Do I need Jekyll Island Authority approval to repair my fence?

If it's a replacement, identical height, material and footprint, it's usually different from new. But we're subject to the Authority's guidelines. We don't make assumptions for you. We document the repair for you and if there's a visible change we'll help you verify it with the Authority before starting. But we won't sneakily swap it for a new taller fence.

My fence was built before the current guidelines. Can it be repaired as is?

Often, yes. But only if it's a legitimate repair. If it's in such disrepair that most of the fence has to be replaced, it's essentially a new fence. So the current guidelines apply. We'll let you know whether your fence is on one side of the line or the other.

Can you match the natural finish on my existing fence?

Yes... most Jekyll fences are natural or muted. We match the new treated boards. ie we seal the entire run. It becomes a uniform color over a couple of months rather than a patchwork of "this and that".

Why does hardware rust so fast on Jekyll?

Almost every lot has salt from the Atlantic and Jekyll River since the residential streets are in between. Anything with a plated steel hinge or screw starts rusting after a year or two. We replace them with stainless steel every time we fix something, which also eliminates the salt rust marks on the boards.

A storm took down a section. What happens next?

Send a picture. We give the highest priority to storm repairs when we have an open pool or yard and will re-build the portion, reset the posts deeper with new concrete and take a picture for you if you are off island. If it is bad enough for us to say we're rebuilding, we'll say so.

How does the causeway affect a small repair?

You pay the entry fee each time you cross the Downing Musgrove Causeway. So we try to make a repair and get it in one shot. For this reason we request good photos so we have the correct posts, boards and hardware on the truck.

Fence repair on Jekyll Island: honest repairs on leased lots with salt on both sides

On Jekyll, the difference between a repair and a rebuild is not just cost. It decides whose rules apply.

The residential properties on Beachview Drive, Riverview Drive and all streets in-between are all state park land with the homes on lots leased from the Jekyll Island Authority. Jekyll Island is a Georgia state park. There is a process by which the Authority reviews exterior changes. The residential design guidelines for the Authority define what your fence may be. Most repairs to the existing fence are a different thing from building a new fence. There is a line between these two things but it's there. If you fix a few boards or replace two posts then that's a repair. If you rebuild most of the fence then that's a new fence. That's what the current design guidelines apply to. Golden Isles Fencing and Excavation repairs fences on Jekyll with this line very clearly visible. We'll let you know which side your fence is on.

We're a family-owned, Christian-based company located in Brunswick. Many owners on Jekyll are part time residents on the island, so we utilize photos, we attempt to make as few trips as possible and then we will send you pictures of the work when it's completed.

Salt from two directions

Not much to it on Jekyll Island. Just a narrow strip of residential with the Atlantic on one side and the Jekyll River and marsh on the other. Very little protected land. Most fence kits with their plated steel hinges, latches and screws are going to start rusting out after a season or two and marring the boards underneath them with rust streaks. We do almost all of our fixes here on the island by switching over to stainless steel for everything, and this is normally the single improvement to make an old fence look like someone cares about it. Sometimes we wash or replace the wood that's got rust-stained.

Weathered wood under the canopy and on the beach side

The residential lots of Jekyll are covered in maritime forest. Two things about this particular forest is that it's very shady and it's salty. This is problematic for boards in two ways. Deeply shaded areas make boards damp and get mildew. As you get closer to the beach, the sun and salt gray and check the boards. Gray is not the same as rot. We inspect all the boards. We treat all the good boards with penetrating sealer depending on the exposure. We replace the boards that are soft or split with treated pine. We treat all the boards in a way that new and old will age into the same natural color. This is important here on Jekyll because most of the fences are expected to be integrated with the forest and not stand out.

New pressure-treated wood privacy fence along a side yard with tools still on the ground — A treated pine privacy fence replacing an old wire line down a side yard.

