Fence Repair in Richardson, TX
We rebuild failed posts, sagging runs, and whole sections for homeowners in Richardson, Plano, and Allen.
Most Richardson Fence Damage Starts With a Tree
A homeowner sees a leaning fence and blames the fence. On a Richardson lot, the fence is usually the last thing to give. Underneath, a root has been pressing against that post for years. Above, shade has kept the base damp long enough for the wood to go soft. The fence announced a problem the tree had been working on since the house was new.
Richardson earned Tree City USA and a Platinum Scenic City designation with canopy that has been growing since the 1950s. The city's own planting guidance tells residents where to put a tree and names fences on the list of things a mature tree eventually conflicts with. On streets where the trees went in with the houses, eventually already arrived.
- Every post gets checked, not just the one that moved.
- We look at what is growing above the fence as well as under it.
- The base of each post gets probed where the wood meets the dirt.
- The damage gets measured, so you know how much fence is actually in the job.
Structural Repairs We Handle
Fence repair in Richardson, TX means post and section work for us. Posts that failed, runs that came down, sections a limb landed on. If a mature yard has beaten your fence, that is our work.
- Post replacement where roots have pushed the line out of true.
- Whole section rebuilds where a run has dropped or twisted beyond saving.
- Storm damage on runs a limb took down or a trunk fell across.
- Rotted section replacement where shade kept the wood damp at the base for years.
- Kicker board replacement along the base, the piece people call a rot board.
- Rebuilds on fences a previous owner propped up with exterior bracing. Richardson code bans that as a maintenance method, so a propped fence is already a violation waiting to be noticed.
We also replace boards and posts in cedar so the repaired run matches the way the rest was built.
Tree Damage: Roots and Shade
Richardson's big trees do not damage fences the way a storm does, all at once. They work slowly, from opposite directions, until one event finishes the job.
Root Damage to Posts
Roots grow out, not down, and they thicken slowly. A root that meets a post keeps growing anyway. Nothing moves in any single season. Ten years of steady pressure lifts one side of a post and tips the run above it.
That is why the lean is almost never even. One or two posts go off line while the rest of the fence stands square. Look at which way it tips and the cause is usually standing right there, twenty feet tall.
How Shade Rots the Fence Base
Under a heavy canopy the ground holds water for days after a rain. Boards set touching that dirt wick the moisture straight up. The rot starts at the base and climbs, out of sight behind the grass, until someone pushes on the fence and the bottom gives.
- The bottom of the boards goes soft first, then dark.
- Soil and mulch pile against the base and hold moisture there.
- Wooden posts rot at the ground line while the top still looks solid.
A kicker board keeps the cedar off the dirt. On a shaded Richardson lot, that one piece is the difference between a fence that rots from the bottom at five years and one that does not.
Sap Damage on Fence Tops
Sap drips from the canopy and sits on the cap and the top of the boards. It holds grit, marks the wood, and keeps the surface from drying evenly. So a shaded fence gets hit from two ends at once. Wet at the bottom, sticky at the top, and only the middle dries the way it should.
The May 2024 Storm
Richardson's mayor signed a local state of disaster on May 29, 2024. Crews hauled 261,468 cubic yards of tree debris out of the city over 47 days. Nearly half of customers lost power at the peak.
A limb does not land on a random fence. It lands on the one with a post already loose and boards already soft. The storm found what the canopy had been weakening for years.
The city's FEMA filing noted that fence material mixed into vegetative debris piles was not collected. Homeowners who lost fence sections to that storm had to get the material hauled separately. That is something we handle as part of the job.
Replacement Post Materials
Posts that are still hard at the ground line stay. Anything soft, lifted, or off plumb comes out. Then the replacement goes where the root system allows, not where the old hole happens to be.
Heavy duty galvanized steel posts, coated so rust never starts. Under a canopy that holds moisture against the post for days, that coating earns its keep.
Set 3 feet into the ground, below the root zone where mature trees do their lateral growing. A shallow post sits right in the path of those roots and gets levered out first.
Set 6 feet apart, instead of the 8 feet the industry treats as standard. When a limb strikes the line, closer spacing keeps the damage to one panel instead of three.
A kicker board along the base, keeping the boards off damp dirt. On these shaded lots, that gap at the bottom is working every day.
When the Run Needs Replacing
Sometimes the damage runs the length of the fence and there is nothing left to build on. What goes back is our signature build: an 8 foot pre-stained cedar fence, board on board, with a top cap. Same crew, same posts, same standard.
Diagnosing the Damage
The real job on a Richardson fence is not always the obvious one. A leaning section can be one failed post or it can be four, with roots under each one. We check every post and measure the actual damage before we write a number down.
