# Forum Home Renovation Fences & Screens  How long should fence posts last?

## joynz

5 years ago I had a new dividing fence done (40 metres).  Cypress posts.   
I just noticed that two posts are waving around in the wind!  The installers were a more expensive company - with a good reputation (Watts Fencing). 
The rep came today to give a quote to repair and said they could have rotted - or maybe not enough concrete used - havent dug them out yet. 
5 years seems pretty short.  The soil is sandy not clay and not wet.

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## John2b

I once purchased some raised garden beds made with Cyprus on the strength of longevity in contact with soil. After five years they had seriously rotted, and even the supplier had disintegrated off the planet.

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## johnc

Posts should not rot within five years in sandy soil. All the same you will not know without digging down a bit, the usual spot for rot is the intersection between soil and sky (ground level).

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## joynz

The quote is in: 
$520 to dig out the two posts, straighten as much as possible , add a new post to both of the old posts , check out the railings and add 40kg of concrete per post. 
There is a note on the quote saying that it is for labour and materials only. 
Does that seem like the cost price to fix  two posts?

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## YoungBolt

Fencing these days is done to a time frame and corners are cut all the time. they’re basically done so they look ok until the owner forgets who installed it. 
I don’t think I’ve come across a new fence that has been done to last. Most of the time they dig to a 1/4 post depth when they should be doing 1/3rd, they’ll just throw dry sand and cement in the hole and rely on the next rain shower to make it set, they don’t dig big enough postholes, and put them too far apart.  
I suggest taking the day off work when the new fencers come and check off the depth and how they set the posts.

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## johnc

Why not just buy two posts, dig the dicky ones out and replace using a decent depth of hole, as suggested go 1/3rd in ground, 2/3rd out. hardest part is getting the old posts out. Even if it takes the entire day you are $520 in front less post cost. 
An alternative is to dig down and remove concrete and sister the post with a half post bolted to the one waving at you.

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## PhilT2

T replaced a section of my fence during the early stages of the lockdown. Some of the hardwood posts had rotted badly, others were still ok. I can't recall how long ago I put it up; about 25 years ago perhaps longer. I used a high lift jack to pull them out, most came out with the concrete attached, quick and easy but that was because I had already demolished the rest of the fence. I would imagine that replacing a post leaving the fence intact would be more difficult.

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## jrobertson1984

> Why not just buy two posts, dig the dicky ones out and replace using a decent depth of hole, as suggested go 1/3rd in ground, 2/3rd out. hardest part is getting the old posts out. Even if it takes the entire day you are $520 in front less post cost. 
> An alternative is to dig down and remove concrete and sister the post with a half post bolted to the one waving at you.

  Thanks for the advice

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