Artisan Landscapes recently worked with Phil Stovel Design on a beautiful contemporary garden with cedar slatted screens near Bristol. Recently interviewed by Silva Timber about the project, here’s what Phil and Will had to say about working with Cedar.
Design
For this particular project, the client wanted “a contemporary garden that had the level of sophistication that suited their lifestyle”. Having purchased a Deluxe Summerhouse, the new fence had to exude the same level of elegance as the quirky centerpiece. Phil also explains how the fence would have to overcome some existing challenges.
“The main hurdle with the fencing was that it was required to be 3 metre high at the end of the garden in order to hide some overgrown conifers from view. My plan originally was to use hardwood fencing, since ordinary softwood fence panels would have to be double stacked to achieve that height. However, Silva Timber’s Western Red Cedar Slatted Screens solved our problem and would look great at the same time.”
While being much more cost effective than hardwoods, Western Red Cedar Slatted Screens provide the necessary strength and lightweight characteristics required for high fences. The main reason for the popularity of Silva Timber’s Slatted Screens is the way they look and what they achieve, as Phil explains:
“The horizontal slatted screen takes the eye across the garden, making the space feel wider. This is a well-used design trick. The style of fencing fitted nicely within the design and the client is extremely happy with the resulting garden.”
Build
Phil’s landscaper, Will Cooke from Artisan Landscapes explains that it is very common to work with wet or freshly treated timber; making it hard to handle, heavy and tricky to cut. However, all of Silva Timber’s Western Red Cedar is kiln dried, ready to install. Will adds,
“We haven’t worked with Western Red Cedar Cedar before. It was very dry, light and easy to cut. It was a pleasure to work with.”
The versatility of Western Red Cedar allowed Phil to use it in his design of a bespoke BBQ cover, as well as a gate that was created on-site by Will.
Advice
As an experienced professional in the landscaping industry, we asked Will about any advice he would give about working with Western Red Cedar slatted screens:
“In comparison to constructing a traditional fence, the main issues that may arise are in installation of battens. We decided to install battens and nail them by hand. This is time consuming but it pays off to be methodical and meticulous with such a bespoke product. There may be a select few battens that are bowed before installation but this is no surprise with a natural product in such a large quantity.
Some issues you will have to work through are those encountered with any fencing project – ground excavation and working at height. You should allow time for occasionally re-adjusting the spacing between, due to fractional size differences in the natural product.”
