Newark Fence Repair · Replace a Picket, a Post, or a Whole Section

A leaning fence post, a popped picket, a sagging gate that scrapes the ground — these are the most over-quoted property repairs in Newark. The fence company sees a leaning section and writes a $4,000 full-replacement estimate. The actual job is a one-post reset and a few new pickets. Two hours, two hundred bucks. Here is the line.

What we repair

• Replace a single picket or board. Pull the rotted or cracked one, cut a matching replacement from a fresh pressure-treated 1×6 (or cedar/vinyl to match yours), screw it in. 15 minutes per picket.
• Reset a leaning post. Dig out the old footing, plumb the post, set a fresh 60-lb bag of fast-setting concrete, level both sides. 1–2 hours per post including cure.
• Re-secure a sagging gate. Tighten or replace hinges, add a brace board if the gate has racked, adjust the latch. 30 minutes to an hour.
• Top-cap or section repair. Replace a top rail that has split or rotted at the joint. 30 minutes per section.
• Stain or seal a section. After repairs, optional stain pass with a roller and brush. Adds 1 hour for a typical 20-foot section.

What we do not do

Full new fence runs over 100 linear feet, anything that needs a township permit, anything where the fence is on a property line that has not been surveyed. Those are licensed-contractor jobs. We will tell you straight at the estimate.

Newark zoning requires a permit for any new fence over six feet tall on a residential lot. The repair we do; the new install over the height limit we hand off. City of Newark zoning rules apply.

What it actually costs

• Single picket replacement: $50–$100 (1 hour, one crew). Material at cost — one pressure-treated 1×6 is $8 from the Newark home center.
• Three or four pickets in one visit: $100 (1 hour, one crew). Same trip, more boards.
• Single post reset: $200 (2 hours, two crew). Includes one bag of concrete and a 4×4 post at cost.
• Sagging gate fix: $50–$100 (1 hour, one crew). Hinges or brace at cost.
• Stain a 20-foot section: $150 (1.5 hours, one crew). Stain at cost — usually $30–$45 a gallon.

The gear we bring

• Post-hole digger (clamshell) and a 6-foot digging bar for compacted Newark clay.
• Cordless circular saw for cutting boards on site.
• Cordless impact driver with deck screws, lag bolts, hinge screws.
• 4-foot level for posts; torpedo level for gates and rails.
• Fast-setting concrete bags — 60-lb, sets in 20 minutes, full cure overnight.
• String line + stakes for re-aligning a leaning section across multiple posts.

The 80/20 rule on fence repairs

Eighty percent of "the fence is falling down" calls are one or two posts that have rotted at ground level — the rest of the fence is fine. The fence company that quotes you a full replacement is selling you 80% of a fence you do not need. The casual-labor fix is to dig out the bad posts, reset them, and replace any pickets that came loose with the lean. The rest of the run lasts another decade.

The other 20% are honestly past saving — leaning whole runs of cedar that have rotted from the inside out, pressure-treated posts past their 20-year insect-resistance window, retaining-wall fences that have shifted with the soil. Those are licensed-contractor jobs and we say so.

How to book a fence repair

Pick "Light repairs" at the booking form, choose 1 or 2 hours and a 1–2 person crew, and write the issue in the notes — number of posts or pickets, fence material (cedar, pressure-treated, vinyl, chain-link), and any access notes. We confirm by text within ten minutes and the crew is there with the gear. Most Newark customers stack a fence fix into the spring property reset — same Saturday, same crew, same flat rate.