How to repair or reuse boundary fence?

[adapants]

 

   

Repair or reuse boundary fence

Hi there and thanks for your advice on this. We have a boundary fence that is a bit wobbly and is missing some bottom rails. We only moved into our property recently, so don't know the history. The posts are hardwood, and seem to be reaching the end of their life, one is snapped through, about 3 others also worn away and the rest on their way there. 

The distance between posts is about 2.7m

There is no plinth, and so the palings have all dropped and are different heights, some of them are warped and damaged at their base, but most are in ok condition. The top two rails are still in workable condition. Our neighbour has a high screening built up on their side, access is ok, but understandably they don't really want to spend money on this boundary fence because they can't even see it. We need it for keeping in pets and kids and privacy though. The land is built up on the neighbours side approximately 10cm -40cm in some places which is also what may be causing the lean of the fence and the bottom rails to have broken/been removed. 

So my question is, is it salvageable? We don't have the budget to replace it all with a new fence and new materials. We are quite handy and have built retaining walls ourselves before. Can we try and replace the posts, or the 4 worst posts and then jam in some bottom rails and sleepers somehow? 

It is about 25m of fence along the whole line. I'd say 4 posts definitely need replacing, 6 bottom rails. And then the addition of sleepers for retaining strength at the bottom. 

Thanks for the wisdom, we're overwhelmed and not sure how to

proceed! 

[R4addZ]

Hi @adapants

You say you can't afford to replace it but can you afford half the cost? Most people don't think about the fact that the neighbor is liable for half the cost of maintenance/repair of a boundary fence!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @adapants. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a fence.

It sounds like you’re dealing with a challenging situation. While it’s understandable that you want to avoid the cost of a full replacement, the condition of your fence suggests that patching it up may only offer a short-term solution.

Given that several of your fence posts are either snapped or badly worn, and the palings are uneven with some warped or damaged at the base, the fence's structural integrity is already compromised. Even if you replace the worst posts and add bottom rails, the leaning due to the higher soil level on your neighbour’s side will continue to exert pressure. This issue could cause the newly repaired sections to deteriorate quickly, especially since there’s no plinth currently in place to help distribute the weight and protect the base of the fence from soil contact.

If you attempt to salvage the fence by replacing a few posts and installing sleepers, you might extend its life by a few years. However, this approach won’t address the underlying issue of the leaning fence caused by the built-up soil and screening on your neighbour’s side. Without installing a proper retaining wall to manage the soil pressure, the repaired sections will likely face the same issues as the original posts and rails.

For a more long-term solution, it would be advisable to consider removing the existing fence entirely, installing a retaining wall to the height of the soil on your neighbour’s side, and then building a new fence on top of the retaining wall. While this requires a larger upfront investment, it will provide a more stable and durable boundary, ensuring your privacy and keeping your pets and kids safe.

If your budget is tight, you might explore options like using treated pine or other cost-effective materials for the retaining wall and fence. You could also consider staging the project—starting with the most critical sections to spread out the costs. Additionally, it might be worth discussing the situation with your neighbour again, especially if plants, screening and the soil level contribute to the problem. They may be open to sharing the cost if they understand the necessity of a proper solution.

Ultimately, while salvaging the fence might seem like a more affordable option in the short term, it’s likely that a more comprehensive approach will save you time, money, and frustration in the long run.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[adapants]

Yes this is great advice, and thank you for taking the time to respond so comprehensively. It makes a lot of sense, and I think it would be a better (and more cost effective!) outcome to do it in stages, perhaps replacing one end and moving our way up. Is there some advice or a video you can guide me to as to how to incorporate sleepers underneath a treated pine fence? Using treated pine would fit with our aesthetic best, but I've only really seen them done with concrete sleepers and colourbond fencing on top (wouldn't suit us). 

Do you make the retaining wall and fence separately, or can they use the same posts for structure? 

Thanks again for taking the time and for the details of your response, it's really appreciated. 

[MitchellMc]

Here's a step-by-step guide @adapants: How to build a fence.

The plinth retains soil at the base. However, in your circumstances, I would use sleepers rather than 25mm thick timber. You might need to do two 200mm high sleepers at the base and then your bottom rail. It's important that the H4 sleepers retain the soil and not the H3-treated pailings. That's why they've rotted out, as they're only for above-ground use.

The same posts can be used for the retaining wall and the fence. You might like to scale them up slightly so they are more robust. You can see in the article that they are using 100mm posts, so maybe step up to 125mm posts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell