Melbourne Fencing
Guides
Written by people who build fences, for people about to. Victorian rules, honest costs, and the answers we give on the phone before anyone has measured anything.
The four questions almost everyone has
Who pays. On a dividing fence in Victoria, adjoining owners share the cost of a sufficient fence equally, and the process starts with a written fencing notice giving 30 days to respond.
Whether you need a permit. Usually not for a standard boundary fence at the common heights, but heritage overlays, street frontages, corner blocks and covenants all change that, and it is a ten-minute phone call to find out.
What it costs. Treated pine paling is the budget option; Colorbond costs a little more up front but needs no coating. The cost guides break every material down by height, or we will measure and give you a fixed quote.
Repair or replace. Push the posts. If they barely move, repair, and it is good value. If more than about a quarter rock at the base, replace, because replacing posts inside a standing fence costs nearly as much as a new one.
Five things worth checking on any fencing quote
The advice that runs through every guide here. If you read nothing else, read this.
Post depth
A 1.8 metre fence wants posts at least 600mm into concrete. It is the most common corner cut, the hardest to detect afterwards, and the reason most fences lean.
Named materials
H4 or H3. Genuine BlueScope Colorbond or generic pre-painted steel. 316 or 304 stainless. Each pair looks identical on day one and diverges sharply within a few years.
What is excluded
Removal, slope, access, gates and permits. A quote that does not name them has not priced them, and they arrive later as variations rather than savings.
The neighbour
On a dividing fence, serve a written notice before ordering anything. It is what protects your ability to recover their half later, however friendly the conversation was.
Lifetime, not install
Three quotes compared on install price tells you little. The same three costed over twenty years usually reorder completely, and that is the order that matters if you are staying.
What you can expect from these guides
We build fences for a living, so every one of these is written from the job rather than from research. That has some consequences worth stating.
Compare post depth before you compare price
Whatever the material, the fence fails at the posts. It is the line on a quote that predicts how long the fence lasts, and the one almost nobody checks.
Written by installers
Every guide reflects what we actually see on Melbourne boundaries, which sometimes contradicts what the material brochures say about lifespans and maintenance.
Updated when the rules change
Victorian fencing and pool rules change, and when they do we update the guides that rely on them rather than leaving a stale answer in place.
We will talk you out of work
Several of these guides tell you when repair beats replacement, or when the cheaper material is the right call. That is deliberate, and it is why the advice is worth reading.
General, not legal
The compliance guides summarise Victorian law in plain English. They are not legal advice, rules vary between councils, and legislation changes. Confirm anything you are relying on.
We work across Melbourne
Bayside
Known for Bayside, Glen Eira and Port Phillip councils.
The questions we are asked most
Short answers here; the guides below go into each one properly.
Ask us anythingFor a dividing fence in Victoria, generally yes, up to the cost of a sufficient fence. If you want something better than sufficient you pay the difference. Serve a written fencing notice before ordering anything.
Every guide we have written
Neighbour Fence Disputes Victoria
Who pays for a dividing fence in Victoria, what a fencing notice is, the 30-day rule, and what to do when your neighbour refuses..
Read more ComplianceCouncil Fence Rules Melbourne
When a Melbourne fence needs a planning permit, what councils assess, how overlays and covenants change it, and how to check your own address..
Read more ComplianceFence Height Rules Melbourne
Maximum fence heights in Melbourne for front, side and rear boundaries, when a planning permit is required, and what heritage and corner blocks change..
Read more ComplianceNon-Climbable Zone Pool Fence
What the non-climbable zone is, how far it extends either side of a pool barrier, what counts as climbable, and why it fails so many pools..
Read more ComplianceHow to Register a Pool in Victoria
Registering a pool or spa with your Victorian council, lodging a certificate of barrier compliance, how often it repeats, and what happens if you do not..
Read more ComplianceBody Corporate Fence Repair
Who pays for fence repair in a Victorian owners corporation, how common property differs from lot property, and how to get the work approved..
Read more ComplianceFence Storm Damage Insurance
Whether home insurance covers a storm-damaged fence in Victoria, what to do in the first hour, and when claiming is the wrong move..
Read more How-toWhen to Replace a Fence
How to tell whether a fence can be repaired or needs replacing: the post test, what each option costs, and the point where repairs stop being worth doing..
Read more How-toRotting Fence Palings
Why timber palings rot from the bottom up, how to tell if the rest of the fence is sound, what replacement costs, and how to stop it recurring..
Read more How-toHow to Fix a Sagging Gate
Why gates drop, how to tell whether it is the post, the hinges or the frame, the fixes that hold, and when a gate is better replaced..
Read more How-toHow to Measure for a Fence
How to measure a fence line properly: what to measure, where from, how to handle slopes and corners, and the four numbers a quote needs..
Read more How-toHow to Install a Colorbond Fence
The full Colorbond install sequence: setting out, post depth, concrete, rails, sheets and the base detail.
Read more How-toHow Long Does a Fence Last?
Realistic fence lifespans in Melbourne by material, what actually shortens them, and why the posts almost always fail before anything you can see..
Read more How-toHow to Clean a Colorbond Fence Without Damaging It
How to wash a Colorbond fence properly, what to use, what will strip the coating or void the warranty, and how to treat rust spots and tea staining..
Read more How-toBest Time to Install a Fence in Melbourne
Whether the season matters for fencing in Melbourne, how ground conditions and lead times shift through the year, and when waiting genuinely helps..
Read more
Still have a question?
Ask us before you commit to anything. We will give you a straight answer even when it means less work for us.