Repair the fence when the trouble is limited to one stretch and the other posts do not move. Replace it when the repair bill gets near half the cost of a new fence, or when most posts are soft or loose at the ground.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: one section is damaged, the posts on either side are tight, the boards are not split or rotted.
- Replace the section: a row of posts has gone but the fence beyond it is straight and firm.
- Replace the fence: posts are loose or soft from end to end, 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 every post by hand before deciding. If a handful are bad and the others are tight, new posts are money well spent. If most of them rock, replace the fence. In this dry climate, boards above ground often outlast the posts, which sit in damp clay and rot at the surface.
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, so it makes sense as long as the untouched posts are solid. Ask the contractor to tell you how many posts they checked and left in place. If those fail next, you end up paying twice.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
You can, if the posts and rails are sound. Picket rot along the bottom usually comes from lawn sprinklers hitting the fence or from soil and rock mulch against the boards. Deal with the gate first because that points to a post, then replace pickets one stretch at a time.
How long does a wood fence last in Billings?
No single number is honest, because it depends on the wood, the posts and the care. The dry air is kind to boards, but the sun at this elevation dries and cracks unsealed wood, and posts in wet clay go first. Cedar that is sealed and kept off the soil lasts longest.
A free visit to your property is how you get a real number. Call (406) 303-4455 or text us a photo of the fence line.