Fence Repairs & Concrete Spurs
Before you replace a whole fence, let us tell you whether you need to. Most leaning fences are one failed post away from being fine.
A fence rarely fails all at once. One post rots through at ground level, that section starts to lean, and the lean puts strain on everything either side of it until the whole run looks finished. Deal with the post and the fence usually has years left in it.
We come out, work out what has actually failed, and quote for fixing that. If the timber genuinely has nothing left we will say so, but we are not going to quote you for eighteen metres of new fence because two posts have gone.
Concrete spurs, and why we suggest them so often
A concrete spur is a short concrete post that bolts to the side of your existing timber post and goes down into the ground beside it. The rotten section of the old post stops carrying any load. The spur does that instead.
It is the single most cost-effective repair in fencing. You keep the fence you already have, including the panels, the rails and the boards. The concrete will not rot in the way the timber did. Installation takes a fraction of the time a replacement run would, so there is far less digging and far less disruption to the border planting either side.
If your fence leans but the panels and rails are still sound, a spur is almost always the right answer. It is the repair we fit more than any other.
The other repairs we get called out for
Panel replacement
One or two panels blown out after a gale while the rest of the run is fine. We match the existing style and size as closely as it can be matched.
Post replacement
Where a post is too far gone even for a spur, it comes out and a new one goes in, concreted properly, with the panels either side put back.
Repair brackets
Metal brackets that splint a broken rail or a split post. Less permanent than a spur, but the right call on some jobs and cheaper again.
Gate locks and hinges
Latches that no longer catch, hinges that have dropped, lock bolts that seized years ago. Small jobs, and we are happy to do them.
Storm damage
After a bad blow we will come and make the boundary safe first, then quote for putting it right properly once everyone can see what is left.
Refurbishment
Sound structure, tired appearance. Sometimes it is a run of replacement boards and a treatment rather than anything structural at all.
What it costs
Repairs are quoted per job rather than per metre, because a repair is defined by what has failed rather than how long the fence is. What we can tell you before we visit is that a spur is materially cheaper than replacing the run it saves, which is the entire reason we lead with it.
When replacement genuinely is the answer
Sometimes it is. If the arris rails have gone soft, if the boards crumble when you press them, or if more than about half the posts are failing, patching becomes a false economy: you will be back out there next winter doing the next section. In that situation we will tell you plainly, and quote for new fencing instead.
The same logic applies to gates. A dropped gate is usually a hinge or a post problem rather than a gate problem, and we cover that on the gates page.
Get a repair looked at
Send us a photo of the problem or call 0118 989 0564 and we will tell you whether it is a spur, a post or a bigger conversation.