When a repair is smart money, and when you are throwing good money after bad.
Most fence calls start the same way: a couple of posts have let go after wind or rain. Whether to patch or replace comes down to how many posts are failing and how old the fence is.
Best when: Repair 1 to 3 posts or a few palings have failed. Replace Multiple posts failing along the run.
Fence age: Repair Under 12 years. Replace Over 15 years.
Cost: Repair Lowest immediate spend. Replace Higher, but resets the clock 15 to 25 years.
Finish: Repair New sections can look mismatched. Replace Uniform look along the whole line.
Neighbour cost sharing: Repair Rarely worth splitting. Replace Commonly split under fencing law.
As a rough rule, if repairs are creeping past a third of the replacement cost, or more than three posts have gone, replace it.
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