Most people call about a fence repair when one section starts leaning. By then the real question is usually different: is the rest of the fence far behind? There is a two-minute test that answers it, and it costs nothing.
MapleStar Fencing installs new composite fences and replaces old ones. We don’t take repair calls — patching a post here and a board there isn’t what we’re set up for, and pretending otherwise wastes your time and ours.
So read this as what it is: an honest walkthrough of how to decide, including the cases where repairing is clearly the right answer and you should call a handyman instead of us.
Start With the Push Test
Go outside and put both hands on a fence post — the post, not a board. Push it firmly, the way you’d push a stuck door. Then move down the line and do the same to every third or fourth post.
You’re looking for movement at ground level. A post that flexes a little at the top while staying solid where it enters the ground is fine. A post that rocks at the base, or feels spongy, has rot below grade — and what you can see above ground is always the better-looking half.
One or two soft posts out of twenty — localised problem. Probably a drainage issue at those spots. Repair territory.
Five or six soft posts scattered along the line — the rot isn’t localised, it’s the age of the wood and the climate. The rest are following.
Most posts move — the fence is standing on habit. Replacing individual posts here means digging next to failing posts, and you’ll be back within two seasons.
If you want the longer version of this test with photos of what rot looks like at grade, we wrote it up separately: rotting fence posts in Vancouver and the push test.
Repair Makes Sense When…
Fix it
- One post failed and the rest pass the push test
- Storm damage to a section that was otherwise sound
- A gate that sags but sits between two solid posts
- Cosmetic issues only — grey boards, flaking stain, a few cracked pickets
- The fence is under about eight years old and the posts are still tight
- You’re selling within a year and just need it presentable
Replace it
- Multiple posts move at the base
- You’ve already repaired it once or twice
- The fence line has three different board colours from past patches
- Rails are pulling away from posts in more than one place
- It’s leaning and getting worse each winter
- Cedar that’s been in the ground fifteen-plus years in this climate
Why Wood Fences Fail Faster Here Than the Brochure Says
Metro Vancouver runs wet for eight months of the year. A wood post sits in soil that essentially never fully dries out between October and April, and the failure point is always the same: the two inches right at grade, where wet soil meets air. That’s where fungus does its work.
The boards above are usually the last thing to go. That’s the trap. The fence still looks passable from the deck while the structural part of it — the posts — is already gone. People repaint, they replace a few pickets, and eighteen months later the whole run tips after a windstorm.
If you want the detail on what’s actually happening inside a wet cedar fence, we covered it here: why Vancouver rain destroys wood fences.
The Arithmetic Most People Skip
Repair is cheaper today. That’s not in dispute and it’s why the question feels easy. The part worth thinking about is what happens over the following few years.
A repair on a fence with widespread rot buys you time, not a solution. The pattern we see constantly on quotes: a homeowner replaced two posts three winters ago, two more last spring, and is now looking at four. Each visit has a minimum call-out cost regardless of how small the job is, and none of it makes the remaining posts any younger.
- How many of the remaining posts pass the push test?
- Is this the first repair, or the third?
- Will the new section match, or add a fourth shade to the fence line?
- How much have you already spent on this fence in the last five years?
- Is a neighbour on the other side who might want to split a replacement?
That last one matters more than people expect. If the fence sits on a shared boundary, a replacement conversation with the neighbour can change the maths completely — see our guide to shared fence lines and neighbour approval in Vancouver.
What Replacement Actually Costs
We don’t publish one flat per-foot number, because the number depends on the yard rather than the panel. What moves it:
Old fence out, buried concrete out, everything hauled away
Whether a crew and materials can get to the fence line at all
Stepped layouts and grade transitions take longer than flat runs
How many, how wide, and what hardware they need
Wall-top and anchor-base conditions are their own problem
Total footage, corner count and the height you’re allowed
For a breakdown of the components and what changes each line item, see our composite fence cost guide for Vancouver.
Posts. Not boards, not colour, not brand. A wood post in wet Metro Vancouver soil is on a clock from the day it goes in, and no amount of stain changes that.
We build with black aluminum posts and frames. Aluminum doesn’t rot and doesn’t rust, which removes the failure mode that ended the fence you’re standing in front of right now. If you take one thing from this page, make it a question for whoever quotes you: what are the posts made of, and how deep do they go?
If You Decide to Replace
Send photos before asking anyone for a price. A per-foot number quoted over the phone, before someone has seen your access route and your grade, is a number that moves later.
- The full fence line, standing back far enough to see the whole run
- Close-ups of two or three posts at ground level
- Any gates, plus what’s around them
- One photo from the side showing the slope
- The route a crew would use to get materials in
- Retaining walls, raised patios or anything the fence has to work around
Common Questions
How long should a wood fence last in Vancouver?
Less than most people expect, and the posts decide it. Boards can look acceptable while the posts below grade are already gone — which is why age alone is a poor guide and the push test is a better one.
Can I just replace the rotten posts?
You can, and if it’s one or two posts on an otherwise sound fence it’s the sensible call. When several posts are soft, replacing them one at a time means digging repeatedly next to posts that are failing on the same timeline — you end up paying for the same job in instalments.
Do you repair fences?
No. We install new composite fences and replace old ones. For a genuine one-post repair or a gate adjustment, a local handyman or a general fencing contractor is the right call, and will cost you far less than we would.
Is the fence mine or my neighbour’s?
It depends where it sits relative to the property line, and a survey is the only real answer. Where a fence is genuinely shared, the cost conversation is worth having before anyone books work — it often changes what’s affordable.
Do I need a permit to replace a fence?
Requirements vary by municipality and by where the fence sits on the property. Height limits in particular differ between front, side and rear yards, and between cities. See do I need a permit to build a fence in Vancouver, and confirm with your city before ordering anything.
What’s the best time of year to replace a fence?
Drier months make for easier digging and cleaner site conditions, but replacement happens year-round here. The bigger factor is usually booking lead time — see the best season to build a fence in Metro Vancouver.
Did Your Fence Fail the Push Test?
Send photos of the fence line, a couple of posts at ground level, your gates and your access route. You’ll get a straight answer on what replacement involves for your yard — and if we think a repair is genuinely the better call, we’ll say that instead.
MapleStar Fencing
Composite fence supply and installation for homeowners, strata councils, property managers and builders across Metro Vancouver. New installs and full replacements — we don’t take repair-only work.
Phone: (604) 500-3100
Service area: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Metro Vancouver.
