3 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Wooden Fence

From shadowbox and solid board wooden fences, to picket and post & rail designs, the materials originally used to construct your structure will eventually lose their visual appeal and deteriorate. The charming appearance of a traditional wooden fencing design will inevitably fade with the passage of time, which is why it’s important to know when it’s time to have a new one installed with fresh, brand new materials. Below are three tell-tale signs that your wooden fence has surpassed its life expectancy and needs to be replaced.

1. Damages

Damages to the overall structure of your fence will provide you with the most accurate indication as to whether or not it’s time to contact a fence company in Montgomery County, PA and surrounding regions, such as Greenhill Fencing Inc.. If your fencing design is now discolored and consists of broken posts, rails, or pickets, you should recognize those structural weaknesses as evidence that a new wooden fence needs to be installed. Over the years, a fence built with wooden materials will eventually succumb to the deteriorating effects brought on by a variety of different weather conditions. Unfortunately, the passage of time will gradually lead to the rotting of a wooden fence and negatively impact its structural integrity entirely. Not only will your fencing layout most likely lose its purpose as an enclosure or boundary, but it will instead represent a liability more so than an ideal measure of protection.

2. Leaning or Sagging

As a whole, the damages that Mother Nature has inevitably brought on will contribute to the leaning or sagging of particular sections, or even the entire structure. If posts are beginning to lean one way or the other instead of standing straight up from the ground, then it’s clear that the foundation of your fence is no longer sufficient to support the rails and pickets attached to it. A leaning fence might, in fact, indicate that the fence wasn’t even installed with longevity in mind in the first place. The cement that’s supposed to be used to secure the base of each post may not have been poured correctly, or that critical step in the installation process may have been completely disregarded. Whenever the fundamental foundation of anything begins to fall apart, additional complications are sure to follow. In regards to fence designs, the sagging of rails and pickets will be the result of a weak foundation. If this sounds familiar, contact a company offering fence installation near Chester County, PA and surrounding areas, such as Greenhill Fencing Inc..

3. Insect Deterioration

Although substantial repairs may still be performed if you recognize insect damage early on, there’s little hope if it has gone too far. Signs of insect deterioration include holes and gnawing in the wooden materials used to construct your fencing design. Saturating weather conditions, combined with insect damage, will cause the posts, rails, or pickets of your fence to break even more easily. Eventually, the complications brought on by insects will cause sections of your fencing structure to collapse and cave in. Insects are naturally drawn to wooden structures outdoors. Nobody can deny the alluring appearance of traditional wooden fencing designs, but the probability of insect deterioration always exists. If this is a risk you’re looking to avoid in the future, explore the wide variety of available chain link, PVC, and aluminum fencing in Montgomery County, PA and other neighboring areas near Philadelphia.

Once you’ve identified that your wooden fencing design has been significantly damaged over the years — possibly from insects and the unavoidable weathering effects of the elements — and is now leaning and sagging, it’s time to accept the fact that you need a new fence installed. If your wooden fence is in poor condition, it’s most likely no longer serving its purpose and may be detrimental to the appearance and value of your home. Don’t wait any longer to enjoy the many benefits of having a wooden fence surrounding your property!