Posts, roots and the forest floor

Usually a leaning section on Jekyll is the result of the post footing losing its hold in the barrier island sand or the post rotting on the ground at grade in the high water table of the lower streets. We reset the posts deeper into fresh concrete with crowned footing and replace any post that is soft at ground line. The Authority is quite vigilant concerning protected trees on each lot so we dig around the trunks with hand tools when necessary. If the original post passed thru a major root, we shift the post over a foot rather than cut the root. We keep our equipment in the leased area and not on the forest floor.

Storm damage

Tropical storms start on the ocean side of Jekyll. The exposed runs of any solid fence are the ones that fall. After the storm we prioritize calls to close your pool or yard. We try to match the rest of the fence by rebuilding what has fallen and to re-set the posts correctly. We will inform you if the damage is bad enough that we have to rebuild much of the fence. (this will be reviewed by the Authority as a new fence). We can document the damage for an insurance claim. We can take pictures of the completed repair for off island owners.

Grey woodgrain vinyl privacy fence with black posts running alongside a stucco building — Grey woodgrain vinyl on black posts: the same maintenance as white vinyl, without the glare.

Vinyl and aluminum

Jekyll vinyl fences fail if the wind cracks the post because of a lack of internal stiffener, we pull out the post, replace the post with an aluminum insert, set it again. Most new fences we see on the island are aluminum and most of the time you just need to replace a bent panel if any or just put a pool gate back on stainless hardware with a functional self latch (safety feature we check before leaving).

One trip across the causeway

Photos first. Pictures of the damage and the street. We need to load up the truck with the right posts, boards and hardware as each time we cross the Downing Musgrove Causeway is going to cost the entry fee.
Written estimate. Honest repair cost. If the fence is close to that we can talk rebuild.
Approval check. We will help you make sure before we start anything that the Authority is aware if anything visible will change.
Repair. Stainless hardware. Deep reset posts. Matching sealed boards.
Photos back. So that you can see your finished fence from wherever you are.

We give free estimates on fence repair on Jekyll. Give us a picture of the issue and the street. We'll let you know what we think it needs.

Fence repairs in Brunswick and on St. Simons

For a fence on land you own outright, read about fence repairs in Brunswick, GA, fence repairs on St. Simons Island, and everything we do as a fence company on Jekyll Island.

If the fence has to be replaced

A rebuild on Jekyll goes through the Authority, so see our aluminum fencing on Jekyll Island, vinyl fencing on Jekyll Island, wood fencing on Jekyll Island, and fence repair service overview.

White picket fence and gate enclosing a side yard

Questions and answers

Common questions about fence repairs on Jekyll Island

Repairing a fence on a leased lot in a state park raises its own questions.

If it's a replacement, identical height, material and footprint, it's usually different from new. But we're subject to the Authority's guidelines. We don't make assumptions for you. We document the repair for you and if there's a visible change we'll help you verify it with the Authority before starting. But we won't sneakily swap it for a new taller fence.
Often, yes. But only if it's a legitimate repair. If it's in such disrepair that most of the fence has to be replaced, it's essentially a new fence. So the current guidelines apply. We'll let you know whether your fence is on one side of the line or the other.
Yes... most Jekyll fences are natural or muted. We match the new treated boards. ie we seal the entire run. It becomes a uniform color over a couple of months rather than a patchwork of "this and that".

Almost every lot has salt from the Atlantic and Jekyll River since the residential streets are in between. Anything with a plated steel hinge or screw starts rusting after a year or two. We replace them with stainless steel every time we fix something, which also eliminates the salt rust marks on the boards.
Send a picture. We give the highest priority to storm repairs when we have an open pool or yard and will re-build the portion, reset the posts deeper with new concrete and take a picture for you if you are off island. If it is bad enough for us to say we're rebuilding, we'll say so.
You pay the entry fee each time you cross the Downing Musgrove Causeway. So we try to make a repair and get it in one shot. For this reason we request good photos so we have the correct posts, boards and hardware on the truck.