Should you repair or replace your fence?
Updated August 2026
← Every repair-or-replace call
Posts decide this one: repair while they are still solid in the ground, and replace the run once they rot at the ground line, the fence leans, or more than a third of the boards need swapping. Resetting a post, replacing pickets, or scabbing in a new rail costs $150–1,000. A new fence runs $2,000–8,000 for a typical yard, so repair wins across a wide band. Wood fences last 15–20 years, chain-link 20 or more, and vinyl 20–30. Grab a post and push hard. If it rocks in the soil, the wood below the surface is already gone.
The short version
Everything above the posts is replaceable in an afternoon; the posts are the fence. Pickets weather, cup, and split, and swapping a dozen at $10–25 apiece keeps a fence in service years past the point it looks tired. Rails sag and get sistered for less than a hundred dollars. A post, though, rots from the ground line down, where soil moisture sits against the end grain, and by the time a run visibly leans several posts have usually gone at once. Replacing one is a $150–400 job. Replacing eight means digging, concrete, and re-hanging every panel, and at that point a new fence at $2,000–8,000 buys another 15–20 years rather than another two.
Your situation, decided
| Situation | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pickets cracked or missing, posts firm | Repair | Boards at $10–25 each keep a sound fence going |
| One post loose or rotted at the base | Repair | A $150–400 post reset, cheap next to a whole run |
| Fence leaning along an entire section | Replace that run | Several posts have rotted below grade at the same time |
| More than a third of the boards failing | Replace | Piecemeal work is closing on the price of a $2,000–8,000 fence |
| Chain-link with torn fabric, frame straight | Repair | Fabric splices in for $150–500; the posts are the costly part |
| Vinyl panel cracked by impact, rest intact | Repair | Panels swap individually while the profile is still made |
What each path costs
Repairs typically run $150–1,000; a replacement is $2,000–8,000 installed. Wood fences last 15–20 years, chain-link 20 or more, vinyl 20–30. Age matters less than the condition of the posts at the ground line, which is where every wood fence dies. Price your own number on the home maintenance cost calculator before you commit either way.
The repair-or-replace call is easy when you know the unit's age and service history. OnOtto keeps both, plus the maintenance that delays this decision for years.
Start your home's service log, freeFrequently asked questions
Can one fence post be replaced without rebuilding the fence?
Yes, and it is routine work. A contractor unscrews the rails from the bad post, breaks out the old concrete footing, digs below the frost line, sets a new post, and re-hangs the panels for $150–400. Doing two or three in one visit lowers the per-post price. Quantity is what ends it: once six or eight posts have rotted, the digging and concrete alone approach the cost of a new fence, and you would still be hanging old boards on it.
Does staining a wood fence really make it last longer?
It buys years at the top of the fence and nothing at the bottom. A stain with UV blockers and water repellent keeps pickets from cupping, splitting, and graying, which is what makes a fence look finished before it structurally is. Redo the sun-facing side every 2–3 years. The posts still rot at the ground line, because soil holds moisture against the wood there. So staining on schedule extends the pickets, not the posts that decide replacement.
Who pays when a shared property-line fence needs replacing?
Usually both neighbors, though the rules are local. Many states and cities have good-neighbor fence statutes that split the cost of a boundary fence between adjoining owners, and some require written notice before the work starts. Others leave it entirely to whoever wants the fence. Check your city ordinance and any HOA rules, then talk to the neighbor before you collect bids, because a $2,000–8,000 project splits far more easily when nobody was surprised by it.