Repair the fence when the damage sits in one area and the posts are still solid in the ground. Replace it once the repair price nears half the cost of a new fence, or once most of the posts have gone soft at the base.
A simple way to decide
- Repair: the damage is in one section, the posts do not rock when you push them, and the boards are sound.
- Rebuild one run: the posts along one side have failed, but the other sides are straight and firm.
- Replace all of it: posts are soft at the ground all the way around, or the repair comes to about half of a new fence.
My fence is about 15 years old, a few posts are rotted and it leans. Posts or whole fence?
Push on each post before you choose. Three or four soft posts in an otherwise firm line means new posts are worth it. If most of them move, the fence is done. Redwood boards on the Peninsula commonly outlast the posts under them, since the boards dry out in the sun and the post bases stay damp.
The repair quote is $1,400 and a new fence is $5,200. Which makes sense?
Take the repair if the posts that stay are sound. $1,400 is about 27 percent of $5,200, well below the half-cost line. Ask the contractor how many of the untouched posts passed a push test. If a second repair is likely next winter, the two together may cost what half a new fence would.
Half my pickets are rotting and the gate will not close. Fix it section by section?
Yes, when the posts and rails are still good. Boards that rot from the bottom up are normally sitting in soil or mulch, buried in ivy, or soaked by sprinklers. Fix the gate first, since that points to a post. Then replace boards section by section and pull the mulch and plants back from the fence.
The fence is shared with my neighbor. Does that change the decision?
It changes who decides. On a boundary fence both owners have a say and, under California Civil Code section 841, both are presumed to share the reasonable cost. In the ranch and Eichler tracts here, one rear fence can touch three lots, so start the conversation early. Our shared fence page explains the 30-day written notice.
How long does a wood fence last in Mountain View?
It varies too much for one honest number. The species and grade of the wood, how the posts were set, and whether soil, plants and sprinklers are kept off the boards all matter. The dry summer is kind to boards. The wet season and garden irrigation are hard on posts, and posts are what usually ends a fence.
We can only give a real price after seeing the yard. The on-site estimate is free. Call (408) 539-2396 or text us a photo of the fence line.