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Hi everyone. I have a wooden picket fence that was damaged in the storm. Multiple tree limbs have fallen on it, for now it seems as if there is just one panel broken. Can't get closer now due to safety issues.
Went online and saw that a replacement panel is relatively inexpensive. My question is how hard to fix this for two non-handy people? Does this require just a hammer and some nails? It is approx. 3.5 feet x 8 feet based on the pictures I saw online and in the backyard. Thanks!!!
It's easy if the limbs just hit a panel between posts and the posts weren't damaged in any way. If your posts buried in the ground were damaged and need replacing, it's still easy to repair, but will require a shovel and/or post hole digger, level, bag of concrete mix, bag of gravel and maybe a saw to cut the post. The hard part will be digging out to old post, if it was set in concrete.
When it's safe, do check the posts on either side, looking for cracks in the wood. Try to wiggle them and if they move a lot, they're likely broken. Try wiggling one far away from the damage to get an idea of normal play. If a post is damaged, all you have to do is dig it out (easier said than done, but doable), set the new post to match the height of the others (maybe needing to cut it), and lay some gravel in the bottom of the hole (check height again). I'd then put some more gravel around the post, tamp some soil around the post to keep it in place, put the concrete mix in the hole and add some water and mix it up as best you can. Once it's set (check bag for time), fill in the remainder of the hole with soil and go ahead and put the new panel in. You've of course made sure the post was set so the new panel fits.
It's easy if the limbs just hit a panel between posts and the posts weren't damaged in any way. If your posts buried in the ground were damaged and need replacing, it's still easy to repair, but will require a shovel and/or post hole digger, level, bag of concrete mix, bag of gravel and maybe a saw to cut the post. The hard part will be digging out to old post, if it was set in concrete.
When it's safe, do check the posts on either side, looking for cracks in the wood. Try to wiggle them and if they move a lot, they're likely broken. Try wiggling one far away from the damage to get an idea of normal play. If a post is damaged, all you have to do is dig it out (easier said than done, but doable), set the new post to match the height of the others (maybe needing to cut it), and lay some gravel in the bottom of the hole (check height again). I'd then put some more gravel around the post, tamp some soil around the post to keep it in place, put the concrete mix in the hole and add some water and mix it up as best you can. Once it's set (check bag for time), fill in the remainder of the hole with soil and go ahead and put the new panel in. You've of course made sure the post was set so the new panel fits.
Thank you so much. Hopefully its not the post. To repair the individual pickets or whatever they're called, is that just a hammer type job?
Yes, a hammer and nail job. You might need a saw if the replacement pickets are longer than the original.
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