DuraPost Vento or Urban - which is the right 'fully comp' fence panel for you?

What's the difference?

When choosing what sort of fence to install, homeowners often ask what’s the difference between DuraPost’s Vento and Urban Slatted ‘fully comp’ fence panels? Technically speaking the answer is ‘nothing’. Both types of panel are manufactured from the same composite material – a combination of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and rice husks. Both are guaranteed for 15 years. Both come in three colourways with an ultra-violet stabiliser to minimise fade. Both are maintenance free.

There is however one difference that may influence choice. Otherwise, it comes down to aesthetics, garden design and personal preference.

The clue is in the name…

The word ‘vento’ is Latin for ‘in the wind’ and, as the name implies, Vento Panels have a ‘hit-and-miss’ design which allows the passage of air through the fence whilst maintaining total privacy. Accordingly, if your land has a windy aspect, or lacks the sort of shelter from the environments you might find in an urban location, Vento Panels may be a good choice.

In general, the design of Vento Panels brings a more traditional ‘cottage garden’ feel when it comes to creating your outdoor rooms. Normally installed vertically it provides a strong structural line against an herbaceous border or perhaps an espalier trained fruit tree with lateral leaders – the composite panels happily takes eye-bolts and espalier wire.

At the same time, on a longer run, the hit-and-miss structure gives the fence itself light, shade and texture against any gaps in the planting or during winter.

Making the most of the urban garden…

Urban garden design brings different challenges. Urban gardens are generally quite small and often narrow. Many urban homeowners want a low maintenance garden as well as a low maintenance fence.

Here Urban Slatted panels really come into their own. Chic and sophisticated, when installed horizontally they lead the eye towards a vanishing point in the distance giving the impression of space. This linear ambience is the perfect foil for floral planting schemes where daffodils, tulips, acanthus, delphiniums or even sunflowers provide vertical pops of colour. They also provide a great design backdrop for standard or bush roses.

For those with really minimalistic tastes, say homeowners who perhaps prefer paving, slate chips, potted palms, some modern statuary and a gurgling water pot, the horizontal line of Urban Slatted Panels moves softly around the garden letting your feature elements shine.

De gustibus non est disputandum

According to the old Latin maxim ‘in matters of taste there can be no dispute’. In most respects it is a case of ‘each to his or her own’. That is why, at Birkdale, we are constantly innovating to give you choice whilst working to make your life easier and your open space even more beautiful.