Colorbond fencing for a new home, what you actually get

December 20, 2024

Colorbond fencing for a new home

Fencing is one of those jobs that sits on the list for a while after you move in, because the house is finished and the yard is not, and it never feels urgent until the dog gets out or the kids get old enough to wander. Then it goes to the top of the list overnight.

Colorbond is what most people around here end up putting in, and it is worth understanding why rather than just going along with it.

It is steel, and that solves the timber problems

A timber fence has a life. The palings cup and warp, the posts rot at ground level where the moisture sits, and about every second panel needs a paling replaced eventually. None of that happens to a steel fence, because there is nothing in it for water to get into and nothing for termites to be interested in.

The colour is baked into the steel rather than painted on top of it, which is the part that matters for upkeep. You are not repainting a Colorbond fence in five years, and that is where the real cost difference against timber shows up rather than in the price on the day.

What upkeep it does need

Very little, and being honest about it is better than pretending it is none. A hose down once in a while keeps the dust and cobwebs off. If something scratches a panel back to bare steel, touch it up rather than leaving it, because that is where rust starts.

And keep dirt and mulch built up off the bottom of the sheets where you can, since steel sitting permanently in damp soil will eventually go the same way steel always does.

Privacy, and the reason there are no gaps

Colorbond panels butt together with no slats and no gaps, which is the main practical reason people pick it over timber for a boundary. For a dog with an interest in the neighbours, that is the whole argument. It also cuts wind and a fair bit of noise, which is worth more than people expect on an exposed block.

Colours

There is a decent range and the colours have names most people around here already know, because the same palette is on half the roofs in town. Classic Cream, Cottage Green, Deep Ocean, Ironstone and the rest. Pick something that sits with the roof and the render rather than trying to make the fence a feature, because a fence that disappears is a fence that has done its job.

Working out what you need

Panels, rails, posts, brackets and fixings, plus cement for the posts. The quantities come off the run length and the number of corners and ends, and getting that right is most of the work of ordering a fence.

Splinter, our fencing takeoff tool, will let you price your own fence before you ring anybody. Put in the measurements and it works out what the job takes. It is worth doing that first even if you end up wanting a hand, because you will walk in knowing what you are asking about.

Getting it here

Fencing does not go in a car boot. We deliver it to the door with the cement on the same drop, which saves the trailer hire and the two trips it usually turns into. Tuesdays and Thursdays, $5 around Strathalbyn and $10 on the regional run.

Shop related products

Haymes MetalPlus UV Superior Enamel, Classic Cream 300g. Touch up spray for scratches, in a matching colour.
Haymes MetalPlus UV Superior Enamel, Cottage Green 300g. Same job in the green.
Haymes MetalPlus UV Superior Enamel, Deep Ocean 300g. Same job in the blue.
Haymes MetalPlus UV Superior Enamel, Ironstone 300g. Same job in the dark grey.
Macsim 3/8 x 6in Cup Head Bolt and Nut. For the timber work that usually turns up alongside a fence job.

The fencing itself is quoted rather than listed online, so price it with Splinter and then give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 or come in and we will sort the order out. Delivery details are on the local delivery page, and there is more in the building materials range online.

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Colorbond fencing for a new home, what you actually get