Your fence took a beating, and now you’re staring at a leaning section, a snapped post, or a row of warped boards wondering if it’s worth fixing or time to start over. We get this call 30 to 40 times a month from Plano, Frisco, Dallas, and the surrounding burbs, and the answer almost never matches what a storm-chaser quoted you at the door. We’re CertainTeed ShingleMaster certified (top 3 percent of US roofers) and family-owned in Plano, see all credentials.
We started Roof Raiders in 2022 after Sara was laid off at 40 weeks pregnant. Read the full story on our about page. Fence repair isn’t our flashiest service, but it’s one of the most common scopes we run after every DFW windstorm, because the same wind that lifts shingles also blows down 30-year-old cedar sections that were already half-rotted at the base.
This page is the straight version. Common repairs, real dollar ranges, the 5 questions that decide repair vs replace, and what to do when your carrier’s first scope misses half the wind damage.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free fence inspection.
the 5 most common dfw fence repairs.
Across about 400 fence calls we ran last year, 90 percent fell into 5 buckets. Knowing which one you’re in tells you the rough dollar before we even show up.
Post replacement (rot at grade). The post looks fine above ground but snaps when you push it. Rot started at the soil line, worked up through the heartwood. Single post pull, new concrete footing, $150 to $400. Most common in fences 12 years and older.
Board replacement (warping or breakage). Individual cedar or pine pickets cupping, splitting, or knocked out by wind. $25 to $60 per board installed, depending on height and stain match. Usually 5 to 20 boards on a typical call.
Leaning section straightening. A 10 to 30 ft section pushed out of plumb by wind or by a neighbor’s tree root. If the posts are still sound, we straighten with new bracing and re-concrete. $300 to $800 per section. If the posts cracked, you’re looking at a full panel rebuild instead.
Full panel rebuild after wind. A section flat on the ground after a storm. 20 to 50 ft of new posts, rails, and pickets. $1,200 to $3,500 depending on length, height, and access. This is where the repair vs replace math gets interesting fast.
Gate hardware and drop. Sagging gate, latch won’t catch, hinges pulling out of the post. $400 to $1,200 depending on whether the gate frame itself needs rebuilding or just new hardware and a post reset.
| Repair type | Typical cost | Time on site | When full replacement is cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single post | $150 to $400 | 3 to 4 hrs | 4+ posts on a 100 ft run |
| Board replacement | $25 to $60 each | 4 to 6 hrs | 40+ boards across multiple sections |
| Section straightening | $300 to $800 | 4 to 8 hrs | More than 2 sections leaning |
| Full panel rebuild | $1,200 to $3,500 | 1 day | 2+ panels down on same fence |
| Gate rebuild | $400 to $1,200 | 3 to 5 hrs | Gate plus 3+ post issues |
repair vs replace decision in 5 questions.
Before you spend a dollar, run your fence through these 5 questions. We use the same ones on every site walk.
- How old is the fence? Under 10 years, almost always repair. 10 to 15, depends on how much is affected. Over 15, replacement usually wins within 24 months on avoided repeat calls.
- What percent of the run is affected? Under 25 percent, repair. 25 to 50 percent, you’re on the bubble, run the dollar comparison side by side. Over 50 percent, replace.
- Are the posts still solid below grade? Push hard on every post. If 4 out of 5 hold firm, posts are still good and you’re in repair territory. If half wobble, the substructure is done.
- Has the fence been stained or sealed in the last 5 years? Cedar that’s been maintained holds up. Cedar that’s been gray and unmaintained for a decade is brittle and won’t take new fasteners well, even on undamaged sections.
- Has this fence taken multiple storms? One storm, repair. Three or more major DFW wind events on the same fence in 5 years (and we’ve had plenty since 2023), the underlying wood is fatigued and the next storm will find the next weak section.
If you answered “repair” to 4 or 5 of those, we’ll write the repair scope. If you answered “replace” to 3 or more, we’ll write you a replacement quote and walk you through the math instead.
Call (214) 326-3106 to schedule a free walk-through.
wind damage scopes carriers initially miss.
After every major DFW windstorm (the May 28 2023 derecho, April 9 2024 hail event, May 23 2024 wind line, June 17 2024 storm), we run dozens of insurance fence claims. The first scope your carrier writes usually misses 30 to 50 percent of what’s actually broken.
Common misses, in order:
- Leaning sections without visible board damage. The panels are still up, but 4 posts are 8 to 12 degrees out of plumb. Adjusters walking the line at noon often don’t catch the lean, but it’ll cost you a panel collapse within 18 months.
- Gate twist. Wind shear racks the gate frame, the latch stops catching cleanly, the hinges pull. Looks cosmetic, isn’t.
- Post fracture at grade with intact upper section. The upper post and pickets look fine, but the post is cracked horizontally just below the soil line. You can’t see it without a probe.
- Hidden picket cracks from impact debris. A flying branch puts hairline cracks in 6 to 10 pickets that look fine from 5 feet away.
