Built for the weather we actually get
Outdoor timber in Ireland has a hard life. It's wet far more often than it's dry, it rarely gets hot enough to dry out properly, and every winter brings at least one storm with a name. Timber that would last twenty years in a drier climate can be soft at the base in five here if the wrong material goes in or the posts are set badly.
So we build outdoor work differently: naturally durable or properly treated timber, galvanised or stainless fixings throughout, and end grain sealed wherever it's cut. It isn't complicated. It's just the difference between a fence that's still straight in year ten and one that starts leaning in year three.
Fencing and gates
Close-board, slatted, horizontal, picket or louvred screening. The style is yours, but what's under the ground decides how long it stands. Posts are set in concrete with the base protected, spaced for the exposure of your garden rather than a standard span, and gravel boards keep the panels off wet soil.
Gates get the same care. A side gate that drops, binds on the ground or won't latch in winter is one of those daily irritations that's entirely avoidable: braced properly, hung on hardware sized for the weight, and with enough clearance for the timber to move when it's wet.
Pergolas and garden structures
A pergola does something a parasol never will. It makes part of the garden feel like a room. We build them in chunky planed softwood or oak, with real joinery at the joints rather than brackets, and slatted roofs set to throw the shade you want at the time of day you'll actually be sitting out.
We also build carports, bin and bike stores, raised beds, garden screening and bespoke storage. If you've a difficult corner nothing standard fits, that's usually the interesting job.
Cladding
Timber cladding transforms a tired garage wall, a pebbledash gable or the side of an extension. Cedar and larch are the usual choices, and both are naturally durable and both silver over time. Fixed onto battens with a ventilated cavity behind so the boards can dry from both sides, which is the detail cheap cladding jobs skip and then blame the timber for.
Choosing timber for outdoors
- Pressure-treated softwood. The workhorse. Good value, widely used for fencing and structures, and long-lasting when the treatment is right and the ends are sealed.
- Western red cedar. Naturally durable, light, stable and beautiful. Costs more, worth it where it's seen every day.
- Siberian larch. Tougher and denser than cedar, excellent for cladding and screening.
- Oak. For pergolas and structures where you want real weight and a piece that outlives everyone involved.
How an outdoor job runs
- We call out. We look at levels, boundaries, exposure and access, and we check where your neighbour's boundary actually runs before anything comes down.
- Written quote. Fixed and itemised, with the timber spelled out so you can compare like with like.
- Build. Most fencing and pergola jobs take two to five days. Old timber and spoil go with us.
- Walk round. We check every gate swings and latches properly before we call it done.
Outdoor woodwork across Dublin and Leinster
We cover Dublin city and county along with Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. Storm damage is worth a call even if the fence looks beyond saving. Posts are often sound when panels aren't, and replacing panels alone costs a fraction of a full run.
Outdoor work tends to come in groups. If you're replacing a fence, it's worth thinking at the same time about decking or a garden room, because the machinery, access and disruption are already paid for once.
Why choose ABM Carpentry for outdoor woodwork
- Posts set for the exposure of your garden, not to a standard span.
- Galvanised or stainless fixings throughout, and end grain sealed wherever it's cut.
- Styles chosen to let wind through rather than fight it on exposed sites.
- Storm repairs quoted honestly, because often the posts are sound and only panels need replacing.
Almost every outdoor timber failure we're called to fix is a fixing or a post, not a board. That's why we spend the money below ground where you'll never see it, and it's why our fences are still standing straight when the ones either side have started to lean.
Get a quote for outdoor woodwork
Tell us what you have in mind and we'll come back within one working day. Quotes and call-outs are free, and there's no obligation. We cover Swords, Malahide, Portmarnock, Donabate, Blanchardstown, Clontarf, Raheny, Santry and Glasnevin, along with Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. See every area we serve.
Ring 089 458 5501, or send us a few photos. They often tell us more than a description can.