East Perth Fencing for Townhouses and Pools

A shared courtyard fence that butts a neighbour's wall is a common East Perth job, and when one fails it is usually rotted posts, loose rails or sheets blown out in a storm.

Repair when the damage is limited. A few rotten posts, one leaning panel or a handful of storm-bent sheets can be fixed on their own, and the rest of the fence carries on. Replace when the whole run is tired. Cracked panels, rails that have gone soft and posts that rock in the ground point to a fence that will keep costing you. A new build adds a fence where none stood, such as a pool barrier or a privacy screen along a street side.

An independent fencer measures the boundary first, then gives you a price before anything is dug. That price sets the agreed scope. A surprise underground, like an old concrete footing, can still change the work, and the fencer tells you on site if it does.

Posts are where fences tend to give out. Timber posts set in sandy Perth soil rot at the base, and the whole run starts to lean. Sometimes only the posts need work, which costs far less than starting again.

An old fibro fence is its own case. Fibro sheeting from older fences can contain asbestos, so it needs careful removal before a new fence goes in. If the fence is shared with a neighbour, a written price gives you something concrete to talk through together.

The right one depends on how much privacy you want, how much upkeep you will put up with and what you want to spend.

Colorbond steel is a solid sheet fence. It blocks sightlines completely and needs very little maintenance. Aluminium slat and batten gives a timber look without the rot, and the gaps between slats can be set wider or tighter to suit your privacy. Timber has a warmer look but needs regular sealing or staining to stand up to Perth sun.

For a pool, glass and aluminium pool fencing keeps the view open while forming a barrier built to the pool standard. A pool gate has to close and latch by itself every time, so the fencer builds the gate and the run to match.

On a townhouse with a street-facing courtyard, the front fence is most of what buyers see from the footpath.

One fencer can build the run and the gate to match, so you are not coordinating two trades. That matters when a gate drags on the ground or will not latch. The cause is usually a sagging post or a hinge that has pulled loose, and the fix is often to reset the post rather than buy a new gate.

Much of East Perth around Claisebrook Cove and the East Perth Power Station was rebuilt from the early 1990s as medium-density apartments and townhouses. In the 2021 Census, 89.8% of dwellings were flats and apartments, 6.1% were semi-detached or townhouses and 3.8% were separate houses.

That shapes the work. Boundaries tend to be short, courtyards are tight and a shared fence often touches a neighbour's wall or paving. The fencer needs to see where the boundary meets that wall or paving, and how materials will be carried in through the building.

The suburb also keeps older homes, including an 1898 Federation-era residence recorded for its heritage value. Beside a home like that, a fence looks best when its style and height suit the street.

For a courtyard that faces the footpath, privacy from people walking past matters more than on a back boundary. A slat and batten screen with tighter gaps gives that privacy for a townhouse near Claisebrook Creek. Tell the fencer which boundary is the problem and what finish you have in mind.