We document every one of these with dated photos, measurements, and a written addendum. Then we meet your adjuster on site and walk them through what we found. We don’t negotiate your claim (Texas Insurance Code 4102.163 bars that), but documentation plus an on-site meet usually moves the supplement.
post-setting fix: concrete vs steel sleeve vs replacement.
The post is the foundation. Get the post wrong and the repair fails in 2 years no matter how nice the new pickets look.
Salvaging the old post (rare). If the post is less than 8 years old, sound below grade, and only leaning because the concrete cracked, you can sometimes pull it, pour a new footing, and reset the same post. $120 to $200. We see this maybe 1 in 15 calls.
Steel sleeve repair ($). The upper post is sound, the rot or fracture is at grade only. We drive a galvanized steel sleeve 24 to 30 inches into the ground beside the existing post and fasten the upper post to the sleeve. $80 to $150 per post. Adds 8 to 12 years to that section. Works great on cedar posts that have one bad foot of rot but otherwise look fine.
Full replacement ($$). Post is rotted up the body, cracked through, or the concrete footing is failing. Pull the old post and concrete, dig a new 24 to 36 inch hole, set a new pressure-treated or cedar post in fresh concrete with proper drainage gravel underneath. $200 to $400 per post depending on depth, access, and post material. This is the right call about 70 percent of the time.
We won’t sell you a steel sleeve on a post that’s rotted up the body, even though it’s cheaper. The fix won’t hold and you’ll be calling us back in 18 months.
the rapid roof response process.
We adapted our roof process to fence calls because storm damage moves fast and homeowners deserve a clear path.
- Free on-site inspection. We walk the full perimeter with you, not just the obvious damage. Plenty of times the visible section isn’t even the worst section.
- Written scope, same day or next morning. Line items by section, repair vs replace recommendation flagged in writing, dollar range with no surprises.
- Insurance documentation if it’s a claim. Photos, measurements, and the adjuster meet booked before crew day.
- Repair day with material match. Cedar or pine pulled to match your existing boards, stain sampled if you’re blending. One trip when scope is under 80 linear feet.
- Walk-through and warranty paperwork. You sign off on every section. 2-year labor warranty on posts, 1-year on boards and gates. Mahmoud and Sara answer warranty calls personally.
Call (214) 326-3106 to start with the free inspection.
what fence repair costs in dallas.
Real dollar ranges from 2024 and 2025 jobs across Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, and Dallas. Your number will land inside these unless you’ve got something unusual (slope access, demo through a pool gate, masonry post bases).
- Single post replacement. $150 to $400. Depth, soil type, and whether the old concrete fights us drive the spread.
- Board replacement. $25 to $60 per board installed. Cedar runs higher than pine. 6 ft boards run lower than 8 ft.
- Leaning section straightening (10 to 30 ft). $300 to $800. Includes new bracing and re-concreting 2 to 4 posts.
- Full panel rebuild (50 ft section). $1,200 to $3,500. Posts, rails, pickets, hardware, and haul-off.
- Gate rebuild. $400 to $1,200. Hinge plus latch replacement on the low end, full frame rebuild with new hardware on the high.
- Stain blending on partial repairs. $0.80 to $1.40 per linear foot. Adds 1 day to the job.
Add 10 to 15 percent on anything in Highland Park, University Park, or Park Cities zones where permits and HOA submittal stretch timelines.
matching stain or paint on partial repairs.
This is the question we get most after the repair quote: “Will the new boards match the old ones?”
Honest answer: not for 6 to 12 months. Cedar that’s been outside for 5 years has weathered to a silver-gray, and the pigment in your original stain has shifted with UV. New cedar is orange-pink. You can stain the new boards to get close, but they’ll read a half-shade lighter until they age in.
What we do to minimize the visual gap: sample your existing boards, pull the closest match from Sherwin-Williams or Behr semi-transparent lines, and feather the new boards in instead of clustering them. We also offer to lightly re-stain the surrounding 8 to 10 ft so the new boards blend into a freshened section instead of standing out next to weathered ones. Adds $1 to $2 per linear foot but kills the visual seam.
If your fence has never been stained, we’ll usually recommend leaving the new boards raw and letting everything weather together over 18 months. Cheaper and the final result looks more uniform.
Call (214) 326-3106 for a free inspection and stain consult.
the texas 25 percent rule, what carriers actually require.
The 25 percent rule (28 TAC 21.1006) gets cited on roof claims constantly, but it applies to fences too when your damage triggers the same building code thresholds during repair. Here’s how it plays out on a wind claim.
If your insurance claim covers repair to more than 25 percent of a fence run, current city code may require the entire run to be brought up to spec, not just the damaged portion. In Plano, Frisco, and Dallas, that can mean updated post depth requirements, updated setback from property lines, or updated height limits if your fence was grandfathered.
Most carriers honor this when documented properly. We write the code citation into the scope, the carrier issues a supplement for the code upgrade portion, and you get a fence that’s compliant for the next 15+ years instead of a patched non-compliant one.
dfw weather and the storm timeline carriers honor.
