Need to Replace your Fence Posts? Weekend Upgrade Time!

Handyman Connection of Calgary knows that having an attractive fence is an excellent addition to your home and property. While it can provide benefits such as shielding your family from prying eyes as well as preventing pets and little ones from wandering off, there are also definite downsides to a wooden fence that can cause lots of maintenance. They are quite vulnerable to moisture and insects then other material so repair or replacement will be required at some point. Handyman Connection of Calgary would like to share some tips for specifically these items.

Loose Posts – Most fence posts are installed into a concrete footing so when your post is fairly straight but seems a bit rickety, this usually means the wood is shrinking inside the concrete footing. Easiest way to reinforce the posts are to use shims and place them around the bottom of the post to secure with exterior silicone. If there are no concrete footings but the post is still rickety, it can be braced with a sister post and then secured together with bolts. If you do prefer a more permanent solution, add the concrete footing and follow the above steps when repair is required.

Post Replacement – If you realize the posts are rotten underground and has nothing to do with the concrete footing, replacement is the only option. You will need to separate the fence from the post, dig a hole on the side of the post and break the concrete footing to lift the old post up. Place the new post in the hole and begin pouring the new footing. This will solve the current problem but in the long run, the post will rot again and replacement will be required. A way to prevent this is to pour the footing so the concrete extends a few inches above the ground and to slope the edges so any water drains away from the post. While this is not very aesthetically pleasing, it will prevent you from having to replace the post again sooner.

Call the Pros

If you are thinking that you don’t have the time or energy to care of the repairs on your own, don’t worry! This can be quite straightforward work but it is also very hard and tiring. Call Handyman Connection of Calgary and we will have someone on the job to provide you a free, no obligation quote.