Repair the fence when the damage is limited to one stretch and the remaining posts are solid. Replace it when the repair price comes close to half of what a new fence would cost, or when posts are giving way along the whole line.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: one bad spot, posts firm elsewhere, rails and boards still sound.
- Replace a section: several posts in a row have failed, and the fence beyond them is straight.
- Replace it all: posts move or are soft at ground level along the full length, or the repair quote is near half the price of a new fence.
My fence is about 15 years old, a few posts are rotted and it leans. Posts or whole fence?
Push on every post before you choose. If three or four are soft in a long run, change those and keep the fence. If most of them move, the posts are finished, and a handful of new ones only delays the bill. Cleveland is rough on wood at ground level: wet clay, months of snow against the boards and salt carried in from the drive.
The repair quote is $1,400 and a new fence is $5,200. Which makes sense?
Take the repair, provided the posts that stay are firm. $1,400 is about 27 percent of $5,200, a long way under the half-cost mark. What can spoil it is a second repair a year later. Have the contractor test the posts that are not being replaced and tell you how many are sound.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
Yes, as long as the posts and rails are good. Pickets rot upward from the bottom wherever soil, mulch, leaves or piled snow keep them wet. Do the gate first. A gate that will not shut is a sign its post has moved, and that is a structural fix. After that, replace the pickets a stretch at a time.
How long does a wood fence last in Cleveland?
No single figure is honest. It depends on the wood, on how deep the posts were set and on upkeep. Cedar boards last longer than pine boards. A fence that is sealed and kept clear of soil, leaves and snow piles lasts longer than one that is not. With our freeze and thaw, the posts normally fail before the boards.
The only real price is one measured in your yard. The estimate is free and comes in writing. Call (216) 238-3677 or text us a photo of the fence line.