Fencing Hucknall
Fencing, gates and railings across Hucknall, Butler's Hill, Broomhill and Linby — supplied and fitted or supply only. Composite fencing , closeboard on concrete posts, and gates built to the opening — side access, double gates and front garden gates, in timber or composite. Send your measurements and a photo for a quick provisional price, or book a free measured survey.
*Terms and conditions apply to our 12 month guarantee.
Gates and Side Access in Hucknall
The gate is the part of a boundary that gets used, and it is almost always the part that fails first. Here are three Hucknall gates — a side passage, a driveway pair, and one built into a composite run.
A narrow side passage
Composite panels down both sides of a passage barely wider than the gate, finished with an arched-top gate at the end. Tight access like this is where composite earns its keep — there is no room to get in and treat timber once the run is up.
Timber double gates
A pair made to the opening between a brick wall and the house, with the bracing running up from each hinge. Look at the diagonals: they carry the weight back to the hinge side, which is what stops a gate dropping onto its latch. See driveway gates.
A gate that disappears into the run
Same boards, same colour, same board spacing either side, so the gate reads as part of the fence rather than a door cut into it. The frame is metal — a composite gate needs one, because the boards are heavier than timber. See composite gates.
Fencing and Gates in Hucknall
Hucknall is the closest of the Ashfield towns to the city, close enough that the tram runs from the station down into Nottingham, and the housing reflects that. Terraces and semis around the town centre and Butler's Hill, post-war estates spreading north and west, and newer development on the Linby and Papplewick side.
What most of it shares is a side passage — the narrow run down the side of the house between the wall and the boundary. It is the way to the back garden, the way the bins come out, and the way anyone who should not be in your garden would get there. It is also the part of the boundary people leave until last.
Gates Are Where Boundaries Fail
A fence panel just stands there. A gate gets pushed, pulled, slammed in the wind and leaned on, several times a day, for years. So it is no surprise that on most of the Hucknall boundaries we are called to, the fence is tired but the gate has gone completely.
Three things decide whether a gate lasts. The frame, because a gate fails when the frame racks out of square rather than when the boards give up — which is why timber gates get a diagonal brace running up from the hinge, and why composite gates are built in a metal frame instead. The posts, which carry the whole weight and need to be set for it rather than added to an existing fence run afterwards. And the size: a gate cut down from a stock width to fit an opening loses part of its frame, and it will drop.
We build to the opening for that reason, in timber, composite or metal. If you are replacing a fence and the gate anyway, doing both at once means the gate posts get dug and concreted for the gate's weight while everything is open, rather than retro-fitted later.
What We Install in Hucknall
Fence Heights and Permission
Permitted development in England generally allows 2 metres at a rear or side boundary and 1 metre where the boundary fronts a highway, footpaths beside roads included. Gravel boards, base rails and trellis all count towards the finished height.
Gates get their own consideration on a front boundary. A gate that opens outwards over a pavement is a problem regardless of height, because it swings into a public right of way. Hanging it to open inwards costs nothing extra at the time and avoids the issue entirely. Ashfield District Council's planning team will confirm your position free of charge. We are not planning consultants.
Getting Rid of the Old Fence and Gate
Hucknall is Ashfield District, and the brown bin is no help: garden waste only, timber and DIY waste explicitly excluded, bins checked, and the service runs March to December so there is nothing at all in January or February.
The tips belong to Nottinghamshire County Council, which caps DIY waste at two 50-litre bags or one item per visit and four visits per household every four weeks. A gate is over that single-item limit before you start on the panels. The county council also states that where waste has arisen from a tradesperson's work, disposing of it is legally their responsibility.
We take the lot — old panels, posts and gate — under waste carrier licence CBDU474286, or price the job without removal if you would rather keep it.
Why Choose Nottingham Fencing
We are a local, family-run firm run by founders Adam and Stephen, with over 15 years' experience fitting fencing and gates across Nottinghamshire.
- Gates built to the opening. Never cut down from a stock size, because a trimmed gate has lost part of its frame and will drop.
- Gate posts set for the weight. Dug and concreted for what they are carrying, not added to a finished fence run as an afterthought.
- Tight access is not a problem. Side passages, shared entries and gardens with no vehicle access — we work out how the materials get in before quoting.
- The old fence and gate go with us. Registered waste carrier, licence CBDU474286.
- Supply only if you want it. Panels, posts, gravel boards, composite and made-to-measure gates sold on their own.
- Insured and guaranteed. Public liability insurance in place and a 12 month guarantee on our work.*
*Terms and conditions apply to our 12 month guarantee.
Areas We Cover Near Hucknall
We cover Hucknall and the surrounding area:
Get a price for your Hucknall fence or gate
Send your measurements and a photo for a quick provisional price, or book a free measured survey and we will come and look at the opening properly.
Fencing in Hucknall — Common Questions
Why do gates drop and fences do not?
Because a gate is the only moving part. The frame gradually pulls out of square under its own weight and the daily pushing and pulling, and the latch side drops. That is what the diagonal brace on a timber gate is for, running up from the hinge to carry the weight back to it. Composite gates use a metal frame instead, because the boards are heavier.
Can you make a gate to fit an unusual opening?
Yes, and it is how we build them all. A gate cut down from a stock width to fit has lost part of its frame, which is exactly the part that stops it sagging. Made to the opening it keeps its full frame, and the posts can be set for the weight and the swing at the same time.
Can a gate open outwards onto the pavement?
It is best avoided. A gate swinging out over a footpath crosses a public right of way, which can be a problem regardless of its height. Hanging it to open inwards costs nothing extra at the time and avoids the question. Ashfield District Council's planning team will confirm your position free of charge.
Can you fence a narrow side passage?
Yes, and a lot of Hucknall work is exactly that. Access is the constraint rather than the fencing itself, because everything has to come through by hand and the old materials go back out the same way. Composite suits a tight passage particularly well, since there is no room to get in and treat timber once the run is up.
Should I replace the gate at the same time as the fence?
Usually yes. The gate posts carry far more load than fence posts, and setting them while the run is open means they can be dug and concreted for the gate's weight rather than retro-fitted afterwards. Matching the boards and board spacing at the same time is also what makes a gate look part of the fence rather than a door cut into it.
Can I put an old gate in my Ashfield brown bin?
No. Ashfield specifically excludes timber and DIY waste from the garden waste bin, carries out checks, and will not empty a bin containing them. The service also runs March to December only. A gate is over the single-item size limit at the county recycling centres too, so it needs a registered waste carrier.
Do you supply gates and fencing without fitting?
Yes. Supply only is available on made-to-measure gates as well as panels, posts, gravel boards and composite boards. Give us the width and height of the opening, whether it is between posts, walls or piers, and which way you want it to swing, and we will price it.
Two Ways to Get Height on a Boundary
Where the fence itself is the job rather than the gate, it usually comes down to what is already in the ground — or on it.
