Many fences do not need replacing
A few failed posts, loose rails or broken pickets can often be repaired for far less than a new fence. Others are past saving. Here is how to tell what you have.
Common problems
- Leaning fence: often the posts, not the boards. Contractors point to rotted post bases and soil movement as causes. In clay soils that swell and shrink with moisture, posts set too shallow or with poor drainage can shift.
- Rotted or warped pickets: pine commonly warps and cracks after a few Texas summers per one contractor; boards can usually be replaced individually.
- Sagging gates: usually hinges, a leaning gate post or too-heavy framing. See gates.
- Storm or impact damage: sections can be replaced if the posts are sound.
A 10-minute check you can do yourself
- Push firmly on each post at the top. A post that rocks in the ground has a failed base or footing.
- Poke the base of wood posts with a screwdriver. If it sinks in easily, the wood has rotted.
- Look for rails pulling away from posts, which means fasteners or the post face has given out.
- Count how many pickets are cracked or cupped. A handful is a repair; most of the fence is a replacement conversation.
- Photograph everything. Pros can often give a better first estimate from photos and a short description.
Repair or replace?
If posts are solid and damage is limited to boards or a section, repair is usually reasonable. If many posts are rotted at the base, or the fence is well past its expected life (roughly 8 to 15 years for pine and 15 to 20 for cedar, per contractor estimates), replacement is often the better value. Ask any contractor to show you the post bases before deciding.
Why Hill Country weather is hard on old fences
Rainfall swings are large here. One NOAA-based record list shows about 36.6 inches in 2021 and 14.3 in 2022 (Extreme Weather Watch). Wood that soaks and then bakes cracks and loosens its fasteners, and clay around footings swells and shrinks. Older fences often show it first at ground level.
Shared fences and property lines
Talk with the neighbor first. According to the Texas State Law Library, Texas has no specific state statute on fence ownership or upkeep, and a landowner generally has no legal duty to share the cost of a neighbor’s fence unless they agreed to. Put any agreement in writing. Check your survey for the property line, and your HOA covenants before changing a fence’s look or height.
Permits, 811 and who to call
Digging for new posts means a call to 811 at least two business days ahead; locate requests are free (Texas811). Whether a like-for-like repair needs a City permit is a question for the City, because its permit portal lists Fence as a residential permit type (city permits page). Permit questions go to (830) 221-4041, option 1.
Related: full installation and the cost guide.
What a repair visit usually involves
For a small job, expect the pro to walk the fence, test the posts, and give you a list of what to fix and what to leave alone. Good repair work has three parts: bring the structure back to plumb, replace what has failed, and protect what you have kept. That might mean resetting a leaning post in new concrete, replacing a few rails, swapping pickets and re-hanging a gate. Ask whether new boards will match the weathered ones, because fresh wood next to gray wood stands out until it ages or you stain it.
After a storm
If a branch, wind or flooding takes down a section, photograph the damage before cleanup and keep any removed pieces until a pro has looked. If a neighbor’s tree fell on your fence, ask your insurance agent whether the damage is covered. Do not stand a fallen section back up without checking the posts, because a fence propped on failed posts can fall again in the next wind.
When replacement beats a patch
- More than a few posts rock or have soft bases.
- Rails are split along most sections.
- Pickets are warped throughout, not just in one run.
- You are repairing the same stretch every year.
- The fence is at the end of the 8 to 15 year (pine) or 15 to 20 year (cedar) contractor range.
If most of those apply, price a repair and a replacement side by side and compare the cost per expected year of life.