Fence Removal and Installation - How to Take Down an Old Garden Fence

Have you noticed your fence is damaged, old, and tired looking? If so, there may only be one way around it. The wood is rotting, warping, and splitting, and there is zero hope for repair - now is the time to take your fence down and have a new one installed.

In this article, we explore several tips for removing your old wooden fence, so you can set time aside to do the job properly and even save yourself some money.

Make sure it’s your fence

Before jumping the gun and tearing down a fence that belongs to your neighbour, it is important to think about fence etiquette. Just like you would when installing a new fence, be sure to confirm your property lines and make sure none of your fence is located on your neighbour’s side. 

Only once you have complete certainty the entire fence is yours should you proceed to take it down.

Think safe, take caution

Taking down a fence involves the use of tools and lifting heavy pieces of wood, so it is a good idea to take caution. If you can, ask a family member or friend to help with any lifting, it can be a lot safer and quicker with an extra pair of hands.

You will likely need to remove nails or screws from your fence panels and posts too, so be sure to do so safely and avoid leaving them around your garden. This can be dangerous to the people and animals that may come across them.

Removing your fence panels

When it comes to taking down your fence, you need to decide if the entire structure needs replacing, or just the panels - but how would you know?

The first sign to a fence post that needs replacing is the obvious visible damage. This could be in the form of rotting, splitting, and warping. If there are no signs of visible damage, a simple push on your posts will give the answer. If they can easily move, you are probably best replacing them.

Though, if your posts are still standing strong and you are happy with how they look, why not reuse them? In this case, there are a couple of ways to strip down your fence to its posts.

Firstly, you can decide to take an electric saw to the fence material along the post. However, you can dismantle your fence board by board, and this is what we recommend. To do this, use a hammer to bang each board in towards the rail. This will cause some of the nails to stick out. Then, pull out each nail using the back of your hammer and wiggle your boards free one by one.

Removing your fence posts

Just like removing fence panels, there are two ways to remove your posts. Either digging them out, or levering them out.

Digging out your fence posts is typically quicker, displacing a lot of soil. But not to worry, if able to dig out your posts successfully, these areas will now be ready to re-pour post concrete and replace your posts easily.

If digging your posts proves unsuccessful, levering is your next option. It can take more time, effort and requires a bit of maneuvering, but with some patience and little sweat, it can prove effective.

Looking for a new garden fence?

So, you’ve successfully removed your fence and need a replacement that will last years to come, but where do you go? At Birkdale, we supply the industry with superior fencing supplies. Our FenceMate®, GateMate®, SiteMate®, and DuraPost® ranges include everything you need for a strong, secure and great looking fence. Why not explore our range of fencing accessories today or contact our team for more information – we’re always happy to answer your fencing-related questions.