How much does it cost to repair an aluminum or steel fence?

Like all metal fences, aluminum and steel are both attractive, durable, and long lasting options for your yard and landscaping. Both materials are frequently used as alternatives to more expensive wrought iron fencing, with aluminum being one of the lowest maintenance fencing materials available as well. Unfortunately, no fence can last forever in the same condition it was installed in. Exposure to the elements may cause a steel fence to rust and fall into disrepair. Storms, impacts, or soil erosion can all cause damage to a metal fence as well, necessitating the need for repair.

The cost to fix a metal fence is on average $310 and it is largely determined the scope of the damage and the type of fence you have; aluminum fences tend to be cheaper to fix because they don’t require welding or rust removal, for example. The type of damage can also impact the final cost of your fence repair.

Types of damage

Metal fences are often subject to the same types of damage that any other fence may sustain, along with a few others that are unique to the material. These include:

• Rusting of steel fences after prolonged exposure to weather
• Impact such as a car running off of the road and into the fence
• Soil erosion, which can cause the concrete holding the fence posts ¹ to shift, pulling the fence out of alignment and potentially breaking it
• Storms with heavy winds or hail, which can bend, warp, or break the fence
• Fallen trees or tree limbs, which may break a section of fencing
• Normal wear and tear, as well as age

Typical fencing repairs

Even amongst causes of damage, the effect on the fence may differ in severity, location, and the problem that it presents. Each problem may require a specific type of fencing repair to solve:

Damaged fence

If the fence is heavily damaged by a storm or by vehicle impact, then the damaged portions will need to be removed and replaced. For a steel fence, this will mean welding on new pieces to the existing, non-damaged sections. For an aluminum fence, this will mean simply using screws to attach the new pieces. You can expect to pay approximately $22 to $32 a linear foot for aluminum fence repair and around $30 a linear foot on average for steel fence repair by a professional fencing company.

Loose or missing railings

Aluminum fences are more likely to lose a railing ² or have one come loose than a steel fence, but enough impact could cause the loss of a steel railing ² as well. Because both aluminum and steel fencing tend to come in sections, it may not be as simple as just adding a new railing ²; the entire section will likely need to be removed and replaced. A section of fencing averages about $50 to $55, while the labor to install by a fencing professional runs about $40 to $60 an hour with a minimum of one hour for a single section of fencing.

Shifted, joose, or wobbly post

Posts are held in the ground by concrete, which generally keeps them stable for many years. Soil erosion, however, may cause the concrete, and therefore the posts, to shift. The concrete itself may become damaged, leading to a wobbly or loose post, or a post may rust, causing it to come loose from the concrete. In most cases, either the old concrete will need to be dug up and replaced, or a new post hole will need to be dug directly next to the old one. A single post replacement by a handyman costs about $175 on average.

Twisted or warped fence

An impact from a car or tree may not break the fence, while still leaving it damaged due to warping. This is more problematic with aluminum fences than with steel, as aluminum is much more likely to warp under pressure than steel. To fix this issue, the damaged section will be removed and replaced at a cost of $22 to $32 a linear foot.

Rusted fence

Aluminum fences don’t rust, but steel fences may if they aren’t treated properly. Rust begins as merely an unsightly issue, but can eventually affect the integrity of the fence if not taken care of properly. The typical method of repairing a rusted fence is to sandblast the fence, coat it in both primer ³ and a material for stopping and converting rust, then painting the fence with oil paint. This is usually done by an exterior house painter, with rates of $20 to $35 an hour.

Stained fence

Aluminum may not rust, but it can stain or develop a patina ⁴ over time. To correct this, your fence will need to be painted by an exterior painter at a rate of $20 to $35 an hour.

Damaged gate

Over time, the weight of the gate by damage the hinges ⁵, causing it to begin dragging and not operating the way that it should. If the gate itself is damaged, replacement will cost around $50 to $200 for the gate itself, plus an hour of installation at a rate of $40 to $60 an hour. If the gate is in good shape, it may be able to be rehung at the hourly rate of $40 to $60.

Labor

The labor to repair your fence will depend largely on a few different things:

• Whether or not sections of fence need to be replaced
• How severe the damage is
• Whether or not the fence needs to be painted

In most cases, you will want to hire a fencing company to do the replacement at a cost of $22 to $32 a linear foot. This is because you’ll want to match the new sections to the rest of the fence as best you can. If you merely need to repair a post or rehang the gate, you may want to hire a handyman at a rate of $60 to $90 an hour for the work. To paint the fence, an exterior painting company will be the best option.

You can expect the repairs to take one hour to one day depending on the amount of damage that needs to be fixed. To fix a 10-foot section of 4-foot tall aluminum fencing, you can expect to pay around $390 if you need to replace the entire section including a new post. For a steel fence, you can expect to pay around $470 to fix the same amount of fencing. Keep in mind that for large sections of damaged fencing - 50-feet or above - you may need to replace the entire fence to correct the issue.

Replacement vs. repair

Occasionally, the damage to your fence may be so great that you need to replace it, rather than repair it. There are generally two rules of thumb when it comes to making this determination. If more than 50% of your fence has been damaged, you may want to replace it to ensure its continued durability.

If your fence is older, and you are having trouble finding a match for the color, shape, and size of your existing fence, you may need to replace your fence in order to maintain the curb appeal of your home. You can expect a new metal fence to cost around $2,500.

Enhancement and improvement costs

• After having your fence repaired, you may want to paint it to maximize its appearance protection from the elements. Painting the fence requires cleaning and rust removal in the case of a steel fence, before the application of a primer ³ and oil paint. This is done by an exterior painter for a rate of $20 to $35 an hour.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Fence posts: A sturdy pole set securely in the ground, that is used to support a fence. Fence posts are placed at regular intervals, and the other parts of the fence are attached to them

³ Primer: Preparatory coat applied to materials (drywall, wood, metal, etc.) before painting to ensure paint adhesion, extend paint durability, and help seal and protect the surface to be painted

⁴ Patina: A thin film, usually green or blue in color, that forms over time on certain metals (such as copper, brass, bronze, and aluminum) or wood and stone surfaces due to natural oxidation

⁵ Hinges: A type of joint that attaches two items together but allows one of them to swing back and forth, such as a door attached to a door frame