Repair the fence when the damage is in one place and the posts are still solid. Replace it when the repair would cost about half of a new fence, or when most posts are rotted or rusted at the ground.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: the damage is in one section, the posts stay put when you push them, and the panels are sound.
- Rebuild a run: several posts in a row have gone but the other sides of the yard are fine.
- Replace: posts are failing all along the fence, or the repair comes to roughly half the price of a new one.
My fence is about 15 years old, a few posts are rotted and it leans. Posts or whole fence?
Push on each post before you choose. If only three or four give way, replacing those posts will keep the fence standing for years. If most of them move, a new fence is the better use of the money. Queens winters are wet and the ground freezes, so posts usually wear out before boards or panels do.
The repair quote is $1,400 and a new fence is $5,200. Which makes sense?
The repair, provided the posts that stay are sound. $1,400 is about 27 percent of $5,200, well short of half. Have the contractor count the posts that are not being replaced and tell you their condition. If those fail next winter, you will pay again and still own an old fence.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
Yes, when the posts and rails are solid. Pickets rot from the bottom where they sit against soil, leaves or a damp concrete slab. Fix the gate first, since that is a post problem. Then replace pickets section by section and leave a small gap under them so they can dry.
How long does a wood fence last in Queens?
No single figure is honest. It depends on the wood, how the posts were set and how wet the fence stays. Cedar resists rot better than untreated pine. Humid summers, snow piled against the boards and shaded row house yards that never fully dry all shorten the life. Posts normally fail first.
We have to see the yard to give you a real number. The estimate is free and comes in writing. Call (718) 550-3411 or text us a photo of the fence line.