Softwood fencing & garden products are a great choice for the environment.
When forests are harvested, there is little environmental impact, except for the effect of transport, etc. Trees take most carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when they are young, and some old trees actually emit methane that is a powerful greenhouse gas. If the trees are harvested, and the timber is used in a structure, the carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and not returned (as it would be, if the timber was burnt or decayed naturally). The impact of softwood use on the environment and the greenhouse effect is therefore beneficial.
Many of our suppliers use slow grown joinery grade Scandinavian redwood that is certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) . Softwood has long be held as the definition of “renewable” or “sustainable” making it the material of choice for consumers for many varied projects and uses, such as softwood fencing.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) has a set of criteria and principles for sustainable forest management, these include forest production chains of custody which are applied internationally against individual businesses and subject to state forestry third party audits.
PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) accredits national forest certification schemes to its standards, with associated chain of custody systems, for which companies must also undergo independent auditing.
Between them, FSC and PEFC certification cover an area approaching 500 million hectares, or 11% of the total global forest areas and this continues to expand. This divides as 196 million hectares under the FSC scheme, 300 million hectares under the PEFC scheme, with the former having issued 36,000 product chain of custody certificates, the latter 20,000.
These schemes are designed to halt deforestation and forest degradation, support forest growth, promote ecosystem protection and underpin the social and economic benefits of sustainable forestry. Their key focus is tropical regions, but environmental certification has developed most rapidly in Europe, principally due to its existing high forest management standards. Today a quarter of global certified forest area is in Western Europe. The country with the highest proportion of forest certified is Finland, with 81% followed by Sweden at slightly over 60%. The coverage tends to be lower in southern countries, with Portugal and Spain at 12% and Italy 9%. The schemes’ insistence on third-party audited chain-of-custody certification ensures that end products can be tracked back to the certified forest where they originated and can be kept separate from non-certified material along the supply chain.
Challenge Fencing seek out suppliers that hold either FSC and/or PEFC chain of custody, so you can buy products that are sustainable and are making a positive contribution to the well being of the planet.
Posted on August 31st, 2022 Posted In: Advice, Fencing
Tags: benefits of softwood, environmental impact, softwood fencing
Pressure-treated timber provides long term protection against fungal decay, rot and insect attack but does not prevent weathering and corrosion.
You will see an option on many of our fencing products, for example, to select Pressure Treated timber. This is a timber that has been treated in a vacuum with the latest generation TANALITH wood preservative. This renowned preservative gives a proven, outstanding performance, particularly for timbers intended for use in ground contact applications.
The process involves placing the timber into a treatment vessel using a vacuum & hydraulic pressure to force the TANALITH preservative deep into the structure of the timber. The resulting timber such as garden fence panels or timber fence posts often has performance warranties of up to 15 years.
Please see the pressure treatment video below;
Pressure-treated timber with TANALITH can be used with confidence in both above-ground and in-ground situations including construction, fencing, landscaping and engineering applications. When working with pressure-treated wood, we always suggest you wear gloves, eye protection and a dust mask when handling the wood. Also because of the preservatives in pressure-treated wood, it should never be burned.
Please note that it is often harder to paint pressure-treated timber as the very same treatment that allows the material to last outdoors can cause paints to crack and not adhere correctly.
The treated timber is light green in colour and is well suited to environmentally sensitive applications.
Challenge Fencing aim to offer the very best quality fencing & timber garden landscaping products that last longer and save you money in the long run.
Posted on June 8th, 2022 Posted In: Advice
Tags: pressure treated timber, Tanalith E treatment, Wood preservative
Garden party ideas – with the weather starting to improve (hopefully!) and the evenings getting lighter, now is a great time to spruce up your garden for those special summer BBQs and outdoor living.
Outdoor space is such a precious commodity that we all want to make the most of what we have. There are plenty of ways to give your garden an instant lift without having to spend a fortune.
We’ve pulled together a few easy ideas to help you create that perfect outdoor space.
