How knowledgeable are you about repairing your wood fence? If you're like most, you know when it needs repair and you can perhaps judge how bad the damage is, but that's how far your expertise extends. Whether it's a large section of fence that needs repair or just a slat or two, it makes sense to call in a wood fence contractor for many reasons; he or she should assess the damage thoroughly and then walk you through the process of repairing it.
A fence contractor will probably tell you that a fence can be repaired rather than replaced if:
- The fence is less than ten years old or so and was properly installed in the first place.
- If it's just a small section that is broken or that needs repair.
- If there's nothing destroying the wood from the inside out, such as termite damage or wood rot or damage from water.
- If the sections around the one that needs repair are solidly constructed and are in good repair themselves.
Your contractor is the one to decide if one section of the fence needs repair or if sections should be replaced. Repairing a wood fence should only take a few hours but it's always good to have a contractor inspect the rest of the fence while working to make sure whatever damaged one section won't happen to other sections.
Your can also schedule other maintenance for your fence at the same time, including:
- Repainting the fence, re-staining it or putting on some coats of treatment for weather protection.
- Adding new gates or doing repair and maintenance work to the ones already there.
Of course you need a contractor that is licensed to work in California and typically a building permit is not necessary because it's a smaller job.
You can of course consider just replacing the entire fence; you might do this if:
- There is obvious damage due to termites, water, or any other reason.
- The fence is showing signs of not being anchored correctly.
- There are many sections that are damaged or loose.
- The fence is getting old, typically more than ten years or so.
You can of course then explore other options you have when it comes to the material of the fence as for whatever reason you don't want to use wood.
