning can bow on the first hot afternoon.
Spacing: measured from the actual boards delivered, never from a tape and a guess. Being a few millimetres out at the bottom of a bay shows all the way to the top.
The bottom rail: most systems start with a base rail that lifts the boards clear of damp earth and leaf litter. Leave it out and the lowest board sits in the wet, which is the very thing you were paying to avoid.
Batches: colour can differ slightly from one production run to another, so ordering the whole job together avoids a visible change halfway along.

Living with composite near the sea

Rot isn’t the worry here, but composite still reacts to where it stands. Salt leaves a film that dulls the surface, so a seafront garden benefits from a hose down after a stormy spell. In shaded plots a green bloom can appear where the sun never reaches, and it washes off without harming the board. Fixings count for more than people expect, because a good board held on with poor metal will show rust marks long before the board itself ages.

Colour choice matters on a south-facing run too. Charcoal looks sharp, yet it soaks up heat in a sheltered garden and can get hot to touch, while the paler greys and browns stay cooler. On terraced hillside plots, check what the fence will be asked to do: composite boards aren’t made to hold soil back, so any bank pressing on the line has to be retained separately first.

What a composite job involves

We walk the boundary, check levels and talk through colours and heights
You get a written quote
Old fence removed, posts set and left to cure where needed
Boards, trims and caps fitted
Site cleared

Questions about composite fencing

Is composite stronger than timber in the wind?

Fitted properly with the right posts, it handles wind well. The weak point on any fence is the posts and their footings, so that is where we spend the time.

Can it be cut or shaped to fit?

Yes, boards can be cut to length and height, and gates can be made to match.

Will it fade?

Good quality boards are made to resist fading, though all materials soften in colour a little over years of strong sun.

How often does composite need cleaning?

Warm soapy water and a sponge once or twice a year is usually enough. Pressure washers can mark some boards, so read the maker’s care guide before using one.

Can you use my old concrete posts?

Usually not. The boards only slide into posts from their own system, so old timber or concrete posts rarely fit. We’ll look at what you have on the visit.

Is it worth paying more than timber?

It depends how long you plan to stay and how much you dislike treating a fence. For a long-term home or a rental it can make sense over the years. For a long back boundary nobody looks at, timber is often the better call.

Tired of treating timber? Send over how far your boundary runs and the colours you like, with a picture of the old fence, and we’ll book a visit to check the levels. Local to the coast? Try our Dawlish or Teignmouth page next.