Paint your fence, shed and wooden furniture or treat your deck to a deep clean and anti-slip topcoat of Decking Oil from our range of woodcare treatments & preservatives.
Shed and Garden Fence Treatment in 4 colours
Build a raised flower bed, seating area or some steps with our range of railway sleepers.
A raised flower bed and garden seating area made from railway sleepers
Steps made from railway sleepers
Build a pergola. Either freestanding, attached to a property or built into a deck using our extensive range of treated timber.
Pergolas can be used to create shaded seating areas
Visit the Challenge Fencing Home Page, where you can buy securely online or for home delivery from one of our branches.
Posted on June 1st, 2022 Posted In: Advice, Fencing
Tags: garden fence treatments, pergola, railway sleepers for raised beds
The Trade Account Dashboard allows you to manage your account with Challenge Fencing, quickly re-order regular products, see our latest stock levels & pay your outstanding balance if you have been approved for a credit account.
Log in using the My Account link at the top of the page & your registered email address & existing password. Please contact your local branch if you have any issues with your registered email. If you have forgotten your password, please use the Forgot Password button on the Customer login page. Once logged in you will notice the Product banner below the My Account login button turns blue. This indicates you are now logged in & the prices shown across the website exclude VAT but include your pre-agreed trade discount.
Once a product is selected you will see a timestamped, Branch Stock Level panel to the right of the screen. You can update this using the Refresh button at any time. This panel displays our stock across the Challenge network. This allows you to see if your registered local branch will need a little extra time to request stock from another branch to complete your order. However please continue to deal with your registered, local branch. They will manage any stock transfers on your behalf.
Your Trade Account Dashboard is accessed via the Manage link next to My Account at the top of the page.
The first tab on the left allows you to review the details of your account including your Trade Account number & your agreed Trade discount. Working down the left-hand tabs allows you to update your Contact Information, add regular Delivery addresses, change your Password, view your Orders, Quotations, Statements, Favourite Products & Balances.
The last tab, Make a Payment allows you to pay against your agreed Credit limit should you try to place an order that exceeds your credit limit. Please include your Trade Account number as the reference when making a payment. It usually takes a few hours to match your payment against your account & refresh your available credit balance.
Login to your new Challenge Fencing Trade Account here
Posted on September 24th, 2021 Posted In: Advice, How To Do
Tags: Challenge Fencing Trade Discount, Trade Account Dashboard, Trade Account management
Challenge Fencing are pleased to offer Smartboard Composite Garden Decking, the future of eco-friendly decking.
Alan Titchmarsh is believed to be the person responsible for bringing garden decking to the forefront of British summer time gardening. Ground Force debuted on BBC 2 in 1997 and needless to say, nothing was the same after.
He has since “apologised” for creating such a huge buzz… but we here at Challenge Fencing don’t think he has anything to apologise for.
After all, because of Mr Titchmarsh, we have sold a lot of timber to people looking to build their own decks. It is and always has been a wonderful addition to any garden. That’s why we are pleased to announce the sale of Smartboard panels; a durable, good looking and eco-friendly composite that is the perfect alternative to traditional timber.
Decks are wonderful, they really are… but they can be hard work sometimes.
Maintaining a healthy-looking and usable deck requires very regular upkeep, checks, cleaning, the list goes on. It’s a lot of work on something that should be relaxing.
Smartboard decking helps to get rid of all of those nagging jobs by simply being good to go all year round. Easy to clean, less likely to rot, less likely to splinter, more durable and, above everything else, good for the planet.
SmartBoard is the future of composite garden decking. The boards are made from residues of engineered oak flooring combined with recycled hard plastic such as shampoo bottles, meaning it is a wonderfully eco-friendly alternative to timber.
It combines all of the benefits of wood plastic composite technology while being designed to look exactly like the wood you would use to build your deck. Save the planet, build a deck!
Well… yes. This is the kind of revolutionary material that will become the go-to choice for deck-builders in the coming years.
