How to Replace a Rotted Fence Post | Ask This Old House

Repairing a decayed fence post with Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook. (See below for shopping list, tools, and steps.)

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Replacement fence posts are available at home centers, lumber yards, and from fence installers.

The E-Z Mender fence post mending plate that Roger showed in the barn is manufactured by Simpson Strong-Tie [strongtie.com/].

Shopping List for How to Replace a Rotted Fence Post:
- 8-foot-tall pressure-treated fence posts
- 4-foot level,"] to plumb up the fence posts
- 3/4-inch stone and stone dust, for backfilling around fence posts
- 2x4, to tamp down the stone
- 3-inch (10d) galvanized nails, for securing the posts to the fence rails

Tools List for How to Replace a Rotted Fence Post:
- Reciprocating saw, to cut out the rotted post
- Framing hammer, for chopping out wood between the reciprocating saw cuts
- Posthole digger, to clean out and excavate old postholes
- Nylon mason line, for establishing straight layout lines
- Pointed shovel, to backfill the fence-post holes

Steps for How to Replace a Rotted Fence Post:
1. Use a reciprocating saw to separate the rotted post from the fence. Cut through the post directly above and below each of the three horizontal fence rails.
2. To expose the fence rails, use the straight claw of a framing hammer to chop out the wood in between the reciprocating saw cuts.
3. Move to the back of the fence and extract any nails or screws that are securing the rails to the rotted post.
4. Remove one section of fence, then pull out the rotted post.
5. If the next post is rotted, repeat the previous four steps.
6. Use a manual posthole digger to clean out and excavate the old fence-post holes. Be sure to remove any remnants of the old rotted post.[
7. Stretch two taut nylon strings across the fence line. Position one line at the tops of the posts, and another line to represent the face of the posts.
8. Drop a new fence post into the hole and check it for plumb with a 4-foot level.
9. Slide the ends of the three horizontal fence rails into the holes in the post.
10. Repeat the previous two steps to install a second post, if necessary.
11. Set the fence panels in between the new posts.
12. Check each fence post for plumb, then backfill the postholes with pack, which is a mixture of 3/4-inch stone and stone dust.
13. Add about 6 inches of pack, then tamp it down with a long 2x4. Add another 6 inches and compact again. Repeat until the postholes are completely filled with compacted pack.
14. Secure the new posts to the fence rails with 3-inch (10d) galvanized nails.
15. Remove the two nylon strings.

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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Replace a Rotted Fence Post | Ask This Old House
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