Drive any neighborhood from Robinson to Harker Heights and you'll see them: fences leaning like they're tired. Most of those fences failed for the same two reasons, and both were decided on installation day.
Reason 1: Posts set too shallow
Central Texas clay soil swells when wet and shrinks hard when dry. That seasonal movement works posts loose year after year. Quick-turn fence crews set shallow posts because depth costs time — and the fence looks identical on day one. The difference shows up in year three.
Reason 2: The wrong contact with the ground
Wood that touches soil wicks moisture and rots from the bottom. Proper installation keeps pickets off the ground and uses treated material rated for ground contact where structure requires it.
What a fence should give you
- Treated pine, built right: a solid long run of service with occasional staining — the workhorse choice for most yards.
- Cedar: better looks and natural weather resistance, at a higher price.
- Metal post upgrades: swapping wood posts for galvanized steel is the single best durability upgrade on a wood fence, because posts are what fail first.
Signs your current fence is done
Leaning sections, posts that move when pushed, rot at the picket bottoms, and gates that no longer square up. One failing section can sometimes be repaired honestly; systemic lean usually means the posts are gone and the fence is on borrowed time.
We'll tell you which yours is at a free walk-through — repair when repair is right, replacement when it isn't. See the fencing service page, what drives outdoor project cost, the wood vs. composite comparison, and our FAQ.