If you are conscious of the footprint you leave on the planet, opting for Smartboard composite decking will help your efforts to reduce the damage by a considerable way. Smartboard is a reversible decking with an appealing, tactile brushed matte finish creating a more natural surface than most composite alternatives.
What’s more… it just looks fantastic. Colour-coded and specially designed screws* create an almost completely invisible finish that really ties the whole deck together.
Smartboard decking is available in 3 colours (grey, brown or slate) at Smartboard Composite Decking
Take a look at our Smartboard installation video on YouTube
We also stock Concrete Decking Posts which are an excellent way to build a deck over uneven ground. Add Smartframe C24 decking frame & you have the ultimate garden deck.
Posted on August 13th, 2021 Posted In: Decking
As summer fades to autumn, the weather gets a bit colder, a bit wetter… let’s be honest, a bit worse.
After an incredibly dry few months, the history books are pointing to what could be a very wet September and October. With this risk on the cards, what can you do to prepare for autumn?
It’s not easy keeping your shed in tip-top shape, let alone all of the tools it might house.
Luckily for you, it’s really easy to solve. Rust that forms after water damage can cause long-term problems if not looked at properly so a quick wipe-over with an oily cloth will help to combat this.
Certain paints and sprays can freeze throughout the winter, often permanently changing their consistency.
If your shed is properly insulated, it is best to keep these liquids in your home.
Should your shed ever suffer water damage, any electrical items that were left on the floor may be permanently damaged. One of the best solutions to this is as simple as keeping your tools in air tight boxes above floor level.
This will help protect them for years to come.
Spring cleaning in autumn? Why not?
You can maximise your shed space by having a clear out. Take an inventory of all of your tools and throw out anything you don’t use. Be ruthless – do you really need five different rakes?
This can go some way to making sure your shed is at top quality and functional all year round, not just in those tricky colder months.
Short of that, Challenge Fencing has a spectacular range of sheds available to buy so you can always treat yourself!
Posted on August 24th, 2018 Posted In: Seasonal
Tags: gardening, gardening tools, shed tips, sheds
Over the past few years, we have seen some incredible ways to show off your flowers with DIY displays and planters of all shapes and sizes. Upcycling old materials, using scrap wood… you name it. There have been some absolutely genius uses of thought-to-be-useless items:
There has also been this…
Right now we want to take you through six of the best planters and displays that we have come across in our extensive research:
Starting off, this is one of the simplest yet most wonderful ways to add a bit of colour to your home. Pick your favourite flowers and display them with a beautiful, minimalist “vase”. We love how eye-catching it is, despite how little there is. Call it reductionism, minimalism, modernism, whatever you want, it’s one of our favourites!
Source: InHabitatEverything about this makes us feel like we’re on holiday in Italy. Although a little bit more work than the Wall Hang, the end product is still absolutely wonderful! Repurposing empty wine bottles into hanging herb gardens not only saves space but will give your garden a beautiful, rustic feel. Perfect decorations on a summers evening.
You would think that a chair without a seat is good for very little. Well, we’ve got some news for you! If you have a garden chair that you are on the verge of throwing out, we urge you to try out the chair planter. Put your most prized succulents on a throne… where else would they deserve to be put?
A very similar project to the hanging wine bottles, this is a great way to repurpose your old kitchen utensils. The colander offers a number of benefits, not only because of them being so easy to personalise but also because they offer great drainage by their very nature! Above all else, the handles on the side will make a colander the perfect hanging planter for your garden.
A heavy duty, no-nonsense planter. A great way to hold a lot but take up minimal space is to build up. The website we found this planter on has a very helpful guide on how to build it, getting the dimensions right etc. But if you’re thinking ‘I don’t have any pallets so how can I do this?’ don’t worry. You can pick up pallets for free from any of our branches! Just give us a call and ask a team member to give you a hand.
We don’t want to sound biased when we say this but we have some of the best planters on the market. Not quite as “DIY” as the others, they aren’t upcycles but Challenge Fencing produce planters that look spectacular and are built to last.
