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-  TO HAND PACKED FENCING

Damage to brush fencing can take many forms, the most common being;

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When you put yourself in the place of a dog, it can't be much fun to be imprisoned in one yard for most of your life.  It's not surprising therefore, that some dogs invest quite a lot of energy to escaping - and afterall they have plenty of time to work at it.

Usually damage is confined to the lower part of the fence just above the concrete base (where the brush is finest and thick stalks minimal).  Holes are created and as soon as they are covered by an angry owner, another place is affected.  Some dogs create distinct holes but other dogs can damage most of the length of the fence.

The holes can be invisibly repaired at reasonable cost to hand-packed fencing and wire netting or mesh can be fixed to the lower half of the fence with netting fasteners.  This measure will usually solve the problem, although some determined dogs lift the bottom edge of the wire and get their noses under, or if the netting is coarse weave, can work at the brush through the holes.

More creative owners have over the years had dog 'windows' installed in their fences so their dogs can see the world go by, or in one unusual case a door to the adjoining neighbours property (pictured).

A roll of 25mm mesh x 50metre chicken wire normally costs about $80 at the local hardeware and netting clips are about $5 per bag of 100 (netting pliers are extra).   It is hard to generalise about the cost of the brush repair work, as a small job will necessitate a margin for setup costs, however in round terms a couple of holes 300mmx300mm might cost $70 to repair, whilst a 30 metre of damage may cost several hundred dollars.

A Gate Fitted with Chicken Wire -    Showing little signs of damage two years after re-packing!

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It is generally not possible to repair or fit extra brush to machine-packed panels due to the proximity and size of wire staples and density of brushwork, but damaged panels can be replaced quite easily.

Vehicle damage mostly occurs when drivers lose control of their cars and quite often under the influence of alcohol or drugs but occasionally through jammed accelerators.   Sometimes the concrete bases are damaged or dislodged and usually the internal rails and capping are bent, wiring broken and brush damaged.  Often the insurance company of the vehicle driver and the home owner are involved in settling the claim.

Fortunately Adelaide Brush has developed techniques over the years to restore hand-packed brushwork that looks to the average eye to be a complete 'write off', although in some instances complete replacement of sections of the fence are necessary.

The following images show the repair sequence to a vehicle damaged fence.  The owner did not want the repaired half of his fence looking like new brushwork and so all the damaged brush sections were re-used, saving him money and producing a result that is almost seamless (apart from the new wiring which can be seen in the last image).

Damaged water meter is reconnected
	Old base is removed and new posts fitted
The affected section is formed up ...	... and concreted
The formwork is removed, old wiring is cut ..	...and panels temporarily  re-fitted
The sections are completely re-wired and the brush work is patched.	The capping and post rolls are refitted and the new concrete discoloured to match the old base.

What's New !         ausbrush ProtaCoat TM

Although arson evokes feelings of violation in the property owner, most damage is relatively small in extent and can be quickly and 'seamlessly' repaired to hand-packed fencing.  Machine packed panels fences too can be quickly and cost effectively repaired by replacing the affected panels.

The average damage in the Adelaide metropolitan area is about 1 to 2 metres in exent and commonly affects the top half of the fence primarily.

See also the page on Fire Systems, which looks at the ways in which the risks of arson damage to your fence can be minimised.

Most household insurance policies cover fire damage and most policy excesses are in the range $60  to $100.

Machine-packed panels are now optionally available in fire retarded form.

Storm damage can be either as drastic as a pine tree falling on a fence or a gum tree dropping a limb or as minor as a capping coming adrift.

Usually when a medium sized limb falls, the fence capping and internal rails are bent and sometimes posts bent and wiring broken.    Where the fence wiring is connected to gate posts, often they too can be bent or gates thrown out of alignment.   Although the fence can look a real mess, posts can be straightened, capping, rails and wiring replaced and brush can be seamlessly repaired.

In more severe cases, whole sections of fence can be flattened, posts and bases uplifted and may need complete replacement.

Storm damage is not covered by some insurance companies.

A tree trunk growing too close to a fence can throw a fence and its concrete base out of alignment and through pulling on the fence wiring can affect a long section of fencing and posts.  Overhanging limbs also can cause damage to capping as well as affecting fence alignment.

The solutions are either to remove the tree and repair the fence, or to cut the fence to create an opening and to marry the new fence ends to the tree profile.

Root damage can cause upheaval of the fence posts and the concrete base and thus the top line of the fence including damage to the fence capping.  There is no easy solution and usually the most cost effective way is to trim the top line of the fence and replace damaged capping and repair damaged concrete bases.

Creepers growing on brush fencing can look great and to some degree certain types of creeper can act to bind the brush together, however, if at some future date the creeper dies or it is decided to remove the creeper, then it can be a real disaster.  Usually in removing the creeper which has suckered to the brush and weaved in and out of the brush work, the brush is also removed and damaged.  If after removing a creeper it becomes apparent that the fence has sagged beneath the capping and needs repair it can be much more difficult and in some cases impossible to lift or repair the brushwork.

Creeper unmanaged can also be a disaster.  The sheer weight of a creeper can topple a fence especially on a common fence, where one neighbour trims his side and the other doesn't.

Maintenance of existing creeper and trees growing on/close to fences and avoiding planting any new trees too close to the  fence can save a lot of money later on.   Avoiding trees whose roots cause major surface upheaval is also wise. 

Tree damage is covered by many insurance companies.

Quite often soil will be introduced for a garden bed next to a brush fence and the brush will be used as a retainer.  Wet soil against brush will cause it to rot and deteriorate very quickly relative to the rest of the fence.  The weight of the soil can also dislodge the fence of its base, causing sagging and the characteristic gap at the top of the fence.

If soil needs to be built up against the fence, then a hardwood plank should be first placed against the posts prior to soil placement.  That will provide a gap for air to circulate and prevent the brush from coming of its base.  Note: the fence posts will usually only support 150mm or so of fill as they are not designed for retaining wall purposes.  If any greater depths of fill are incurred, the fence will begin to lean after a number of years.

Sprinkler systems can also damage brushwork, where the sprays keep the brush permanently wet, causing rot, or where heavy knocker type sprinklers can cause mechanical damage to old, brittle, brush.

This type of damage is not covered by insurance.

Graffiti damage on brush fencing is not as prevalent as with other types of masonry and iron fencing, however it does occur and when it does, the only remedy to hand-packed brushwork is to 'face' or veneer the section with a thin covering of brush.  This is not difficult to do and can be seamlessly repaired.  It is usually covered by household insurance less any excess.

Typical Graffiti Damage

It is generally not practical to fit extra brush to machine-packed panels, due to the proximity and size of the wire staples and density of the old brushwork and damaged panels must be replaced.

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