Fences are meant to last for a good number of years, if not forever. However, there’ll come a time that they’ll be due for a replacement.
Whether from natural causes or accidental damages, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll need the services of a fence company in Westchester, NY, to install a new fence.
The following are some key indicators you need to keep an eye on to know when it’s time for a fence replacement:
Your Fence Has Visible Holes
When the boards on your fence start to get riddled with holes that resemble polka dots, it’s likely that animals, insects that gnaw and bite chunks out of your fence, in particular, caused them.
Whether it’s termites or mice, you may have more urgent concerns than merely replacing the fence. Seek help from an exterminator to conduct a proper inspection on your property. In the process, you also need to know for sure what’s producing these holes on your fence.
After dealing with the pest issue, you can proceed with replacing your fence. Replacing it before you’ve gotten rid of the pests is a terrible idea, not to mention a complete waste of resources. Shortly, said pests will just return to ruin your new investment all over again.
Your Fence is Starting to Careen
You’ll spend a lot of time trying to keep your fences upright as they start to tumble or lean over. This approach isn’t only tedious to do regularly but is also a health and safety hazard.
Leaning fences indicate more serious underlying issues, which can eventually cause your entire fence to collapse. For example, a leaning fence is a symptom of weak fence posts. It can also be attributed to warped or broken boards.
In any case, replacing the entire fence rather than attempting to repair it will save you a significant amount of both time and money.
Your Fence is Rotting
Yellow or gray stains on your fence can be a regular occurrence if you live in an area where rain happens frequently.
Both of these colors indicate that your fence is getting frail and that mold is growing on it. When this happens, there isn’t much you can do except to replace the entire fence.
You might want to explore alternative fence options to prevent a repeat of the same scenario. Other fence types may be more expensive at first, but you’ll eventually save much more since there won’t be a need to repair or replace your fence as frequently.
Your Fence is Missing a Good Number of Boards
Your fence’s boards will get loose over time until they eventually fall off. While the fence may still be standing, its structure is most likely compromised and might collapse at any time.
This scenario isn’t ideal, not to mention downright dangerous, especially if you have children or pets that go to your yard often. In most cases, it also diverts attention away from the supposed beauty of your property’s surroundings.
Weather-related phenomena, such as a tree falling and damaging your fence, and other accidents can also cause damage to your boards.
A fence replacement is ideal for these scenarios since performing repairs won’t be sufficient to cover the extent of the damage.
Keep in mind that any fence that doesn’t look secure isn’t worth the risk. Since your priority is safety, the best step you need to do is replace the old fence with a new one.
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Your Steel Fence Has Noticeable Rust Marks All Over
What’s remarkable about steel fences is they’re incredibly amazing to behold. On the flip side, they can also be quite inconsistent.
Steel fences are coated with particular materials meant to prevent rusting. Although this is the case, an annual checking for rust spots is still recommended.
After the inspections, the spots that are already rusting should be sanded and then coated with rust-resistant paint.
Ignoring these spots will only make rusting even worse. Over time, rust eats away at the metal, causing your fence to collapse.
Corrosion generally occurs when two metal pieces are soldered together. If you allow rust to develop and become a problem, your fence will fall apart at the seams in no time.
To an extent, you can say that rust is unavoidable but can be treated on the spot. However, when rusting becomes extensive, you already need to replace your fence.
Even if you’re able to treat certain spots, the resulting joint is no longer as reliable as the original. Also, too many repairs can cause your fence to appear discolored.
Usually, you can rely on steel fences to last. But they’re not at all indestructible. Therefore, make sure to have them replaced as soon as you notice signs of rust showing up.
Your Wooden Fence is Already Splintered
Once it happens, splintering is often mistaken as an aesthetic issue before anything else. However, you need to keep in mind that when your wood panels start to splinter, it’s only a matter of time before they start to crack, and the rest of the fence panels will crumble and fall apart.
This situation may appear insignificant at first, but dismissing it as a mere aesthetic case is one of the biggest mistakes you’re going to commit.
Contrary to what you may believe at this point, this issue cannot be resolved by simply painting it over. In fact, it’s a mere symptom of an even bigger problem.
Splintering usually goes hand-in-hand with cracking in the wood. If you see both on your fence, it’s a clear indication that the wood is about to split, and your fence will collapse shortly.
Hence, the moment you observe splintering and cracking in your fence, make sure to get in touch with a fence company right away. It’s never too soon to get yourself a newer fence for the safety of everyone.
Key Takeaway
If you’re observing any of the signs listed here in your current fence, or you’re noticing missing boards and holes that get more evident each passing day, it’s high time to get in touch with your local fencing company.
They should be able to evaluate your fence’s situation and recommend an appropriate solution, especially if you’re unsure if you need a replacement fence installed.
Switching to another fence type is also a possibility and should be easy enough to facilitate, given the number of available fence types in the market.
