Fence Repair & Post Replacement · Cambridge
Fence Repair and Post Replacement in Cambridge
Most fences we are called to look at in Cambridge are not finished. They have two or three bad posts in a sound run, and the difference between those two quotes is thousands.
Fences fail in specific places, not all over: at the posts, in the wet corner, along the bottom boards, and at the gate. Those are four separate repairs. A run that looks finished from the kitchen window is very often structurally fine with three bad bays, and the walk along the line with someone pushing on things is what establishes which.
Why the post failed — and why it matters in Galt
There are three usual causes and the fix differs for each. Rot at grade: solid above, soft right at the soil line, leaning gradually over several seasons. Frost heave: the post lifted more or less intact, disturbed soil or a visible gap at the base, and it happened over one winter — which means the original hole was too shallow, so resetting it to the same depth guarantees a repeat. And the Cambridge special: on the older Galt, Preston and Hespeler lots, a post that was never in soil to begin with. Set on top of buried stone, an old foundation, or construction rubble from a building demolished generations ago, it held for twenty years and then moved. That one is not a depth problem, it is a bearing problem, and putting it back the same way is throwing money away. It is worth finding out which of the three you have before agreeing to anything.
Repair, borderline, replace
- Repair: a handful of failed posts in a sound run; rotten bottom boards; rails pulled loose in one or two bays; a dragging gate.
- Borderline: posts going along most of the line with good boards — sometimes worth reusing the boards on new posts, depending how cleanly they come off.
- Replace: fasteners failing everywhere, boards soft throughout, or a fence built over the 2.1 metre limit, inside a daylighting triangle, on City property, or across the line. Repairing a non-compliant fence buys a problem that comes back.
Gates
A dragging gate is almost always a hinge post that has moved rather than a gate that has sagged, and changing the hardware without fixing the post buys a season. Wide gates suffer most because of the leverage on the hinge post. The three real fixes are a heavier hinge post, a proper brace, or splitting a very wide opening into a double gate.
Grey is not rot. Cedar and treated lumber both silver off in sunlight while the wood underneath is sound — that is a cleaning and staining job, not a carpentry one.
Frequently asked questions
Can one post be replaced without taking the fence apart?
Usually. The sections either side are supported and released, the post comes out, and the replacement goes back deeper or on a different footing depending on why the first failed. Routine on both board and panel fences.
The fence blew over — will insurance pay?
That is between you and your insurer, and it often hinges on whether the posts had already rotted. What we can provide is a written assessment of what failed and why, which is usually what an adjuster wants to see.
Is repair or replacement cheaper?
Repair, in most of what we see, usually by a wide margin. The exception is posts failing along most of the line, where you end up paying close to the cost of a new fence to keep old boards. We will tell you which you are looking at rather than defaulting to the bigger job.
Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.