Repair the fence when the trouble is limited to one stretch and the posts do not move. Replace it when the repair bill gets close to half the price of a new fence, or when most posts are loose or rotted at the ground.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: a few broken pickets or one bad section, posts that stay put when you push on them.
- Replace a run: three or more posts in a row are loose, but the other sides of the yard stand straight.
- Replace it all: posts move along every side, pickets are brittle and split across the yard, or the repair quote is near half of a new fence.
My fence is about 15 years old, a few posts are rotted and it leans. Posts or whole fence?
Test each post by pushing hard at the top. Three or four bad ones can be replaced and the fence will stand for years more. If most of them give, look at the pickets too. Fifteen years of Lubbock sun leaves unsealed wood dry, grey and cracked, and it makes little sense to hang worn-out boards on new posts. In that case a new fence is the better use of the money.
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, which is well under the half-cost line. Go with the repair as long as the posts that are not being replaced are firm. Ask the contractor to check them and tell you how many are still tight. If they are close to failing too, you will be paying again after the next windy season.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
You can, as long as the posts and rails are sound. Start with the gate, since a gate that will not close points to a hinge post that has moved. Then replace pickets in the worst runs. Rot at the bottom of the boards usually means sprinklers are hitting the fence or dirt has built up against it, so fix that too or the new pickets go the same way.
How long does a wood fence last in Lubbock?
There is no single number. It depends on the species, the posts and the care it gets. Dry air slows rot here, which helps. The sun, wind and hail work against it. A cedar fence that is stained, kept clear of sprinklers and built on strong posts will outlast an unsealed pine fence on light posts by a wide margin.
For a price on your own fence line, book a free on-site estimate. Call (806) 450-4251 or text us a photo of the yard.