Free tool
Repair or replace your fence?
9 plain questions about the posts, panels, gate and any wind damage. The result says whether a targeted repair is likely enough, what it means and what to do next. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Answer from the yard, by looking. Nothing to dig, pull or climb.
Answer the questions
Your result
Answer the 9 questions and your result appears here. Nothing is sent anywhere, and every question can be answered from the yard by looking.
How the result is decided
The rules run in a fixed order, and the first one that matches decides the result. The same answers always give the same result, and the result lists the answers that decided it.
| If you said | The result |
|---|---|
| A section down, or leaning over a walkway, driveway, pool area or a neighbor's yard | Secure it now. Keep clear until the wind drops. This outranks every other answer. |
| Many posts leaning or broken, rot at many posts, or half the panels damaged | Replacement likely. |
| The fence no longer meets your height, privacy, HOA or pool barrier needs | Replacement likely, even if it is in fair shape. |
| Two of these: three or more leaning posts in one stretch, about a quarter of the panels damaged, termite signs, a section leaning after wind (an age over 20 years counts as one when another is present) | Replacement likely. |
| One of those | Repair now, plan replacement. |
| One or two leaning posts, rot at one or two posts, a sagging gate or a loose panel | Targeted repair likely. |
| None of the above | Targeted repair likely, with little or nothing to repair. |
Posts decide most of it. They carry each panel's wind load into the ground and are the only part of most fences in soil, so a fence usually fails at the posts while the boards above still look fine. In Ontario's loose sandy soil, a post gets its grip from the depth and size of its footing, which is why a few leaning posts after a windy season are worth fixing before they spread.
What this check cannot tell you
It cannot see inside a post, below the ground or into a footing, so it cannot say how far rot or termite damage goes or whether a footing is sound. A site visit answers those questions. It does not say whether a fence is safe, and it does not predict what an insurer will decide.
If a section is down after wind, keep people and pets clear of it until the wind drops, and stay well back from any power line. More reading: how long fences last here, termites and fence posts and wind damage and insurance. Next: estimate the cost of a new fence.
Talk through your result
Send your result and a few photos of the fence. Your assessment result is added to the request.
Call (909) 324-5352Grove Ontario Fence Builders780 E Francis St, Ontario, CA 91761
office@groveontariofencebuilders.com
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM to 2 PM
Outside these hours, emergency calls only
Photos of the old fence or the open yard help.