Colorbond fencing in Wollongong, posted for clay and slope
Handy Tradie 4 U installs Colorbond fencing in Wollongong and across the Illawarra and South Coast. New fences, extensions on an existing run, and gates fabricated in our own shop to match. Colorbond goes up fast and stays square, which is exactly why the posts and the set-out are where the job is won or lost.
Colorbond fencing across the Illawarra
We are based in Wollongong and install Colorbond fencing across the Illawarra and South Coast: Helensburgh, Thirroul, Woonona, Bulli, Corrimal, North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow, Figtree, Unanderra, Port Kembla, Dapto, Horsley, Albion Park, Warilla, Oak Flats, Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Minnamurra, Kiama, Jamberoo, Gerringong, Berry and Nowra.
Colorbond suits this region for a straightforward reason: it is a panel system, so it steps cleanly down a grade, and most blocks here are on a grade. The trade-off is that a panel system is only as square as the posts holding it.
How we quote a Colorbond fence
We do not publish rates. The run length matters, but so does the fall, the soil, whether an auger can reach the line and whether the old fence has to come out first. You get an itemised written quote with a firm figure and the exclusions listed before anything starts.
What is usually in, and what usually sits outside it:
- Usually in: set-out, post holes, posts, concrete, rails, sheets, caps, gates and hardware, and removal of the old fence.
- Usually not in: survey or boundary identification, rock breaking if the auger hits sandstone, relocating services, retaining work where levels differ either side, and making good the garden afterwards.
Call 0413 147 335 and we will come and look at the line.
Stepping Colorbond down a slope
Colorbond panels stay level. On a fall, that means the fence steps, and each step leaves a triangular gap between the bottom of the sheet and the ground.
How you deal with that gap is the decision worth making before the posts go in:
- Leave it. Fine on a gentle grade where the gap is small and nothing needs to be contained.
- Plinth it. A concrete or timber plinth closes the gap along the bottom. This is what you want if a dog is staying in the yard.
- Rake instead. Colorbond is not the system for raking. If the fall is steep and you want no gap at all, timber is the better answer and we will say so.
On a steep block the honest conversation is whether a retaining wall should go in first so the fence has level ground to sit on. See retaining walls.
Colorbond fence extensions
Extending an existing Colorbond fence is common here, usually for privacy or because a neighbour built up. It is also where most of the bad work happens.
An extension adds height to a post that was sized and footed for the original fence. Lengthening the lever without checking the footing is how a fence ends up leaning after one decent southerly. We look at what the existing posts are and how they were set before quoting an extension, and sometimes the answer is that the posts have to be replaced rather than extended.
Colour matching is the other thing to know: a new sheet next to a fence that has been in the weather for ten years will not match exactly, even in the same colour name. We will tell you that up front rather than after.
Posts, footings and salt air
Colorbond fails at the post, like every other fence.
- Depth. The post carries the whole panel as a lever. Taller fence, more exposed line, deeper hole. We dig for the fence and the ground, not to a standard number.
- Concrete. Posts set plumb and strung to line, then left to cure before sheets go on. Hanging panels on green concrete is how a run ends up out of plumb.
- Coastal exposure. Close to the water the cut edges and the fixings are what go first. We cut cleanly and match fixings to the fence rather than mixing metals, because galvanic attack where dissimilar metals touch does more damage near the coast than the weather alone.
Gates to match
Colorbond gate kits exist and they are fine for a standard pedestrian opening. For anything wider, anything that will be used hard, or a double or driveway gate, a fabricated steel frame clad to match lasts considerably longer.
That is our own trade, so the frame is made and squared in the shop, hot-dip galvanised to AS/NZS 4680 where it lives outside, and clad to match the run. If the gate will be motorised later, say so at the site measure because the bracing, post and hinge detail change. See gates, handrails and balustrades.
How a Colorbond fence job runs
Four stages.
- Site measure and set out. The line, the fall, how it will step, access for the auger, and what happens at each end.
- Demolition. Old fence out, old posts out of the ground rather than cut off at grade, and away.
- Posts and concrete. Dug, set plumb, strung to line and left to cure.
- Sheets, gates and clean-up. Rails and sheets in, caps on, gates hung and adjusted, offcuts gone.
Colorbond fencing from Helensburgh to Nowra
Helensburgh, Thirroul, Woonona, Bulli, Corrimal, North Wollongong, Fairy Meadow, Figtree, Unanderra, Port Kembla, Dapto, Horsley, Albion Park, Warilla, Oak Flats, Shellharbour, Shell Cove, Minnamurra, Kiama, Jamberoo, Gerringong, Berry and Nowra.
Based in Wollongong, with the full list on all our Illawarra and South Coast service areas.
Get your Colorbond fence quoted
Length of the run, the fall and whether an old fence has to come out. Put it into the instant estimate tool for an indication, then we come out, walk the line and give you a firm written figure before anything starts.
Call 0413 147 335, email info@handytradie4u.com or use the contact page.
Licensed and insured · ABN 91 639 254 685 · Wollongong NSW 2500.
Recent Work
Retaining and level-change work on sloping Illawarra blocks
Want a firm price on this?
Send a photo and a short description. You get a straight answer on what it needs and what it costs before anything starts.
Colorbond Fencing Questions
How much does Colorbond fencing cost in Wollongong?+
We do not publish rates. Run length matters, but so do the fall, the soil, access for an auger and whether an old fence has to come out first. Every fence is quoted after we have walked the line, with a firm itemised written figure and the exclusions listed. Call 0413 147 335.
Can Colorbond follow a sloping block?+
It steps rather than rakes. The panels stay level and the fence steps down the grade, which leaves a triangular gap under each step. That gap can be left, closed with a plinth, or avoided by using timber instead if the fall is steep and you want no gap at all. We will tell you which suits your block at the measure.
Can you extend an existing Colorbond fence?+
Often, but it depends on the posts. An extension makes the post carry a longer lever, so if the original posts were sized and footed for the original height, adding to them without checking the footing is how a fence ends up leaning. We look at the existing posts before quoting, and sometimes the honest answer is that they need replacing.
Will a new panel match my old Colorbond fence?+
Not exactly. A sheet that has been in the weather for years will have shifted from a new sheet in the same colour name. It will be close, not identical. We tell people that before the work rather than after it.
How does Colorbond hold up near the coast?+
The sheet itself holds up well. The cut edges and the fixings are what go first, so we cut cleanly and match the fixings to the fence rather than mixing metals, because galvanic attack where dissimilar metals touch does more damage close to the water than the weather on its own.
Do you make gates to match?+
Yes. Kit gates are fine for a standard pedestrian opening. For a wide, double or driveway gate we fabricate a steel frame in our own shop, hot-dip galvanise it to AS/NZS 4680 where it lives outside, and clad it to match the run.
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