The morning after a big blow, the question is never "is it damaged" — it's which of three very different repairs you're looking at. The posts decide.
Every autumn and winter storm season in Washington County produces the same scene: a run of fence lying in the yard, panels scattered, and a homeowner trying to work out whether this is an afternoon's work or a whole new fence. The answer is almost always in the posts, not the boards. Here is how to read what the wind left behind.
A six-foot solid privacy fence is a sail. In a strong gust it takes a large, sustained load, and that force goes straight into the posts at the ground line. Beaverton's big windstorms also tend to arrive after weeks of rain, when the soil is saturated and gives far less support than it does in August. Posts that are sound usually hold. Posts that have begun to rot at the base, or that were set shallow or in poorly drained holes, lever over or snap. That's why the same storm takes out one neighbour's fence and leaves the next one standing, and why a fence that "fell over with no storm in sight" is really a rot problem the wind simply revealed.
If the posts are still plumb and firm and what you have is pickets, rails or whole panels on the ground, you are in the best position. Check the rails for splits where the fasteners pulled through, check the panel-to-post brackets or nails, and look at the pickets for cracks along the grain. Panels that came away cleanly can usually be reinstalled with new fasteners, often with a few replacement boards. Push hard on each post before you reattach anything; if a post moves, you're in case 2, not case 1.
A post that has tilted but hasn't broken can often be reset: the footing is dug out, the post is brought back to plumb and braced, and it's re-set with proper drainage and a crowned top so water runs away rather than pooling against the wood. Our guide to fixing a leaning fence post covers the options. The one thing to confirm first is that the post is sound below grade. Dig a few inches around it and probe the wood with a screwdriver; if it's soft, resetting it buys you a season at most.
A post that broke off at or just below grade has almost always rotted there first; sound wood bends and levers before it snaps. Those posts are replaced, not repaired, and the stubs have to come out of the old footings or new holes have to be dug alongside. The important question at this stage is how many of the other posts are in the same state. Three snapped posts in a row of twelve of the same age is a strong hint the rest are close behind, which is where the repair-or-replace maths starts to favour replacing the run. Replacing only what fell and watching the rest go down in the next storm is the expensive route.
Homeowners ask this constantly, and the honest answer is that it depends on your policy, your deductible, and what caused the failure. Wind damage to a fence is commonly covered under the "other structures" part of a homeowners policy, but rot and lack of maintenance commonly are not, and a snapped, rotted post can be argued either way. Many people find that a few panels and a post or two cost less than their deductible, while a long run of fence may be worth a claim. Read the policy, call your agent with the photos, and get a written repair quote so you're comparing real numbers. That is practical guidance, not insurance advice.
If you're replacing posts anyway, this is the moment to fix what made them fail: posts rated for ground contact or steel posts, footings deep enough for the fence height, gravel and a crowned concrete top for drainage, and sound rails. Our comparison of steel and wood posts in wet soil goes through the trade-offs for exactly this climate.
Panels down with firm posts is a reinstall. Leaning but sound posts can be reset. Snapped posts mean replacement, and several snapped posts usually mean the run is at the end of its life. If you'd like a straight assessment of which one you're looking at, call (971) 326-4563. For storm damage that's left a yard open, see our emergency fence repair page.
We'll tell you whether it's a reinstall, a reset or a replacement before anyone orders materials. Open 24/7.
(971) 326-4563