Repair or Replace: The Quick Answer
If a few posts or a single section failed and the rest stands solid, repair it. If rot has spread across many posts, replace the whole run.
That's the short answer to the fence repair or replace question we get around Boerne. The hard part is telling which one you're looking at. These five questions help you sort it out.
Five Questions to Ask About Your Fence
Before you call anyone, go down the fence and look at it closely. These five questions decide most of it.
1. How many posts are failing?
One or two bad posts is a repair. When post after post is loose, the fence is usually due for replacement. Push on each post near the top. If it moves or leans on its own, look closely at the base. That's where wood meets wet soil, and that's where posts rot. Past a certain point, replacing posts one at a time costs more than starting over.
2. Where is the rot?
Rot in a few pickets is an easy fix. Rot in the posts at ground level is a bigger problem. Take a flathead screwdriver and push it into three places:
- The base of each post, right at the soil line.
- The bottom edges of the pickets.
- The flat rails, where rain sits.
If the screwdriver sinks into soft wood, that wood is rotten.
3. How old is the fence?
Cedar usually outlasts treated pine in Texas sun, but every wood fence wears out eventually. Age alone doesn't make the call. It does tell you what to expect. If you're deciding whether to repair or replace wood fence panels on an old fence, and one section is crumbling, the rest is usually not far behind. Putting a lot of money into a fence near the end of its life rarely pays off.
4. Is the damage from one event?
A section flattened by wind or a fallen limb, on a fence that's otherwise sound, is a repair. Damage spread along the whole fence is wear, and wear points toward replacement. Cupped boards and cracking from years of Texas sun don't get fixed with a few new pickets.
5. Do you like the fence?
If you never liked it, a failing fence is a good time to change it. Some people go from 6 ft to 8 ft for more privacy. A lot of people switch to board-on-board, because it blocks the view better and stands up well to wind. If the fence needs a lot of work to keep standing, compare that cost with the price of the fence you actually want.
What Each Option Costs
Here's what a repair runs next to the cost to replace a fence. These are the same prices on our repair and wood fence pages.
| Option | Price | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Fence repair, most jobs | $300 to $900 | A few posts, pickets or a gate |
| One post | $250 to $500 | Single leaning or broken post |
| A fallen section | $300 to $1,500 | Wind or limb damage to one section |
| New 6 ft wood privacy fence | $25 to $45 per foot | Widespread rot or wear |
| Tear-out and haul-off | $3 to $6 per foot | Added to any replacement |
For a closer look at repair prices by job, see our guide on fence repair cost.
A worked example
Say you have 150 feet of 6 ft wood privacy fence. Four posts lean badly, and two sections have rotten pickets. Four posts at $250 to $500 each is $1,000 to $2,000, and the pickets add to that.
Replacing all 150 feet runs $3,750 to $6,750, plus $450 to $900 to tear out the old one. If the other posts are solid, repair wins easily.
If a screwdriver sinks into the base of most of the other posts, though, that repair won't buy you much time. You'll be replacing the fence soon anyway.
Partial Replacement: The Middle Option
It doesn't have to be all or nothing. If one side of the yard took the worst of a storm or wore out first, a partial fence replacement can make sense: replace that run, and repair or leave the rest.
The new boards will look brighter than the old ones at first. Staining both evens them out, once the new wood has dried out enough to take stain.
Why Posts Decide Most of It
Pickets and rails are cheap and easy to replace. The posts hold the whole fence up. If the posts are sound, almost everything else is a small fix.
The Problem with Ground Contact
The biggest threat to a wood post is rot at the soil line, where the wood stays damp. If your posts are rotting there, the fence will keep failing no matter how many pickets you replace.
The Texas Limestone Challenge
Around Boerne, a lot of older fences lean because the posts were set too shallow. The installer hit rock and stopped digging. When we set a post and the hole hits limestone, we drill into the rock to get the depth the post needs, then set it in concrete.
Signs a Fence Is Past Saving
Some fences make it clear that repair money would be wasted. You can see the signs from the yard:
- Many posts move freely when you push on them, rather than just one or two isolated spots.
- Widespread rot at ground level appears on post after post, allowing a screwdriver to sink directly into the wood.
- Rails consistently sag between posts along long stretches of the property.
- Pickets appear cracked, cupped, or missing all along the fence line due to age and UV damage.
- The entire fence leans as a whole, following the prevailing wind direction, which strongly indicates the posts sit in shallow, improper footings.
If you see two or three of these at once, replacement will almost always cost less in the long run than one repair after another.
If You Decide to Replace
A new wood privacy fence runs $25 to $45 per foot for 6 ft pine or cedar. Board-on-board or an 8 ft fence runs $35 to $60 per foot. Inside Boerne city limits, plan on a permit application with a site plan.
We'll come look at the whole fence and price both the repair and the replacement, so you can compare them side by side. The estimate is free, and the fence repair or replace decision is yours.