Fence Repairs in Dawlish

Fence repairs in Dawlish

Our yard is in Dawlish, so when a fence goes over anywhere in town we’re rarely more than a few minutes’ drive from it. Most of the repair calls we get here follow the same pattern: a wet, windy spell comes in off the sea, the ground softens, and the weakest post in a run finally gives up and takes a bay or two with it. The good news is that a fence that has blown over is very often worth saving.

Why fences fail here

Dawlish timber has a harder life than fencing a few miles inland. Gardens that face the water take the full force of winter gales, and the salt in that air eats through cheap nails and brackets far quicker than people expect. Look closely at a fence that has come down and you’ll often find the post itself was fine above ground but had rotted through right at soil level, where the red clay holds water against the wood for months at a time.

• Posts snapped or rotted at ground level, leaving the fence leaning or flat
• Panels lifted out of their slots or split by the wind
• Arris rails cracked where they meet the post
• Fixings rusted away so boards hang loose or drop off
• Gravel boards crumbling where soil has built up against them
• Gates that have dropped and now drag on the path

Making it safe first

If a fence is hanging over a footpath, a neighbour’s garden or a parking space, the first job is to stop it getting worse. We’ll take down anything loose, prop or tie back what’s left so it can’t fall on anyone, and then look at the repair properly once the weather has eased. Panels lying in the garden are worth keeping out of the wet if you can, because a soaked panel that’s been walked on rarely goes back up.

Repairs that suit Dawlish gardens

On the steeper roads up from the town centre, such as Stockton Hill and the lanes above Old Town Street, a lot of fences hold back a little soil as well as marking the boundary. When those posts go, the ground behind them moves too, so a straight swap is not always enough. We’ll reset the post deeper, add a concrete spur or a new gravel board where it helps, and make sure the repaired section takes its share of the weight rather than leaning on the bays either side.

Nearer the seafront, we replace rusted fixings with galvanised or stainless ones as part of the job, otherwise the same boards tend to work loose again next winter. Where only a couple of posts have failed but the rest of the run is sound, a concrete repair spur bolted alongside the old stump can save digging out the whole thing.

Repair or start again?

We’ll tell you plainly which makes sense. If one or two posts have gone and the boards and rails are in good order, a repair is the sensible spend. If we’re pulling out a post and the ones beside it crumble in our hands, patching it will only buy you a season, and we’ll say so. You’ll see what we find before deciding, and if it does need replacing our page on close board fencing in Dawlish covers the options.

Well-meant fixes that cause more trouble

After a rough night it’s tempting to grab whatever’s in the shed. Some of those rescues are fine for a day or two, and some make the eventual job bigger. Rope tied round a young tree can cut into the bark once the fence starts rocking, and leaning a run against a neighbour’s wall or shed passes the strain on to something that was never built to carry it. Expanding foam poured around a loose post looks firm for a week, then holds water against the timber. Screwing a batten across two broken bays can twist the good one as well. A temporary prop on your own side, well clear of anyone walking past, is about as much as it’s worth doing.

When the gate is the real problem

A gate that’s started catching on the path doesn’t always need a new gate. Very often the frame is fine and it’s the hanging post that has moved, tipping everything a few degrees towards the ground. Lift the gate by its latch end and watch the hinge side. If the post moves, that’s where the repair belongs. If the post stays still and the frame flexes, the bracing or the joints have gone. Hinges tell a story of their own in this town: on a garden close to the front they can seize up with rust long before the wood wears out.

One failing post in a shared run

Rows of terraces and older semis around Dawlish often share one long fence line, put up in bits by different owners over many years. A bad post in the middle of that can drag the bays on each side out of true, so the damage shows up two gardens away from where it began. It’s worth a quick chat over the fence before anything gets taken apart, since whoever’s garden the failed post stands in may not be the person who first noticed. For flats and shared gardens, the managing agent or freeholder may need to agree the work, so find out who that is early on.

Stopping the next one

• Keep soil and bark off the timber: raised beds and mulch heaped against a fence bury wood that was meant to stay dry.
• Cut back heavy ivy: it adds a lot of weight, and it catches every bit of wind going.
• Rock each post in early autumn: a gentle push before the gales arrive shows up any movement while it’s still an easy fix.
• Clear whatever’s leaning on it: stacked pallets, ladders and bins put a steady load on a fence that it won’t thank you for.
• Check the fixings after a blow: one loose board is a five minute job now, and a flapping bay by the next storm.

Fence repairs in Dawlish: questions

My fence blew down last night. How soon can you come?

Send us a couple of photos as soon as you can. After a big storm we sort calls by how unsafe the fence is, so anything blocking a path or leaning onto a neighbour’s property is looked at first.

Will my home insurance pay for a storm-damaged fence?

Some policies cover fences and some don’t, and many exclude damage caused by wear and rot. Take photos before anything is moved and check your policy wording. We can put what we found in writing for you if your insurer asks.

The fence belongs to my neighbour. Can I get it fixed?

Repairs are normally the job of whoever owns the boundary, which your deeds usually show. Plenty of neighbours agree to share the cost of a repair, and we’re happy to quote whichever of you is arranging it.

Can you fix just one panel?

Yes. A single panel or a few boards is a perfectly normal job. New timber starts out paler than the rest of the fence and tones in over time, or we can stain it to sit closer to the old colour.

Can a post be changed without breaking up my patio?

Often it can. A new post doesn’t have to go in the same hole, and a spur bolted beside the old stump avoids disturbing the paving at all. Where slabs do need lifting, it’s usually just the ones around the post. Tell us what’s laid there, and send a close-up if you can.

Can a leaning fence wait until spring?

If it’s only leaning a little and nothing’s underneath it, perhaps. Wet ground and another gale tend to finish off what the last one started, though, and one failed post soon becomes three. If it could land on a person, a car or next door’s property, don’t leave it.

Is an old fence worth repairing at all?

Age alone doesn’t decide it. Old timber in decent shape can go on for years with a new post or two, whereas a much younger fence built with thin rails may not be worth the effort. Press a screwdriver into the base of a few posts. Soft, crumbling wood along most of the run points towards replacing it.

Fence down or leaning somewhere around Dawlish, the Warren, Holcombe or Cockwood? Just get in touch, attaching a few photos, and roughly how many bays are affected. The wider picture is on our fence repairs across Devon page, and more of our local jobs are listed under fencing in Dawlish.

Other fencing work in Dawlish

Not quite what you need? In Dawlish we also do close board fencing, fence panels, hit and miss fencing, slatted fencing, composite fencing, chain link fencing, trellis, post and rail fencing, picket fencing, garden gates and driveway gates. Everything we do in the town is on our fencing in Dawlish page, and if the job is over in Teignmouth, see fence repairs in Teignmouth.