The failure spreads sideways
One failed post leaves its neighbours carrying the run. A single post replacement from £150 + VAT becomes a multi-bay rebuild if it is left a year.
Posts & gravel boards · Bracknell, Berkshire & Surrey
Gravel Board And Post ReplacementIn Bracknell, Without ReplacingThe Whole Fence
Rotten posts and gravel boards swapped out from £150 + VAT with a 1 year guarantee: the targeted repair that adds years to a fence instead of paying for a full new run you do not need.
From £150 + VAT · 1 year guarantee on repairs · £5m insured
Fencing experience
Public liability insured
Guarantee on new installs
Quote after your site visit
Checkatrade member
Service overview
Why Posts And Gravel BoardsFail First
Posts and gravel boards are the two components that sit in permanent contact with wet ground, so they are almost always the first parts of a fence to go. Replacing them is a specific piece of work: cutting out a failed post and its concrete plug, or bracing it with a concrete spur, and refitting gravel boards so the fence above is lifted clear of the soil again.
Done properly, this is the cheapest fencing work there is relative to what it buys you. Panels and boards higher up are usually still sound; it is the ground-level 150mm that has failed, and that is what we replace.
Why professional installation matters
Replacing a post in a standing fence without pulling bays down takes technique; the run has to be supported, the old concrete plug removed, and the new post set to depth and allowed to hold before the fence is refixed to it. Rushing that either brings the run down or produces a post that moves again in a year.
There is also a judgement call: bracing with a concrete spur is often the right answer for a post that has failed only at ground level, and is cheaper than full replacement. We will tell you which applies. Repairs carry a 1 year workmanship guarantee and start from £150 + VAT.
Who it is for
- Homeowners with a fence that wobbles but whose panels are still good
- Anyone who has spotted soft, dark timber at the base of otherwise sound posts
- Landlords wanting a boundary made secure without a full replacement cost
- Households where soil, bark or a raised bed has built up against the fence
When it is needed
- A post moves when pushed, or the fence has developed a lean at one point
- Timber at the base of a post is soft enough to press a screwdriver into
- Gravel boards have rotted through, slipped down or fallen out
- Panels have dropped because the gravel board they sat on has gone
- Soil or mulch has built up against the bottom of the fence
What it costs to wait
What Ignoring OneRotten Post Costs
Posts and gravel boards are load-bearing. When they go, everything above them starts working loose, and the bill grows with the number of bays involved.
Sound panels get ruined
With no gravel board, good panels sit in wet soil and rot from the bottom rail up. You end up replacing timber that had years left in it.
The fence comes down in wind
A run held up by fewer posts than it was designed for is the one that fails in the next gale, usually onto whatever is on the other side.
It becomes a full replacement
Past a certain point, patching stops being economical and the whole boundary has to be rebuilt. Timing the repair correctly is what avoids that.
Common mistakes we are called out to fix
- Screwing a batten or scaffold board across a rotten post as a permanent fix
- Concreting a new post at the same shallow depth the failed one was set to
- Refitting panels without a gravel board, straight onto the soil
- Leaving the old concrete plug in and setting the new post off-line beside it
- Piling soil, bark or a raised bed against the fence and rotting it from behind
- Replacing all the panels while leaving the posts that caused the problem
Our process
Five Steps From EnquiryTo Guaranteed Finish
- 01
Free site visit and post-by-post check
We push every post along the run, check bases for soft timber and look at where soil or planting is sitting against the fence, then tell you which posts and boards need doing and which are fine.
- 02
Written price within 48 hours
You get a written quote, normally within 48 hours. Repairs start from £150 + VAT. Where a spur is the sensible option we price that rather than a full post replacement, and where the fence is genuinely finished we say so.
- 03
Support the run and strip out
The fence is supported before anything comes out. Failed posts and their concrete plugs are removed, or the post is prepared for a concrete spur, and rotten gravel boards are taken out without disturbing sound panels.
- 04
Reset posts and refit boards
New posts are set to depth in concrete, plumbed and left to hold. Gravel boards are refitted so the fence timber is clear of soil and standing water, and panels or boards are refixed to line.
- 05
Load-test, tidy and guarantee
We push and load the repaired section, check the line reads straight, sweep up and remove the old posts, boards and concrete. Repairs carry a 1 year guarantee; payment is due on completion by card, transfer or cash.
What you get
The Practical DifferenceOn Your Property
Adds years for a fraction of the cost
From £150 + VAT, targeted replacement extends the life of a fence whose panels are still sound.
Fence stays standing
Posts can usually be replaced or spurred without dismantling the bays either side, so the boundary is never left open overnight.
Stops the rot spreading
New gravel boards lift good timber out of wet soil, which is the single most effective thing you can do for a fence's lifespan.
Usually a single visit
Most post and gravel board work is completed in one visit, often within a few hours.
1 year guarantee
Every repair carries a 1 year workmanship guarantee, backed by £5m public liability and employers' liability cover.