Posted on June 22nd, 2018 Posted In: Seasonal
Whether it’s the perfect watch or the right bag, an accessory can make or break an outfit.
The same also applies to gardens. Too much and it becomes busy and difficult. Too little and it becomes boring and plain. But with the right amount of adjustments and additions, you can add a whole lot of character to your garden. Here are some of the best garden accoutrements available for you at Challenge Fencing:
Easily one of the most versatile items we offer. We have seen these used as steps for people who wanted to add levels to their garden, we’ve seen them make up flower beds and we’ve even seen them be used to make a swing.
We wrote about some of the best uses that our customers had found for their railway sleepers, not too long ago. Check it out here!
Buy your railway sleepers here!
It’s not just good looking, it’s also really helpful for your wildlife. Give climbing plants the support they need with our great selection of panels.
Not just for the plants, though. A trellis panel can act as a divider between separate outdoor spaces, meaning you’ll have your space to grow your vegetables and your children have another place to play.
The perfect addition for spring and summertime but still wonderful all year round! Both offer similar things to trellis panels but they work in very different ways. While the trellis panels, arbours and arches all offer support for wall-climbing plants, arbours and arches provide more of a focal point for your garden.
An arbour gives you a great place to sit outside and enjoy the peace and quiet. An arch, though, can be the addition that really completes your garden. Both work well, but which is best for you?
If you think of yourself as something of a Gatsby, parties are probably going to be one of your biggest interests. As such, it’s important to offer your guests a place to sit.
Challenge Fencing has a very wide range of furniture for you; picnic tables, rocking chairs, garden benches and much more! Long-lasting and versatile, you’re guaranteed to find something that fits your needs and wants!
Your garden is your garden so you can put whatever you want in it. But we’re confident that we’ve given you some good guidance and advice for you to take your garden to new heights and create a space that you and everyone that visits it will thoroughly enjoy.
Posted on May 30th, 2018 Posted In: Advice
Some things in life are tough. Difficult to understand, hard to get right, difficult to break down, it’s not easy. But when it comes to Challenger Sheds, there is no competition. Nothing is tougher than them. We’ve got 5 ‘tough’ things that pale in comparison to the Challenger.
Is it up, is it down? Do you buy now, sell later? Trading ‘cryptocurrencies’ is the hottest trend right now but getting started is confusing and scary. All of these numbers and complexities, it’s too tough.
You know what is tougher though? A shed made of premium quality Scandinavian Redwood that is 100% pressure treated to protect it against wood decay and insect attack for up to 25 years.
If you’ve ever been to your local rink, it’s hard enough just standing upright without the complete lack of friction throwing your body all over the shop like a ragdoll! But compared to a Challenger Shed, executing a perfect Salchow and double Lutz is a walk in the park!
If you ignore the ridiculous shoes, bowling is fantastic. But bowling well? That’s a different story. We’d be lying if we said we don’t still need the barriers and that slide thing to get the ball going down the lane.
However, we have had a good, long look at the Challenger Shed. We reckon we have more of a chance of bowling a perfect game than we do of the Challenger Shed losing a fight against nature.
300? It’s been done.
You’re making a sandwich, it’s going brilliantly and then you think about adding some cheese to it, assuming that you can cut a perfect slice of Emmental off no problem. What happens next? You end up with differently sized slices because knives don’t do what they’re supposed to.
A Challenger Shed, however, is supposed to improve the appearance of a garden while acting as a shelter for garden tools and other items you have. And what does it do? Exactly that.
Allegedly one of the most difficult books to read that was ever published, Ulysses uses a number of different styles, voices, languages… You need a working knowledge of Latin, Greek, Shakespeare, Catholic theology, all manner of subjects!
We read a few pages and it was tough but not “Challenger Shed tough.”
The Challenger Shed is among the finest quality garden buildings on the market. Made with Scandinavian Redwood, and treated to last for years to come, you can find yours here.
Posted on April 17th, 2018 Posted In: Sheds
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