Fence repair in Brunswick, GA: fixing the lean, the rot and the storm damage

Most fence failures in Brunswick start at the ground line. That is where we start too.

Here's how Brunswick fences go down. Pickets are usually good. Rails are usually good. The post fails. And the post fails at the bottom... at ground level. And that's because the bottom foot of wood has been soaking for years in moist sand from Windsor Park or Sterling or Old Town. The water table has been only a few inches below that. And so the fence gradually leans more after each heavy rain. The gate doesn't want to latch anymore. Then one day, a summer thunderstorm sends an entire section to the ground. Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation makes fence repairs all over Brunswick. And since we build 'em too, we know where to look.

We're Brunswick-based, family-owned, Christian-based. And we'll tell you straight-up if your fence can be repaired. If so, we'll repair the root of the problem, not just the symptoms.

Leaning posts and wet ground

When dealing with a leaning fence in Brunswick, it's very rarely a board issue. The post footing is slipping in saturated sand, or the post is rotten at the ground level, or both. So you push it back up and put a screw-on brace. Well, that's good until it rains. We dig out the bad footing and replace the post if it's mushy at the grade level. Put it back down deeper with new concrete. Crown the top of the footing for water to run off. Plumb it up against the neighbors. We'll go even deeper if you're on the low ground around the Marshes of Glynn and Terry Creek. We're also a grading company so if there's a location where the fence line is sitting where water collects, we can run a shallow swale to make the ground drain and not have your new footing sitting in a June puddle.

Rot, termites and board replacement

As a general rule, the humidity of Brunswick will kill wood. You will often see older fences where the bottom rails and pickets are rotted and they just start to fall apart at the bottom. We use ground contact treated pine for rails and pickets, and rather than nail them, we screw them, and we leave some space at the bottom so that air can move through. New wood is going to be lighter than old weathered wood. We also stain the new boards on the run that has been fixed, and within a few months, everything matches color. If we're seeing any termite damage in a post or a rail, we'll cut that out and replace it, and explain where they're likely getting in from (typically we will see a wood-to-soil contact somewhere nearby where the colony is coming from).

Storm damage

Fences in Glynn County are torn down piecemeal by tropical systems and will usually pull out the posts as well. Following a storm, we try to address as soon as possible those that cause an issue like an unsecured pool or a loose dog and then proceed in order. New sections will be built similar to the rest of the fence, posts properly re-set or replaced. And we will document the damage and repairs for your adjuster (if filing an insurance claim). If more than a third of your posts have been lost to a storm, we'll be upfront with you to state that a rebuild might be cheaper than a repair.

Gates that sag and latches that stick

When it is summer in Brunswick, things swell. If a gate is hung on light hinges with an unbraced frame, it drags on the latch side, swinging down. So we rebuild the frame of the gate with diagonal brace. We put it on heavy galvanized or stainless hinges and reset latch. If the gate post is out of place (often with wet ground it is out of place), we first re-set the post. Hinge adjustment can't fix a leaning post. With a pool gate we ensure the self-close hinge and self latch works consistently. It is a safety issue and an inspection item.

Vinyl and aluminum repairs

Almost all the vinyl fences around Brunswick also break at the post. Usually that's the post which cracked at ground level in a storm because it didn't have an internal stiffener. We swap out the post, put an aluminum insert in, reset in concrete. We swap out panels and rails that broke for the same profile if the manufacturer still has it. You almost never see aluminum fences that aren't just a bent panel to be changed out or a gate that needs stainless hardware and rehung.

Repair or replace: how we decide

• Repair when the failures on the posts are under, say, a third and you have good rails. Then reset posts and replace rotten boards. Stain. Done.
• Replace When you have the majority of the posts rotted at grade level. Then the fence is going to continue to fail incrementally. Plus repairing incrementally is more expensive over a two year period than to rebuild.
• Either way, We quote both. You pick.

Permits for repairs

In both the City of Brunswick and unincorporated Glynn County you typically do not need a permit to repair your existing fence like for like. As you get into replacing long stretches of fence or changing the height you might need a permit, but we will warn you ahead of time, not after the fact.

In Brunswick we do free estimates on fence repair. Send us a picture of your damage and your street address and we will let you know what we think needs to be done before we ever come out.

Fence repairs on the islands

Island fences fail for different reasons, mostly salt and wind. Read about fence repairs on St. Simons Island, fence repairs on Jekyll Island, and everything we do as a fence company in Brunswick.

When the fence is past saving

If a repair does not make sense, see our wood fencing in Brunswick, vinyl fencing in Brunswick, land grading in Brunswick to fix the wet ground that caused the lean, and fence repair service overview.

Common questions about fence repairs in Brunswick

The repair questions we hear most from Brunswick homeowners, answered plainly.