How do I cheaply make this area look nicer?

I am trying to turn this back corner into a sitting area as it gets the last of the days sun. However, the fencing is mismatched as it's the back of the fence from 3 different neighbours. How can I cheaply disguise the fencing without it costing a fortune? I was going to use some left over composite wood panels but I don't have enough.

 

Hi Kirstie, I would suggest just painting it all in the same colour. You may get lucky and find wood paint/stain on special offer in some of the DIY stores or their own brand stuff might be cheaper. Alternatively you could ask on your local recycling group if anybody has any to spare.

Alternatively, if you could run to it, you could buy some bamboo screening in rolls to cover the fence which is quite easy to do. Some plants in pots. a lantern or two, cheapy cushions (I just bought some waterpoof ones reduced to £10 each) . See what else you can find in carboot sales.

 

Painting would certainly help unify the look but you have to get permission from the fence owners if they're not yours - check deeds - as dribbles will inevitably show thru on the other side and not look good for your neighbours. You could try buying some cheap canvas fabric and stapling it to the fence panels or rolls of bamboo screening.

Another idea would be full height trellis panels inside the fences and then planting some scented and/or colourful climbers to grow across them. This could be done in stages as funds allow. If you don't want to buy trellis, string some taut wires between the existing posts would provide support and would be very cheap, just some decent wire, screw eyes and pliers plus the plants.

 

Great ideas Lizzie, thank you. I did think about bamboo screening rolls but didn't get further than thinking! I'll investigate further as might get some deals with the bank holiday weekend coming up and end of summer season

 

Convention would suggest that at least 2 sections do belong to the OP; nails in fencing should be 'driven home' ie putting the face side to the neighbour. However this is not guaranteed !
Unfortunately Land Registry copies lack definition in many cases. Difficult or absent owners further complicate, so its best to assume the worst case scenario and not transgress . Fixing trellis in such cases is risky without specific written consent. Wires would be safer (can be done with stealth !)
Alternative, because its coming up to 'bare root season, might be a simple native hedge.
Buy Hedging Plants: Hedges for Sale Online Bareroot, Potted | Ashridge

 

Great idea about the trellis panels. I'm not sure what would grow as it's in shade all day apart from the evening sunshine?

 

Quite a few roses and clematis would do well there as long as you prepared their planting holes well - good compost and well-rotted manure along the whole length so they're not in sumps - and kept them watered while establishing and in future sry spells.

 

A good tidy up will work wonders

 

I think the miss match of the fencing is not a big problem.
Just paint it if you don't like the colour it's all vertical boarded so you shouldn't get any seeping through to the other side if you are careful.
Other than that I don't see a problem it's up to you how furnish the area.

 

If the fence is jointly owned, there shouldn't be a problem but if not, you would be best to check with the owner/s before you actually attach anything your side.
Staining the fences all one colour would certainly help and as @pete says, the vertical boarding should make it far easier to avoid any seepage.
It looks to be a decent sized sitting out area and once you have decided on bench/table/chairs, some pots of ferns, heucheras and similar shady plants will set it off nicely.

 

That looks like good quality fencing. Before you consider painting it, spray it with Patio Magic or a similar product like Wet and Forget or Algon which will remove the algal green tinge. It works on fencing very quickly. You may even like the resulting look!

 

I don't think the fencing looks too bad, and I wouldn't paint it. Once you start it needs redoing fairly often, whereas natural wood that's faded to that nice soft grey will pretty much stay as it is.

The area is crying out for some planting though. The cheapest way would be to scrape back the gravel and plant in the soil because decent-sized pots can be pricey unless you're OK with plastic ones from B&M or similar, and compost adds up too.

Clearing up the dead leaves etc and removing or covering the exposed membrane will make it look much better too (I assume the planks are only there temporarily)

 

As @JennyJB says, pots of plants would brighten things up. Even cheap poundland pots would work. I've used them and if I didn't like the available colours, I spray painted them. When you can afford higher quality pots, you can switch them out. Our dollarama sells big plastic ones for the equivalent of about £3.

Yes, paint chips off but not usually before I was ready to upgrade or get rid.

I go for tall annuals to fill the pots until my budget allows more. And I've stuck with lots of annuals because they are pretty.

Check freecycle and fb marketplace for plants a lot cheaper than garden centers too.

 

I'd agree that containers can certainly cheer things up, but it can actually become quite pricey if you have to get bigger ones, which are easier to maintain, and then fill them with a suitable mix, so, it might be worth doing some direct planting - shrubs/climbers/perennials etc, but the ground below the gravel surface would probably need some amendment - depending on how long the gravel has been there. This is where your budget comes in, as well as the amount of time you have for maintenance.
It may also be a pretty dry site due to the trees/hedging nearby, so the plants would need to suit that too @kristie davies, especially if you get lots of long dry spells too, which I'm guessing might be the case in your location.
With fences - it very much depends on personal preference as to whether you paint or not. I prefer paint, but I also like painting! You can quickly go over large areas with a roller to freshen them up. As to who owns the fences, and therefore what you can legally do with them, the usual definitions of the owner is which side the posts are on, so a large area of that fencing could be yours. However, it definitely best to check - house deeds etc. Some trellis would help filter the look of them too, and would then be ideal for climbers. If you're 'handy' you can make that yourself with roofing battens, and it'll be better quality than a lot of the stuff available, as well as being cheaper.

Of course - the term 'cheaply' is all relative. What I call cheaply, isn't necessarily what you might call cheaply!

 

I have been helping a neighbour paint her fences we have used Ronseal One Coat 12 litres for £20. I must just add though that one coat wasn't enough but I would still recommend.