Birkdale recently supplied its innovative DuraPost steel fence post system for the outdoor spaces at a number of social care centres in South East England.
Specified to provide a safe and secure fencing solution for each facility’s residents, the durable galvanised steel system also included stacked composite gravel boards to create a smooth fence panel.
Located in West Sussex, The Laurels, The Rowans and Glebelands are three social care centres which offer specialist assisted living services for people with complex needs. Therefore, when the project’s building contractor was contracted to carry out a renovation at all three sites, it was crucial that the fencing system specified was suitable for the centres’ residents, with no rough edges or splinters. Furthermore, it needed to also serve as a secure boundary to keep individual areas within each social care centre separate.
Leading environmental services contractor, Chaffin Works, was employed to specify and install the new fencing system in each outside space. Chaffin Works approached its local fencing supplier, AVS Fencing, to ensure the ideal solution was selected. Here, AVS Key Account Executive Greg Bristow introduced the Chaffin Works team to the DuraPost fence post system.
Having initially considered an acoustic barrier and full timber fencing system, Chaffin Works eventually established that the DuraPost galvanised steel fence post system was the only practical choice in terms of both specification and total cost.
While traditional timber fence posts can rot and concrete fence posts suffer hairline cracks over time, DuraPost by Birkdale is maintenance free and comes with a 25-year guarantee as standard. It is also incredibly lightweight – up to 80% lighter than comparable concrete posts, making installation quick and efficient. As such DuraPost is a cost-effective solution, with the long-term advantages heavily outweighing any initial costs.
For each social care centre, DuraPost Classic Fence Posts and Composite Gravel Boards were supplied in Anthracite Grey. The gravel boards were stacked in a mix of 1.8m and 2.4m heights to create a sturdy and splinter-free fence panel. This was accompanied by tongue and groove gates, with all products sourced through AVS Fencing.
“I have been a fencing contractor for more than 18 years and I wish I had come across the DuraPost system years ago,” commented Jim Blackman, Contracts Manager (Fencing) at Chaffin Works. “The advantages of using a galvanised steel over slotted concrete for a fence panel is remarkable. Its superior strength to weight ratio makes transporting, carrying and installing a system so much easier.”
“We are delighted that DuraPost has been specified at all three care centre sites,” commented Fenton Rowles, National Sales Manager at Birkdale. “This further demonstrates the versatility of the DuraPost range that is not only durable, easy to install and aesthetically pleasing, but also secure, smooth and safe to the touch.”
