Fence Repairs in Fulbourn - What the Job Actually Involves, Start to Finish

Why understanding the process helps you get a better result

Fence repairs look straightforward from the outside, but a job that is done in the right order - with proper inspection before any materials are ordered - will last considerably longer than one where boards are slapped on without checking what is underneath them. Knowing what a proper repair involves means you can tell whether the person doing the work is cutting corners.

We cover Fulbourn and the surrounding area including Haverhill, Kedington, Clare, Withersfield, West Wratting, Thurlow, Sturmer, Stoke by Clare, Stambourne, Ridgewell, Steeple Bumpstead and Wickhambrook.

Step 1 - The first look: assessing the whole fence, not just the damage

The starting point of any repair job is a proper walk of the boundary. This means checking every post in the run, not just the ones near the obvious damage. A post that is holding a panel up today but is soft at the base will not survive the next winter, and replacing it at the same time as the adjacent repair avoids a return visit in a few months.

Checking the posts means applying hand pressure at the top and looking for movement. It also means examining the base of each post - scraping away any soil or leaf litter to look at the timber. Soft, dark or spongy timber at ground level means the post needs replacing. A post that is firm but has a crack running down its length is not necessarily a structural problem, but it should be noted.

The arris rails - the horizontal timbers that the boards are fixed to - are checked next. Rails split along their length over time, especially where they have been loaded by wind repeatedly. A broken or heavily split rail will not hold fixings reliably and should be replaced rather than patched. Where close-board fencing is concerned, the arris rail brackets (the metal clips the rail sits in) should be checked for corrosion.

Gravel boards at the base of the panels are the last structural check. These should be firm and intact. If they are crumbling or missing sections, they need replacing before new panels go in above them.

Step 2 - Deciding what to repair, replace or leave

Once the inspection is done, there are usually three categories: things that need doing now, things that will need doing within a year and things that are fine. A good fencer will tell you honestly which is which rather than recommending replacement of everything in sight.

Repairs that make sense to do now are any post that is soft or leaning, any arris rail that is split or broken, any gravel board that has failed and any boards that are missing, cracked or rotten through. Repairs that can wait are minor surface cracking in boards that is not yet structural, and posts that are still firm but showing early surface weathering.

The ordering of the work matters too. Posts go in first because everything else attaches to them. There is no point fitting new panels to a post that then needs to come out a week later.

Step 3 - Post replacement, where needed

Replacing a post is the most labour-intensive part of any fence repair. The process starts with removing the panels on either side of the post so it can be accessed cleanly. The old post is then broken out of its concrete base. In an ideal scenario, the concrete breaks away in a manageable block. In practice, old concrete is often set deeply and unevenly, and clearing the hole properly takes time.

The new post goes in with its base set in fresh concrete. Crucially, the concrete should extend at least 600mm below ground for a standard 1.8m fence - shallower than that and the post will not have sufficient lateral stability. The post is held plumb while the concrete is poured and then left to cure before the panels are refitted. Attaching panels to a post before the concrete has cured is a common shortcut that results in a fence that shifts over time.

Where concrete posts are being used as a replacement, the slot arrangement for the panels means arris rails are not needed. The panels or boards sit in the slots, which is a simpler build but requires the post positions to be accurate from the start.

Step 4 - Rail and gravel board replacement

Arris rails are fitted into brackets that are either nailed or screwed to the post face. If the brackets are corroded or the post face where they were attached has deteriorated, new fixings need to go into clean timber. Rails are cut to length and checked for level before any boards are fitted. An out-of-level rail will produce an uneven board line, which looks wrong and can trap water in low spots.

Gravel boards are fitted at ground level before the fence boards above them. If the ground is uneven - which is common on garden boundaries - the gravel board line may need to be scribed or stepped to follow the contour. A gravel board sitting above the ground leaves a gap at the base; one pushed hard into the soil will rot faster than it should. Getting the gravel board position right takes a few minutes more but matters for longevity.

Step 5 - Fitting replacement boards or panels

Close-board and featherboard repairs involve fixing individual boards to the arris rails. Each board is fixed with two galvanised ring shank nails per rail - ordinary smooth nails work loose more easily over time as the timber swells and shrinks seasonally. The overlap between boards is set at a consistent distance from the start of the section, because any variation in overlap accumulates across the run and becomes visible.

Where a whole panel section is being replaced rather than individual boards, the panel is offered up to the posts, checked for level and fixed through the panel frame into the post face. The panel should not touch the ground - the gravel board below it carries that contact.

Step 6 - Treatment and finishing

New timber arrives from the yard with factory pressure treatment, which protects it from the inside out. That treatment does not typically extend to cut ends. Any post or rail that has been cut to length on site should have the cut end treated with an end-grain preservative before it goes into the ground or is fixed in place. This is a small step that makes a real difference to how long the timber lasts at the most vulnerable points.

Once the repair is complete, new timber will look noticeably different in colour to weathered boards on the existing run. A coat of fence stain or preservative applied to the repaired section will even out the tone. It will still weather differently from the existing fence for a season, but it blends considerably faster than bare treated timber.

Step 7 - Clean-up and checking the work

A decent fence job finishes with the site left as found. Off-cuts, old concrete chunks, broken boards and fixing packets should leave with the fencer, not be left for you to deal with. Before signing off on the work, check that all posts are upright by eye, that boards run in a consistent line and that there are no gaps at the base of the gravel board. Push each repaired post at the top to confirm it is firm. If any post moves, it needs attention before the fencer leaves.

What this kind of work typically costs

For a repair job that covers a post replacement, new arris rails and a run of boards, expect to pay somewhere in the range of £200 to £450 depending on the length of the run and ground conditions. A simpler job replacing only boards on a sound structure can come in at £100 to £250. These are honest UK working figures - your actual cost depends on what the inspection finds on the day.

Book a fence repair in Fulbourn

If your fence has come down, is leaning or is simply looking like it will not survive another winter, ring Haverhill Fencers and describe what you are seeing. We will arrange to come and inspect it properly and tell you what the repair involves before any work starts.