Honest verdict
If the run is beyond economic repair we tell you and price the replacement; you decide, and you are under no obligation.
Detail that matters
Gravel Boards & Post Replacement In Detail, Materials, Methods And Variations
Post replacement methods
There is more than one correct way to deal with a failed post, and the right one depends on where and how it failed.
- Full post replacement, old post and concrete plug removed, new post set to depth in concrete. The complete fix where the post has failed along its length.
- Concrete spur bracing: a spur set alongside and bolted through where the post is sound above ground but has gone at ground level. Cheaper, quick, structurally sound.
- Concrete post substitution, swapping a failed timber post for a concrete slotted post to remove the failure point permanently on exposed runs.
- Timber post replacement, like-for-like where appearance matters or where boards and rails must fix through the post face.
- Gate post upgrade, replacing an undersized hinge post with a properly sized, deeper-set post so a dropped gate stops dropping.
Gravel boards and why they matter
A gravel board is a sacrificial strip along the bottom of the fence. It takes the contact with soil, splashback and standing water so that the panels, feather-edge boards and post bases do not. It is also what stops soil and bark from a raised bed sitting against the fence.
Gravel boards can be pressure-treated timber or concrete. Timber is cheaper and easier to match; concrete is effectively permanent and worth considering where ground is persistently wet or where soil levels are higher on one side. Replacing a gravel board is a short job. Replacing the panels that rotted because there was not one is not.
Diagnosing which posts have gone
The test is simple: push each post firmly at chest height. Movement at the base means the post or its setting has failed. Then check the timber at ground level, if a screwdriver goes in easily, the post is rotten regardless of how it looks above.
Along most local runs, some posts have failed and others are fine, which is why a blanket replacement quote is usually the wrong answer. We check post by post so you pay for what has actually gone.
When to stop repairing
If more than roughly a third of the posts are moving, the timber is soft along the whole base, or the run has already been spurred and patched repeatedly, the economics flip and a new fence is the cheaper answer over three years. We will say that plainly and price both, and there is no obligation either way.
We carry out post and gravel board replacement across Bracknell, Wokingham, Camberley, Ascot, Reading, Bagshot, Addlestone, Chertsey and Windlesham.
Related services
Areas we cover for this service
Bracknell · Wokingham · Camberley · Ascot · Reading · Bagshot · Addlestone · Chertsey · Windlesham
Based in Bracknell, working across Berkshire and Surrey every day. See the full areas we cover or contact us to check your postcode.
Before you enquire
Gravel Boards & Post ReplacementQuestions, Answered
Still not sure? Call 07939 405646 and speak to Robert directly, no call centre, no sales script.
- How much does it cost to replace a fence post?
- Repairs, including post and gravel board replacement, start from £150 + VAT. The exact figure depends on how many posts are involved, whether the old concrete has to come out, and how much of the run needs supporting while we work.
- Can a post be replaced without taking the fence down?
- Usually yes. The run is supported, the post is cut out and replaced or braced with a concrete spur, and the bays either side stay standing. That is why the job costs a fraction of a full replacement.
- What is a concrete spur and is it as good as a new post?
- A spur is a concrete section set into the ground alongside the existing post and bolted through it. Where the post has failed only at ground level but is sound above, it is a structurally sound and cheaper fix. Where the post has gone along its length, it needs replacing properly.
- How do I know if my fence posts are rotten?
- Push each post firmly, any movement at the base is a warning. Then press a screwdriver into the timber at ground level: if it goes in easily, the post has gone. We check every post on the run during the free site visit.
- Do I really need gravel boards?
- They are the cheapest life extension available for a fence. They take the soil contact and splashback that would otherwise rot your panels and post bases, and they are quick and inexpensive to replace when they eventually go.
- How long does the work take?
- Most post and gravel board replacements are a single visit, often a few hours. Multiple posts or a long run of boards can take a day.
- Is the repair guaranteed?
- Yes: repairs carry a 1 year workmanship guarantee. If we install a new fence instead, that carries up to 5 years depending on the style.
- Can you replace concrete posts?
- Yes, including breaking out and removing the old concrete plug, which is the part that usually stops people tackling it themselves.
- My gate post has dropped, is that the same job?
- It is closely related. A dropped gate almost always means the hinge post has failed or was undersized. We replace it with a properly sized post set to depth so the gate stops moving.
- Should I repair the posts or replace the whole fence?
- Repair while most posts are sound and the panels are in good order. Replace when a third or more are moving, the base timber is soft throughout, or it has been patched repeatedly. We give you an honest verdict and price both.
Next step
Get Your Posts CheckedBefore The Next Gale
Free post-by-post site visit, written price within 48 hours, repairs from £150 + VAT with a 1 year guarantee.
- Free site visit before any price
- Written quote within 48 hours
- Repairs from £150 + VAT
- Up to 5 years' guarantee on new installs
- £5m public liability insured
- Payment due on completion
Book Your Free Site VisitTailored quote within 48 hours. Payment is due on completion.
Prefer to talk it through? 07939 405646