Fence Repair in Indianapolis
We repair every type of fence, for homes and businesses. Within 50 miles of Indianapolis 46256, we fix leaning posts, storm and tree damage, sagging gates, broken vinyl panels, and bent chain link on wood, vinyl, chain link, and aluminum fences. Fence repair is available for homes and businesses. Free estimates mean we look at the damage before anyone commits to a repair or a replacement.
What Goes Wrong Here
Leaning or heaved posts. A post that has moved in the ground. The fence panel follows the post, so one leaning post pulls a whole section out of line.
Rot at the ground line. Wood posts rot where they meet wet soil. The fence stays up but the post is hollow at the base, and the first wind or lean snaps it.
Storm and tree damage. A limb or a tree on a fence panel, or wind that lifts a section off its posts. The damage is usually localized to the section that took the hit.
Vehicle damage. A car or a truck into a fence line bends posts, breaks panels, and knocks gates off their tracks. The damage is where the vehicle stopped.
Sagging gates. A gate that has dropped at the latch side and drags on the ground. It is usually a hinge or a post problem, not a gate problem.
Broken vinyl panels. A cracked or shattered vinyl panel. Vinyl does not dent; it breaks, and a broken panel is replaced rather than bent back.
Bent chain link top rail. The horizontal rail that has taken a hit and bent, dropping the chain link between the posts. The rail is replaced and the fabric re-tied.
Why Posts Lean in Central Indiana
The Indiana Residential Code (Table R301.2(1)) sets the frost depth for footings at 30 inches in Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Boone, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Shelby and Morgan counties. Much of central Indiana sits on clay-rich glacial till with a seasonally high water table in winter and spring. Wet clay holds water; water freezes; ice expands upward. That is frost heave, and it moves a post that is not set below the frost line.
Indianapolis averages 43.63 inches of rain a year, so the ground stays wet through the cold months. A post set shallow in wet clay heaves with the first hard freeze, leans with the spring thaw, and never returns to plumb on its own. The clay does not drain the way a sandy soil does, so the water sits around the post and the cycle repeats every winter. A post set below the frost depth in well-drained ground does not heave, which is why post depth and drainage decide how long a fence stays straight here.
Repair or Replace
A few bad posts or panels on a sound fence are worth repairing. The rest of the fence is holding, the posts are plumb, and the panels are solid; only a section or two need work. A repair puts the fence back in line for less than a replacement.
Widespread rot is not. If most of the posts are leaning, most of the wood is soft at the ground line, or the fence is failing along its full length, a repair is a patch on a fence that is done. A replacement is the honest answer, and it costs less over the long run than repairing a section at a time on a fence that is failing everywhere. The call is yours; our job is to tell you which it is, straight.
Storm Damage and Your Homeowner's Policy
Photograph the damage before anything is moved. A clear photo of the fence, the post, and the cause, whether a limb, a tree, or a vehicle, is what an insurance company needs to see what happened. Once the fence is repaired or cleaned up, the evidence is gone, so the photos are the record.
Ask your insurance company what it covers. Your homeowner's policy decides whether the fence is covered, what the deductible is, and what the claim process is. We repair the fence; we do not bill insurance or work with adjusters. You handle the claim, and we handle the fence. To talk through a repair, call (317) 775-2452 or send the form at the top of this page. You can also reach us through the contact page. See the related wood fence and custom gates pages for more.
Fence Repair Questions
What types of fence do you repair?
Every type we install: wood, vinyl, chain link, and aluminum. Leaning posts, storm and tree damage, vehicle damage, sagging gates, broken vinyl panels, and bent chain link top rail are all repairable.
Why do fence posts lean in central Indiana?
Frost heave and wet clay. The Indiana Residential Code sets the frost depth for footings at 30 inches in the central Indiana counties, and the clay-rich glacial till holds water that freezes and heaves. Indianapolis averages 43.63 inches of rain a year, so the ground stays wet and the posts move.
Should I repair or replace a fence?
A few bad posts or panels on a sound fence are worth repairing. Widespread rot across the fence is not. If most of the posts are leaning or most of the wood is soft at the ground line, a repair is a patch on a fence that is failing.
Do you handle storm damage for insurance?
Photograph the damage before anything is moved, and ask your insurance company what it covers. We repair the fence; we do not bill insurance or work with adjusters. Your homeowner's policy decides what is covered.
Can a sagging gate be fixed without replacing it?
Often, yes. A sagging gate is usually a hinge or a post problem, not a gate problem. Resetting the post or replacing the hinge can square the gate up without a new leaf.
Do homes and businesses get the same repair?
Yes. We repair fences for homes and for businesses. See the wood fence and custom gates pages for the styles and gate types we work on.
Where We Work
We build and repair fences for homes and businesses within about 50 miles of Indianapolis 46256.