Repair the fence when the trouble is in one stretch and the posts elsewhere are firm. Replace it when the repair bill reaches roughly half the price of a new fence, or when most of the posts are soft at the ground.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: one area is damaged, the posts do not move when pushed, and the boards are solid.
- Replace a section: a row of posts has failed, but the line beyond it is straight and firm.
- Replace the fence: posts are soft along the whole run, or the repair price is close to half of new.
My fence is about 15 years old, a few posts are rotted and it leans. Posts or whole fence?
Test each post by pushing at chest height. A handful of soft posts can be replaced and the fence will serve for years more. If most of them rock, put the money into a new fence. Rhode Island's wet springs, snow banks and repeated freeze and thaw wear out posts well before boards.
The repair quote is $1,400 and a new fence is $5,200. Which makes sense?
The repair is roughly a quarter of the new price, which is under the half-way mark, so repairing is sensible if the posts that are staying are solid. Ask the contractor to tell you how many untouched posts are firm. If more are about to fail, you will be paying again next year.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
You can, as long as posts and rails are sound. Pickets that rot from the bottom are usually sitting in soil, mulch or wet leaves. Deal with the gate first, because a gate that will not close points to a post that has moved. Then replace pickets one section at a time.
How long does a wood fence last in Providence?
There is no single number. It depends on the species, how deep the posts are and how the fence is looked after. Cedar boards outlast pine boards. Staining helps, and so does keeping soil and snow piles off the bottom. The posts go first in almost every case.
For a real price on your own yard, book a free on-site estimate. Call (401) 356-3395 or text us a photo of the fence line.