So you know what i have to deal with here is a few photos of the garden we inherited. They are quite big so you will have to click the links.
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I want to remove them completely as they really are not "our" style, Is there a "best" method to use to get them out or is it just a case of lopping them down then digging them out roots`n`all ?
I want to replace them with a wooden fence, around 6 foot in total height. I have helped 2 friends to erect fences over the last year and both were concrete posts, gravel boards and 6x5 wooden panels, so i know what i am on with there, the main problem is, if you cant tell is that i only have access to the back garden through my house so i really dont want to drag 8' posts through the house, Are wooden posts set in concrete a good compromise ? i was thinking of 5"x5" 8' posts and then just erecting the fence in a fashion akin to this guide HERE.
Although i might put panels in between the posts and use some well treated wooden gravel boards, any suggestions and ideas will be welcome.

I shall be adding another shed, the same as the one we have already and i am gonna be placing it next to the existing one as that is already full.
The greenhouse will be going as will most of the planting you see as we want some lawn, so if your anywhere near DONCASTER and want the greenhouse, its yours

Hi mate,

I had the same sort of thing a few years back when I moved into a new house, there was a row of the buggers in the front garden and they just blocked out the light. I got a chainsaw and took them down to soil level, I was going to dig out the roots but could not be asked to do this in the end, just grew some other plants near the stumps and they were soon hidden from view.

Good luck

^^ yeah they do block out a lot of light and they put the whole garden in the shade this time of year (with the sun being low), I Really want them out and one way or another thats what im going to do, Really its the fencing dilemma i want most idea for

The worst thing about panel fences is the sodding wind, my family all live up in Scotland where most fence are windproof and last a good few years - the best way to describe it is two picket fences back to back and offset so the wind blows through but you still have privacy. Sorry have not got any pics just a cack descrption

If you've no access to the back garden other than thru' the house then how are you going to get rid of the trees

First stage would be to talk to the neighbours to make sure they are ok with the removal and putting up fence.

Second stage would be to remove all the branches from ground up to about 3 foot then lob off the rest above. This should leave you with several 3 foot stumps. You can now use these stumps to rip out the roots. Dig about 2 foot out around the stumps putting a spade through all the roots then just rock the stumps back and forth - will keep you warm on a cold day

Hi Steve, I have just had a quote two days ago to do exactly the same job as it happens, over a total of 120 Foot of Hedge, so I can relay to you what the guy who came over to price the job said .....

Removal of Hedge:

I don't have leylandi hedging, but the stuff I have is about the same height and same width as yours
Chap reckoned to remove that lot would be simple and only take about half a day to rip out, and the roots are not deep at all (leylandi may be different?).
To get rid of Hedge once removed, Options are -

Burn it (may annoy the neighbours)
Get it taken away as is - for me that would be about £70 by a green recycler we have he
Hire a machine to chop it all up into mulch - that will avoid you having to take it through the house in big sections, plus you can use it on the garden, or even sell it in bags!

Putting up Fencing:

Chap recommending using treated posts and then boarding exactly as you are suggesting with the wooden posts set in concrete, wooden gravel boards and as per the link you put on to the UHM how-to guide.
I asked him about the wind as we get extreme wind here - on a hillside about mile from sea - and he said it would be no problem - and as he is a local chap who does this a lot, I would have to believe him.

Having this kind of fence also means you don't need to carry big panels through house, of course.

If anyone interested, the price he quoted me was £1,500 all in, including all removals, erection, materials and making good.

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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

I was advised not to set wooden posts in concrete, it holds them in a pocket of damp. I've since used holes full of gravel, said to keep the post end drier. Or use concrete godfathers, short posts, then bolt wood posts to them. I used larchlap panels. They act like sails, bending and breaking away, or if fixed too well, the posts break off at the bottom. Now have horizontal boards on both sides of posts with overlapped gaps. No damage in 18 years, and if you fix with screws, can be removed for occasional access.

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I started out with nothing, I still have most of it.

Directmail scam information site: http://astrocat.proboards.com/index.cgi?

It's known as Hit and Miss fencing.

That style has an extra benefit as well I think - there is no 'wrong' side of the fence, so no one neighbour thinks he has the raw side of the deal

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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

I made some hit and miss fencing (about 25 feet in all) some years ago. I screwed the uprights using stainless self tappers. It was still standing when I sold the house after 16 years.

As Hoovie says with that type of fencing there is no grief from the neighbours

Peter C

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The end justifies the means

It's known as Hit and Miss fencing.

Cheers mate, it is now logged in the noggin