New wood next to weathered wood won't match on day one. We'll tell you that up front, not after. The crew hauls off everything it pulls out. That matters here, because Richardson's city pickup does not take fence material. It leaves with us.
Every repair carries a 3 month craftsmanship warranty, and we are insured.
How a Richardson Fence Repair Runs
Send us photos or call, and we come walk the run with you. Photos help but they rarely show what is happening at the base.
We check every post and measure what is actually damaged, including what the roots and soil are doing underground.
You approve a written scope naming each post and each section. No work starts until you have seen exactly what you are paying for.
Posts go in first, then framing, then boards. The old material leaves with us, not in a pile by the alley.
What Customers Say
1–3 of 9
Very responsive and fixed my fence issue professionally and quickly. Excellent communication and workmanship. Highly recommended!
My Mom and Dad found Mom’s Fence Man they were so pleased with their quality workmanship on their new fence and I was so happy to hear how they had such a great experience. I also had a beautiful new gate with fence built and most recently a new beautiful shared backyard fence. They went above and beyond communicating from the beginning with several easy to understand quotes to updates through the materials arriving and updates of their arrival on the day of work. Throughout the process from the beginning up to the building of my new fence I was able to continue my daily work and scheduled appointments with no interruptions and have peace of mind.
He did a great job, was very communicative and easy to work with! Highly recommend!
I can’t thank Bill, Yvette and the rest of the team at Mom’ Fence Man for their dedication and hard work with replacing my 21yr old fence. From the design process to the demo and installation, the entire process and project were handled with the utmost care and dedication to excellence. I would highly recommend Mom’s Fence Man to anyone looking to install or replace their fence. Thank you Bill, Yvette and the rest of the team for bringing my dream to life! I can’t thank you enough! :) Tracy Marshall #momsfenceman #customerservice #amazing #teamwork #trustedpartner #excellence #expertcraftsmanship
Bill came out and fixed the issues I had. He is so helpful and kind. I love working with this company
My experience with Mom’s Fence Man in replacing my old 6’ fence with a beautifully crafted 8’ fence was 100% positive. The communication was excellent from start to finish. I always knew what to expect and the timelines given were accurate so I was able to plan my time accordingly. Bill helped with the design options and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Home repairs and improvements have always been something I dread, but this experience showed me that doesn’t have to be the case if you have the right company. I highly recommend them.
Bill and his team were very professional, easy to work with, and provided great guidance throughout the process. They did an excellent job with our fence replacement and repairs, and we’re very happy with the results. Highly recommend Bill and his team!
Fantastic work! Yvette and crew took great care in removing and replacing our fence. They took their time and did it right. We are thrilled with the final product and give Mom's Fence Man our highest recommendation.
When I called Bill he answered the phone and we made an appointment to get an estimate to repair my fence. He showed up on time and provided a reasonable estimate. Two weeks later as scheduled his reliable and professional crew arrived on time and completed my repairs the same day to my satisfaction. He was very nice and honest to work with. If I need more repairs in the future I will call him. I recommend you at least call for an estimate and I think you will be pleased! (I had called another company after I spoke to Bill to get a second estimate and to this day they never returned my call. That he answered my call impressed me a lot!)
Fence Repair in Richardson, TX questions
Richardson bans propping a fence with exterior supports. What does that actually mean?
The city's code says a fence cannot lean more than 20 percent out of vertical, and exterior bracing is not an acceptable way to hold it upright. So boards nailed against the outside, metal stakes propping it from the yard, ties strung to a tree: none of that counts as a repair. The fix is replacing the posts that failed.
Will the roots just push new posts out the same way?
Depth is the main difference. A post set shallow sits right in the zone where roots do their lateral growing, so it gets levered first. Going 3 feet down puts most of the post below that active zone. Steel also does not rot at the soil line, which is the other thing working against a wooden post under shade.
Only one section of my fence leans. Is the rest of it sound?
Often, yes. Root damage stays local to the tree doing the pushing. The run at the far end of the yard can be perfectly solid. We check every post before we say either way, and we quote only what has failed.
The bottom of my fence is rotting but the top looks fine. What is happening?
Shade is keeping the ground damp, and wood touching that dirt draws the moisture up. Under a mature Richardson canopy this happens faster than on an open lot. The fix is a kicker board along the base so the boards never sit on soil, and replacing the boards that have already gone soft.
A branch came down and took out a section. Do I need a permit to repair it?
Richardson triggers a replacement permit when 25 percent or more of the total fence perimeter is involved. A single section is usually under that threshold. We check your specific footage before we start and handle the permit if it is needed.
Is repair work covered by your warranty?
Yes. Repairs carry a 3 month craftsmanship warranty. If a post we set moves, we come back out. You do not pay twice for the same post.
Get Your Repair Estimate
Tell us what the fence is doing and we'll come look at it.