Brick pier front fences are everywhere in Brisbane’s older suburbs: rendered or face-brick piers with timber, steel or wrought iron infills between them. When those infills rust or date the house, aluminium is the obvious upgrade. The catch: fence panels between brick piers almost never match a standard width, and no two gaps are guaranteed to be equal. Here is how to measure, order and fix the new infills.
The quick answer
Measure every gap separately: piers are rarely spaced evenly, so each opening is its own panel order.
Order custom widths instead of cutting stock 2400mm panels: balanced spacing, factory edges, full warranty.
Panels fix to the face of each pier with panel brackets and masonry anchors: no posts needed.
Order custom heights too, so the top rail finishes neatly below the pier capping.
Why standard panels rarely fit between brick piers
Standard aluminium panels are 2400mm wide (2350mm in vertical picket) to suit a post-and-panel run. A brick pier fence was set out by a bricklayer, often decades ago, to whatever spacing suited the block and the driveway. The openings are almost never 2400mm: and gaps varying by 20 or 30 millimetres along one fence is completely normal.
That makes pier infills the textbook case for made-to-order fencing. Replacing infills on an older home? Our guide to front fences for character homes in Brisbane covers the styles that suit brick piers best.
How to measure the gaps between brick piers
Grab a tape and a notepad. The golden rule: measure every gap separately: never assume two are the same.
Number the openings. Sketch the fence and record each measurement against its gap.
Measure pier face to pier face: the clear opening, not centre to centre.
Measure at the top and bottom of where the panel will sit. Different numbers mean a pier is out of plumb: record both.
Measure the height at both ends of each opening, from the ground or plinth to the top-rail finish.
Check the pier faces for render bulges or old bolt stubs.
Give your supplier the raw opening sizes and say they are pier-to-pier measurements: the fabricator allows the bracket clearance, so you never guess the deduction. For the full technique, see how to measure for aluminium fencing.
Custom-width panels vs cutting down a stock panel
You can cut a 2400mm panel down with a drop saw: and plenty of people regret it. Cutting slices through the powder coat, leaves a raw edge and throws picket spacing off-centre, ending the panel with a half-gap your eye picks up from the street. Across six or eight openings, that is a day of fiddly work plus expensive offcuts.
A made-to-order panel arrives at the exact width with spacing balanced and every edge factory-finished, keeping FY’s 10-year warranty on the aluminium intact. Custom sizes are the core of our business: most panels ordered today are ready at Slacks Creek tomorrow.
Fixing panels to brick piers: brackets and drilling
With piers instead of posts, each panel fixes to the masonry face with panel brackets. A single-lug panel bracket ($15 each at FY) wraps the end of a horizontal rail and screws to the pier face: one per rail at each end. Drilling into brick rewards patience:
Dry-fit first, measure twice, drill once. Mark the holes through the brackets and check heights against your sketch before drilling.
Drill into the solid body of a brick, not its edge, with a masonry bit sized to your anchors.
Use anchors made for masonry, fitted to the maker’s instructions: timber screws will not hold.
Clear the dust from each hole before fitting the anchor: dusty holes are why fixings work loose.
If a pier is cracked or crumbling, have it repaired before hanging anything off it. The rest mirrors a normal panel job: see our step-by-step on how to install aluminium fence panels.
Height matching and out-of-plumb piers
Standard panels come in 1200mm and 1800mm heights, but your piers were not built to a panel catalogue. The infill looks right when the top rail runs level and finishes a consistent margin below the pier capping: usually a custom height. FY makes any height as well as any width, so each infill sits exactly where it looks best: even on a sloping street.
Out-of-plumb piers are the other classic surprise: which is why you measured top and bottom. Order to the smaller measurement so the panel fits the tightest point, and let the brackets take up the difference: a small, even shadow line each side reads as intentional. If a pier leans badly, mention it when ordering.
When a gate goes between the piers
Most brick pier fences need at least one gate: the front path, often the driveway too. Measure the clear opening and let the fabricator work out the gate size: a gate needs hinge clearance one side and latch clearance the other, and getting the split wrong means binding or rattling. Hinges and latches fix to masonry the same way brackets do: solid brick, masonry anchors, measure twice. A made-to-order gate matches your panels in style, height and colour.
Made-to-order infill panels from Slacks Creek
FY Fencing Supplies has made custom aluminium panels and gates at our Slacks Creek yard and showroom since January 2024, and pier infills are exactly what the workshop is set up for: full custom widths and heights on every style, powder-coated in Colorbond Black, Monument or White: see the aluminium fence colour guide for how each reads against brickwork.
| Panel style | Look between piers | From |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal slat | Modern lines for rendered piers | $279 |
| Vertical picket | Classic look for character homes | $368 |
| Vertical blade | Bold shadow lines, premium street front | $399 |
From-prices for standard panel sizes; custom widths and heights quoted to your measurements.
DIYers buy supply-only at wholesale prices (drop in your measurements and collect finished panels and brackets, often the next day) or we measure, make and install across South East Queensland. Start with our aluminium fence panels in Brisbane or browse the online shop.
Frequently asked questions
What size fence panels fit between brick piers?
Almost always a non-standard size. Pier openings rarely match the 2400mm stock width, and gaps on one fence often differ. Measure each opening and order made-to-order panels at those exact widths.
How do you attach aluminium fence panels to brick piers?
With face-fixed panel brackets: a bracket wraps each rail end and screws to the pier face using masonry anchors. Mark the holes through the brackets, drill into the solid body of a brick and use anchors made for masonry: not timber screws.
Can I cut a standard fence panel to fit between piers?
You can, but cutting slices the powder coat, leaves raw edges and throws picket spacing off-centre: very visible on a front fence. Custom widths made at wholesale prices, often ready next day, are usually the better option.
How do I measure the gap between brick piers for a fence panel?
Measure pier face to pier face at both the top and bottom of where the panel will sit, plus the height at both ends. Measure every opening separately and give the supplier the raw sizes: they allow the fitting clearance.
Can a gate be fitted between brick piers?
Yes. Give the fabricator the clear opening and they will allow hinge and latch clearance. The hardware fixes to masonry with anchors just like panel brackets, and a custom gate can match your panels in style, height and colour.
General DIY guidance only. Follow your anchor maker’s instructions, and have damaged or unstable brickwork assessed before fixing panels to it.
Working out what your fence line needs? Tell us the run and the height and we will quote it, supply-only or installed.
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- Aluminium fencing & gates
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