What fails first, and when

Workmanship, materials and weathering

A fence issue needs to be assessed by its cause. Age alone does not establish whether it is a workmanship problem, a material defect or ordinary weathering.

A sagging gate, leaning post or loose rail can have several causes. If you notice a problem, contact us so we can review the installation and the applicable warranty.

Wood can change as it is exposed to moisture and sunlight. Wood material is not covered unless it was defective when installed. Our workmanship warranty still covers all installed components for three years.

3 years of workmanship

All installed fence components are covered by our 3-year workmanship warranty.

Wood material

Wood material is not covered unless it was defective when installed.

Vinyl and aluminum

Material coverage follows the applicable manufacturer’s written warranty.

What our three-year warranty covers

Our 3-year workmanship warranty covers all installed fence components. Wood material is not covered unless it was defective when installed. Vinyl and aluminum materials are covered by the applicable manufacturer’s written warranty. Your written proposal identifies the products and warranty terms for your project.

Ground conditions, drainage, frost, use and maintenance can all affect a fence. An inspection helps identify the cause of an issue and the appropriate next step.

Workmanship and material coverage are separate. Check the product and written warranty named in your proposal for the coverage that applies to vinyl or aluminum. How to read the warranties in your quote.

The one failure that ends a wood fence

Ask what kills a wood fence and most people say the boards. It is almost never the boards. It is the post, at the ground line — the two inches either side of where the wood meets the dirt.

That band stays damp when the rest of the post has dried, and it has oxygen, which the buried section does not. Damp plus air is what rot needs. Everything above it can be sound, everything below it can be sound, and the fence still comes down because two inches gave way.

The published numbers reflect it. Cedar posts commonly reach 15 to 25 years, pressure-treated pine 15 to 20, and the listed failure point is the same in almost every source: post rot at ground level. The pickets on those fences are usually still fine.

So the honest summary of a conventional wood fence is that you are not buying a 20-year fence. You are buying a fence whose boards would last 25 years, fitted to posts that will not.

What changes when nothing buried can rot

In clay we drive galvanized steel. There is no wood at the ground line, so the failure that ends most wood fences is not on the list at all, and the limit moves to the boards instead of the posts.

We are not going to claim that makes a fence permanent. Galvanizing is a coating and coatings are finite, cedar still greys, and a gate is still the busiest thing you own. What it does is remove the one failure that normally arrives first and takes the whole fence with it. How the soil decides which post you get.

What actually buys you years

• Keep the base dry. Sprinkler heads pointed at the fence, mulch piled against the bottom board, and a downspout running along the line are the three fastest ways to age a wood fence. Moisture at the ground line is the whole game.
• Seal wood, on a schedule. Sealing does not prevent greying forever, but it slows splitting and cupping considerably.
• Check the gate twice a year. Catching a gate at the first quarter-inch of drop is a hardware adjustment. Catching it at two inches is a rebuild. Why gates go first.
• Check your posts each spring. If you notice movement or damage, contact us for a review. The cause and the applicable warranty determine the next step.