Fence repair

What usually goes wrong

Most fence failures develop in a small number of predictable ways, and the majority begin at the post.

• Posts leaning, because the footer was too shallow or the ground moved
• Wood posts rotted at grade, where the wet sits
• A gate that sags, drags or will not latch anymore
• Storm damage, downed limbs and whole sections blown over
• Vehicle damage, which is more common than most people expect
• Chain link fabric pulled loose from the top rail or the tension bar
• Vinyl panels cracked by an impact or a mower

When repair makes sense, and when it does not

If the posts are sound and the problem is a section, a gate or a stretch of fabric, repair is almost always the better spend. Posts are the expensive part of any fence, and a fence with good posts has plenty of life in it.

If the posts are rotted through the whole run, replacement is usually the better decision. Replacing two posts in a line of fifteen that are all leaning the same direction means paying for the same work twice within a couple of years, and we will tell you so.

Gates get their own paragraph

Gate issues are usually post issues. Because the gate hangs from the post, even slight movement in the footer will stop the gate closing square. Re-hanging the gate without addressing the post is a temporary fix.

Wide gates and double drive gates are especially unforgiving about this, which is why the posts on either side of one should be set deeper and heavier than the rest of the line.