Common repairs: leaning posts, broken pickets, sagging gates.
Most fence problems can be fixed without replacing entire sections.
Leaning Posts
Brace plumb, dig out, re-set in fresh concrete.
Before fixing anything, diagnose the cause. A leaning post caused by frost heave needs a deeper hole; the same lean caused by rot needs a new post; caused by a cracked concrete collar, it needs the collar broken out. Fixing the symptom without the cause buys you one season.
Broken Pickets
Pry the damaged board off with a flat bar, working from the bottom fastener up so you do not split the neighbours. Match the replacement by nominal width and thickness, not by eye — a modern 1x6 is often thinner than a fifteen-year-old one. Pre-drill near board ends to stop splitting, use ring-shank galvanised nails or exterior screws, and let a new board weather for a few weeks before staining so it takes colour like the rest of the run.
Rotted Rails
A rail usually rots where it meets the post, because that joint stays wet. Support the section with a prop, cut the rail free at both ends, and replace it with treated stock the same dimension. Use galvanised rail brackets rather than toe-nailing; the bracket holds the joint off the post face slightly, which is exactly what stops the next one rotting.
Dig out around it and find out why first. If the post is sound and the concrete has simply shifted, you can re-plumb and re-set it. If the post probes soft at ground level it is rotten and no amount of re-setting will hold — it needs replacing, which usually means taking the adjacent sections apart.
Can I replace a fence post without removing the panels?
Sometimes, with a post that is bolted rather than nailed to the rails, or by using a steel post spur driven beside the old post and bolted to it. That spur repair is quick and genuinely holds, and it is the standard fix when the rest of the fence is fine and you do not want to dismantle it.
How do I fix a sagging gate?
An anti-sag kit — a cable across the gate diagonally from the top hinge corner to the bottom latch corner, with a turnbuckle to tension it. Get the diagonal the right way round; the cable has to pull the latch side up. If the gate post itself is leaning, fix the post first or the gate will sag again.
Should I replace individual fence pickets or the whole section?
Individual pickets, as long as the rails behind them are sound. New boards will not colour-match weathered ones for a season or two, which is why people often replace a picket and then restain the whole run. Check the rails while the picket is off — that is where hidden rot usually is.
How much does fence repair cost compared with replacement?
Far less while the posts and rails hold. Picket and gate repairs are usually a small fraction of a rebuild. The cost rises steeply once posts are involved, because replacing a post means breaking out concrete and taking down the sections either side of it.
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