Most carriers in Texas honor fence wind claims filed within 1 year of the documented storm event. The big DFW windstorms still inside that window for filing or supplement work, depending on your timing:
- May 28 2023. Derecho with 70 to 90 mph straight-line winds. Took out thousands of fences from Frisco south through Dallas.
- April 9 2024. Hail and wind line that hit the northern arc (Prosper, Celina, McKinney, Frisco). Vinyl panels especially hard hit.
- May 23 2024. Wind line through central DFW. We’re still running supplement requests from this one.
- June 17 2024. Severe storm with localized 80+ mph gusts. The most recent one we’re still pulling fence rebuilds on.
If your fence damage happened during one of these events and the original claim has been closed, you may still have supplement rights. We’ll document what’s still visibly tied to the storm and write the addendum your adjuster needs.
payment plans, real numbers.
A 60 ft section rebuild with 8 new posts, stain blending, and a gate rebuild comes in around $4,200. Cash is always welcome, and on qualifying projects we offer an in-house zero interest payment plan: a larger upfront deposit gets the work started and the balance is split over flexible terms depending on the size of the project. Details on our payment plans page.
Call (214) 326-3106 to talk through repair scope and payment options.
anti-storm-chaser warning.
After every major DFW wind event, out-of-state crews show up in trucks with magnetic signs pitching instant storm-damage fence repairs at your door. Three problems with that pitch.
One, they push contingency contracts or assignment-of-benefits paperwork at the doorstep and pressure you to sign before your adjuster has even seen the damage. Once you sign, you’ve handed control of your own claim to a crew with out-of-state plates and no address you can drive to.
Two, those crews disappear 60 days after the job and your 2-year warranty disappears with them. We’ve replaced dozens of storm-chaser fence repairs where posts heaved in the first freeze because they skipped the drainage gravel.
Three, they don’t pull permits and they don’t carry Texas insurance. When your neighbor’s kid gets hurt on a leaning post they “fixed,” you’re holding the liability.
Hire a Texas-based crew with a verifiable local address, current general liability and workers’ comp certificates, manufacturer credentials, and a warranty backed by a business that’ll still exist next year. We’ve been in Plano since 2022 and aren’t going anywhere.
dfw neighborhoods we serve.
We run fence repair calls weekly across these DFW cities and neighborhoods:
- Plano (West Plano, Willow Bend, Deerfield, Russell Creek), Frisco (Stonebriar, Starwood, Phillips Creek Ranch), McKinney (Stonebridge Ranch, Adriatica, Tucker Hill), Allen (Twin Creeks, Watters Creek)
- Richardson (Canyon Creek, Heights Park), Dallas (Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Bishop Arts, M Streets), Highland Village, Wylie
- Garland, Mesquite, Irving (Las Colinas), Carrollton, Coppell
- Lewisville, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Keller, Southlake
- Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Prosper
Most repair calls in the northern arc (Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Prosper) we can get on the schedule within 5 to 7 days. South of LBJ usually 7 to 10 days. After a major storm event, add a week.
ready to fix it right.
We’ll show up on time, walk every section with you, give you the straight repair vs replace recommendation, and back the work for 2 years. No high pressure, no games, no storm-chaser nonsense.
Schedule Free Inspection or Call (214) 326-3106.
Related services: fence installation for full replacement, storm damage roof repair if the same storm hit your roof, and deck repair for matching backyard projects.
What's included
- Single and multi-post replacement with new concrete footings or steel sleeve repair
- Cedar, pine, and treated picket board replacement matched to your existing fence
- Leaning section straightening with new bracing and footing repair
- Full panel rebuilds after wind blow-down (May 28 2023, April 9 2024, May 23 2024, June 17 2024 storms)
- Gate rebuilds, hinge replacement, latch alignment, and drop correction
- Hail-damaged vinyl and aluminum panel replacement
- Stain and paint blending on partial repairs
- Insurance documentation with photos, measurements, and adjuster meet-ups for wind claims
- Permit pull when the city requires one (Highland Park, University Park, some Dallas zones)
- Haul-off and cleanup of all old posts, boards, and concrete
How it works
- free on-site inspection. We walk the full fence line with you, mark every leaning post, rotted board, and gate issue, then photograph what your carrier will want to see. Usually 30 to 45 minutes.
- written scope with repair vs replace recommendation. You get a line-item scope by section: post counts, board counts, gate work, stain blending. If we think replacement is the better dollar, we'll say so on the same sheet.
- schedule and material match. We pull cedar or pine to match your existing pickets, order matching stain if you're blending, and book a crew start date. Most repairs land within 7 to 14 days.
- repair day, single visit when possible. Post pulls, new concrete footings, board replacement, gate rehang, and stain blending in one trip for jobs under 80 linear feet. Larger scopes split across 2 days.
- walk-through and 2-year workmanship warranty. You sign off on every section. We back our labor for 2 years on posts and 1 year on board and gate work. Mahmoud or Sara personally answers warranty calls.
