For individuals looking to save money on home improvements, do-it-yourself projects may be appealing. Whether you are thinking about fencing work or any other projects, it’s important to be mindful of your safety and skill set in undertaking any projects. Otherwise, you may end up wasting money that you were trying to save or even injuring yourself or someone else. In this guide, learn more about common fence repairs and why working with a professional fencing company near you may be the best choice for fence improvement.
Fence Repair Assessment Tips
One essential DIY fence assessment tip is simply monitoring the fences and looking for issues like leaning or loosening posts. Identifying potential problems in advance may help make fence repair solutions less costly for homeowners and support the overall lifespan. During your next fencing evaluation, here are some tips for assessing if fence repair or other maintenance is needed:
- Start small! Many smaller parts can cause big problems for your fence, such as loose screws or nails, broken brackets or other fencing hardware issues. Look over your fence carefully to check for anything unusual.
- Be thorough. Since you are already taking a close look at your fence, check for other concerns at the same time, such as mildew, algae, surface fading or deterioration, holes, rust, insect damage or rot. In some cases, these issues can be remedied with a little DIY care, but if left unchecked, they may require more substantial fence repairs or replacements.
- Use multiple senses in your assessment (if possible). Sometimes, fencing may look intact but not actually be as structurally sound as it appears. While installations that are clearly leaning, sagging or missing boards or caps clearly need fence repair, touch may also help you discern areas of your fence that are deteriorating. For example, give a gentle shake to a fence post to test its security or press fencing to test for rot or corrosion.
Choosing between DIY Fence Repair and Professional Fence Care
Is your fence repair as quick and easy as adjusting a few nails or screws? Do you need to remove the mold or algae that not only looks unsightly but could also lead to rot by doing some fence cleaning? Want to restore a currently rusty fence and improve its appearance and functionality? In some instances, fence repairs require tools that many homeowners have on hand and familiar practices for DIY home improvements, like hammering a nail or cleaning. However, some fence repairs require more extensive work or specialized tools, as Home Depot notes with things like breaking up old concrete fence post footing or replacing damaged fence posts. Additionally, a property owner’s comfort level, skill, or time may impact their desire to execute DIY fence repairs. Consequently, whether for routine seasonal maintenance or for fence repairs or replacements, working with a professional fence company may be a better choice than DIY care.
Experienced fencing companies, such as Orange Fence, have the tools and knowledge to execute fence repairs thoroughly and effectively. They are also better informed about and aware of any applicable codes or regulations that need to be followed. Given their expertise, fencing specialists will also be able to discern additional problems that may not have been immediately apparent to homeowners and resolve them quickly. Additionally, they understand various environmental impacts on different types of fencing as well as how to best maintain them throughout those seasonal conditions.
Furthermore, collaborating with professional fence experts may save homeowners both time and money. Especially with more complex fence repair needs, homeowners may not have the expertise to correctly or comprehensively perform the necessary repairs. Trying a DIY approach for these tasks may result in a loss of time and money and ultimately necessitate professional assistance (and maybe even more work than the original repair would have called for!). The following mistakes may occur during DIY fence repair:
- Taking and working with inaccurate measurements, such as for post depth or spacing
- Using the wrong materials or tools
- Installing uneven fencing panels or posts that are too shallow
- Accidentally damaging utility lines that may be in the area or wrongly crossing property lines
If you’ve decided to save your DIY improvements for other projects on your property, Orange Fence offers award-winning service including fencing installations and repairs, custom gate builds and other services. With over 90 years in the fencing industry, contact Orange Fence & Supply to schedule your on-site inspection today! Our specialists will evaluate the damage and provide a free estimate for your fence repair or fence replacement job. We are your trusted fence company throughout Connecticut.
