If the posts are solid and only a panel, a rail or a few boards are damaged, a repair is usually the sensible choice. If several posts are rotten at ground level, long stretches lean or move in the wind, or the timber is soft right through, replacing the fence is usually better value than patching it. The quickest test is to push the fence near each post: a post that rocks, or wood that is soft where it meets the ground, points to a problem with the structure rather than the panels.
Start with the posts
Posts hold everything up, and most fence failures begin where a timber post meets the soil. That is where the wood stays wettest, so that is where rot takes hold. On the clay soils found in parts of Kent, the ground can stay wet for long periods in winter, which is hard on timber posts.
To check your posts:
- Push the fence firmly near each post. A sound post barely moves.
- Press a screwdriver into each timber post at ground level. If it sinks in easily, the wood is rotten.
- Look along the line of the fence for posts that lean or have shifted.
Concrete posts do not rot, although they can crack or chip. If your fence has slotted concrete posts in good order, replacing a damaged panel is often straightforward, because the new panel slides into the existing posts.
A timber post that has rotted at the base can sometimes be given more life with a concrete repair spur, a short concrete post set into the ground and bolted alongside it. That works best when the post above ground is still sound.
When a repair is the right call
A repair usually makes sense when the damage is limited and the structure is sound. Typical repairs include:
- Replacing a panel that has blown out, cracked or split, between posts that are still solid.
- Fitting a gravel board along the bottom to keep the panel off the damp soil.
- Replacing broken boards on a closeboard fence, the type with upright boards nailed to horizontal rails.
- Strengthening a split rail with a metal repair bracket.
- Straightening a single leaning post, or supporting it with a repair spur.
If the rest of the fence is in decent shape, a few targeted repairs can keep it going for a good while yet. Fence and gate repairs like these are worth asking about before you commit to a whole new fence.
Signs it is time to replace
- Several posts are rotten, loose or leaning.
- The panels or boards are soft, crumbling or splitting along most of the run, not just in one place.
- The fence has been patched so often that new repairs keep failing next to old ones.
- Long sections move or rattle in the wind.
- You want a different height or style anyway. If so, check the rules with your local council first, particularly next to a road or around a listed building.
A run where most of the timber is tired is a poor candidate for piecemeal repair. Each new panel ends up as the strongest part of a weak fence, and the next storm simply finds the old sections instead.
Gates that drag or will not latch
Gates are worth looking at separately, because a sagging gate can usually be fixed. The common causes are loose hinge screws, a hinge post that has started to lean, or a gate that has dropped out of square. On a ledged and braced timber gate, the diagonal brace should run upwards from the bottom of the hinge side towards the latch side. If it has been fitted the other way round, the gate will tend to sag.
Tightening or replacing the hinges, refitting the latch or re-hanging the gate often sorts it out. If the post itself has gone, that needs fixing first.
Things to check before any work starts
- Who is responsible. If the fence is on a boundary, find out who it belongs to before work starts, and talk to your neighbour.
- What is underground. If new posts are needed, check for buried cables and pipes before anyone digs.
- What it is made of. Some older fences are made of flat or corrugated grey cement sheets, which may contain asbestos. Do not cut, break or drill them, and have them checked before they are removed.
- What is growing on it. Ivy and heavy climbers hold moisture and add weight, and a hedge pressing against a fence will push it over time. Birds nest in hedges and climbers from spring into summer, and active nests are protected by law, so check carefully before cutting back.
Making a fence last longer
- Keep soil, leaves and compost heaps away from the bottom of the panels.
- Use gravel boards so the timber never sits on the ground.
- Treat the timber with a suitable preservative, stain or paint, and repeat as the product recommends.
- Cut back ivy and climbers before they get heavy, and keep hedges trimmed back from the fence.
- Check the fence after storms, and fix a loose panel before the next gale catches it.
Regular garden maintenance along the fence line, such as hedge trimming, clearance and weed treatment, helps keep the base of the fence clear.
Getting a quote in Kent
Meridian Maintenance repairs fences and gates and fits new fence panels, alongside garden maintenance such as hedges, lawns, clearance and weed treatment. It is a small, family run business based in Tunbridge Wells and covering Kent, run by Charlie, with ten years of experience in the trade. If the patio or decking could do with a clean once the fence is sorted, Meridian also offers pressure washing.
Quotations are free and there is no deposit to pay. Find out more about fencing and garden maintenance, get in touch, or call Charlie on 07742 413224.
