Coomera Fencing in Arundel: Replacing an Old Fence

A fence that has stood for decades has usually failed at the posts, not the palings. Timber sitting in damp ground rots at the base first, so the whole run starts to lean even when the boards above still look fair.

A fencer works along the line and tests each post. Where the posts are soft, the sensible move is a full replacement. Patching boards onto rotten posts buys a season or two and then the fence comes down in the next storm.

The job normally runs in a set order. The old fence is cut out and carted away. New posts go in, set in concrete. Then the rails and the panels or palings are fixed on, and the line is checked for straightness before anyone leaves.

You get the price in writing before the first post hole is dug. The written price can list the removal, the materials and the build separately, so you can see what is covered for your run.

Repair makes sense when the posts are sound and only a few palings, a rail or a single post has given way. Replacement makes sense when several posts have rotted at ground level or the whole line leans in one direction.

A storm that drops one panel is a good example of a repair job. A fence that has been patched three or four times and keeps shifting is telling you the posts are finished.

The fencer confirms which one you have once they are standing at the fence. Posts that feel firm when pushed and show no soft timber near the soil are a good sign. Posts that wobble, crumble or sit in a puddle after rain are not.

A useful rule of thumb: once you are replacing a second or third post in the same run, a full replacement is usually the better spend, because the neighbouring posts have had the same years in the same ground.

Colorbond steel, treated timber and PVC all work here, and the right one depends on how damp your block is and how much upkeep you want.

Arundel Springs is much newer and sits beside the Coombabah wetland system, so how wet the ground gets on your block is worth raising with the fencer before you settle on timber posts. Timber posts rot at the base first where soil stays damp. Colorbond's coated steel sheets on concrete-set steel posts avoid that rot, and they give strong privacy with very little upkeep. Concrete around the posts also keeps them steady in soft ground.

Treated timber costs less to start with and suits the look of the 1980s homes on the eastern side, but it needs staining or sealing to last. PVC will not rot or need painting, which suits people who want to leave the fence alone for years. Composite panels sit between timber and PVC in look and upkeep.

A fencer can price two materials side by side on the same run so the difference is plain. If the old fence is a shared dividing fence, the neighbour's wishes and a fair split of the cost come into it. A fencer can explain how that conversation usually goes before you knock on the door.

A gate that drags on the ground and will not latch is usually a sagging post or a worn hinge, and it is often fixed without touching the rest of the fence. A fencer confirms the cause on site.

If the dog keeps getting out, the gap is often at the base of the fence or beside a leaning post. A new fence built tight to the ground closes that off.

Pool fences follow Queensland pool safety rules, which cover height, gaps and the way the gate closes and latches. Fencers who build pool barriers work to those rules, and yours can say how the fence is set up for a pool safety inspection.