Help! Need recommendations on fences, and what to do about neighbor! (to rent, house)

[JERiv]

I need some advice. Our house has 6 feet tall cedar fence going around it. It looks like some of the posts in the rear section (the section which faces our neighbor) rotted. Yesterday, an 8' or so section of it fell down.

Fence is ONLY 4 years old. So I don't understand why the posts would already be rotting.

Here's the thing. I know nothing about wood. Neighbor stopped by last night (first time I've met him). He wants to replace the posts with treated wood vs cedar. Having no clue what the differences were, I said ok, but now I'm trying to get informed about it.

I did some online research this morning, and know the price is higher for cedar, the color of the wood is very different for each, and treated wood is prone to warping (big negative in my opinion).

My question is, does it really last that much longer than cedar? Or will it also rot in 4-5 years, and we'll end up right where we started?

Is there another option? I heard you can also use galvanized steel fence posts. Do those last much longer or just rust?

Neighbor also wants to rent a jackhammer, buy the materials, do the work himself and split the materials cost. I don't know if he knows what he's doing or not, though, this is actually the first time I've met him.

Suggestions? Since it's just repair (posts only), would it be cheaper and better to hire a professional to do the work, and replace with the longest lasting material, which seems to be the galvanized steel?

Would you let the neighbor do what he wants? Again, the "nice" side of the fence is on his side. So whatever he does, or puts in there, he wouldn't even have to see it.

Looking for options here! Any input would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

A FEW ADDITIONAL NOTES: I should probably note that we have a sprinkler system, and so do the neighbors. My guess is that the water is pooling where the posts are, which is why they are rotting. Also, don't know if cement was or will be used. None of the wood posts in there look like they have cement. Can they just be nailed to the ground? That's sort of what he said he was planning on doing, just much deeper.

Also, my sprinkler system is right next to the fence, so there's a chance any work done there might break something. Sucks that he wants to do this asap. Not getting enough time to think it through.

[iloveflowers]

If it were me, I'd let him do it as he planned. It was standard to use treated posts in WA state, where I moved from, and it's a lot more wet there, and our treated posts hadn't rotted in 9 years. They never warped either.

It should be fine since it's not as wet here. They look nice in my opinion, and you can get post caps for the tops to dress them up a bit.

As long as the holes are dug deep enough and there's enough cement put in, there shouldn't be a problem. It shouldn't be a hard project for do-it-yourself-ers. It's also nice of him to just offer you half the cost of materials. He probably wants it fixed right too and wants to do a good job.

[Trainwreck20]

Fence is ONLY 4 years old. So I don't understand why the posts would already be rotting.

Probably untreated wood, but could also be termites in some cases (although they usually go after the slats).

We have a treated wood fence, but not cedar. The posts have warped a bit over the last 11 years, but nothing terrible. We just had to do our first post replacement for one that had rotted off at ground level around the cement.

Steel lasts longer, definitely, but it is not the nicest too look at, especially if the pole is on the side facing 'you' (the neighbor, in this case? I am not sure), and even more so when it is a repair instead of a whole new fence - you end up with a big metal pole at the back of your yard.

Personally, if the post were on my side, I would use a longer lasting treated wood and then paint/stain the fence - I know, because we just did that last fall . We hired someone to do it, mainly because of the power washing and staining, but it looks great. Several other minor repairs were taken care of at the time, too. Not sure on what the cost for just the repairs were vs. the staining, though.

[AusParent]

Treated wood is a good compromise. Galvanized steel posts are very expensive. Do use cement.

Since you don't know whether your neighbor does good work, that is a gamble with your money and view. But hiring a fencing contractor will cost considerably more. And that's still no guarantee of good workmanship.

[atxcio]

Treated wood is a good option. I had a fence installed with treated wood posts and cedar slats, the treated wood posts were stained to match the cedar and it seems to be working great.

I'd also let the neighbor do it, if he is offering. It's good to get to know the neighbor, and it's not like this is your plumbing or electrical; it's just a fence. Small risk compared to the harmony and communication you might establish.

A fence company install quality will vary greatly based on the crew. Also, in order to save money they may dig the holes more shallow and use less concrete than you (or your neighbor) might use yourself. Remember, they are making money on volume so saving a little on concrete costs or digging time for each install really adds up to them. So you might actually get a higher quality with the neighbor.

[G Grasshopper]

I basically agree with lots of folks here. I'd go with treated posts, put in with ample cement. Hopefully, your neighbor actually knows how to do this. If you work together, you will have more of a chance of making sure it is a neat job that looks as good as possible from your side (no sloppy cement pours, posts all leveled at true vertical, etc.) Treated wood is less toxic than it used to be, and since you aren't lining your vegetable garden with it, I wouldn't worry about it.

[mimimomx3]

I'd let him do it, but definitely I'd pitch in and help, if only to make sure that he knows what he's doing. You'd potentially be saving a ton of money- fences are really expensive.

[imcurious]

I'd let him do it - you're right about the water, that is what caused the rot, so try to fix that.

And he must sink the posts in concrete, which isn't that difficult (I was going to say "hard," but that would have made a pun).

Anyway, I heard a trick is to shape the top of the concrete where the fence post is going to be sunk in a convex position so any water that comes in contact with it will run off - then, put a layer of gravel on top of the concrete before the post is put in . . . something like that.

Pressure treated wood is absolutely the way to go. Anytime wood and earth meet you are going to have rot.

Good luck and bring him lots of lemonade and goodies. He is saving you a lot of money!

[JERiv]

Ok, thanks everyone for your replies!

I'm thinking we'll do it ourselves. We'll just go with cedar for everything but the posts, since treated wood appears to be the better choice due to contact with the ground. I'll also coat the bottom of the posts with something like a water sealant to protect a bit from moisture & rotting. And use that cement that you just dump the bag in there and add water for weight/stability. Read somewhere else that it would be good to put gravel at the bottom of the hole to assist drainage, but not sure if that's really needed if the bottom is actually cement.

Thanks again!

[imcurious]

Yes, use gravel. That is what I was trying to tell you. And make the top of the cement a little convex, so that any water that comes in contact with it drains off and does not puddle . . . you have to kind of shape it to run off instead of pool.