Fence Repair & Installation in Abernathy, TX

Straight up the interstate

Abernathy is about 20 miles north of our shop, a straight run up I-27 from the north side of Lubbock. The town sits on the line between Lubbock County and Hale County, which makes it the first stop on our way toward Hale Center and Plainview. Blake has done fence work in Abernathy, and because our shop is already on the north edge of Lubbock the drive is shorter than it looks on the map.

Older yards, older fences

Abernathy has a lot of established homes on square town lots, and plenty of the fences around them have been standing a long time. The common call is a wood fence that has given up in stages: a few pickets one year, a rail the next, then a post that finally rots through and lets a whole section lean. We will tell you honestly whether it is worth patching again or whether a rebuild on steel posts with cedar pickets, never pine pickets, is the better spend. Both options are laid out on our fence repair and fence installation pages.

An older wood fence usually stands on wood posts, and the frame is what wears out. The boards hung on it are often still sound, which is why the first thing Blake does in an Abernathy yard is push on the posts, one after another, before he says a word about pickets. Chain link is part of the work too, around back yards, dog runs and farm lots, and it usually asks for less.

Common fence problems in Abernathy

An older fence rarely quits all at once. In Abernathy it tends to show one of these signs first, and each has its own fix.

• Original wood posts turned soft where they meet the dirt, so a section sways when you lean on it: wood fence repair with steel replacement posts.
• A stretch tipped over after a hard north wind: storm damage fence repair.
• Boards gone grey, cupped and backing their nails out: weather treatment for a fence that was never sealed.
• A wood gate that drags on the ground or will not latch without a shove: gate repair or a new steel-frame gate.
• Loose posts at every corner and rails cracked where they meet them: a full fence replacement.
• Pine pickets twisted far enough to see between: a new cedar fence on steel posts.
• Chain link bellied out along the bottom where the dog leans on it: chain link fence repair and a new tension wire.

Fence repair in Abernathy

Fence repair in Abernathy goes after the cause at the ground line, where a rotted wood post lets the section lean. Patching the same fence year after year gets old, and that post is usually why it keeps happening. It is taken out and a steel post is concreted in where it stood, the existing panels are hung back on it, and a cracked rail is replaced and tied into the post instead of screwed to the old break. Split and missing pickets are then replaced with cedar chosen to match the width and top cut of the old boards. The wood fence repair page has the details; for bent rail or loose fabric, see chain link fence repair.

New cedar fences in Abernathy

A new cedar fence in Abernathy is the better spend when the posts are going all along the line: the old posts are pulled out whole, steel posts go in, and cedar pickets go up in the style you choose. It is also a chance to fix what the old fence got wrong. Six feet is the usual back yard height; seven gives more privacy beside an alley or a two-story house. On a north-facing run, board on board gives the most wind block of the three styles. Start with fence replacement, then pick a look under wood privacy fences and styles.

Chain-link, gates and acreage in Abernathy

In Abernathy we build galvanized and black vinyl chain link for back yards, dog runs and farm lots, and hang walk and drive gates on welded steel frames. Not every yard needs a privacy fence. Galvanized chain link is the plain silver fence that keeps dogs and kids in and still lets you see the alley, and black vinyl does the same work with a darker, quieter look. For farm lots, Blake measures the whole line in person so the bid counts every corner and gate. Wood gates that have sagged are rebuilt on welded steel frames, and a drive gate can be a single or a double depending on what pulls through it. See chain-link fencing and walk and drive gates.

Staining and weather treatment in Abernathy

Staining and weather treatment in Abernathy brings back a fence that has gone grey without a coat of anything: we fix what is loose or split, clean off the weathered surface, let it dry and work an oil-based treatment into the wood. Grey is surface damage, so a fence with solid posts and rails can usually be brought back. That job is fence weather treatment. After a rebuild or a large repair, the new cedar gets its first coat under fence staining, and a pergola can be sealed on the same trip.

Tight soil and a long reach of wind

Ground north of Lubbock tends to be heavier and tighter than the sandy country to the southwest, which is good for holding a post once it is set, but it means the hole takes work. We dig to full depth and set every steel post in concrete. The wind in Abernathy comes across miles of open fields, and a privacy fence on the edge of town is the first solid thing it hits. Wind damage is the biggest repair category we handle, in Abernathy as everywhere else on the South Plains.

Both facts shape the build. In tight ground the temptation is to stop digging early, and a shallow post is the first to lean, so full depth is not up for debate. Posts are spaced for West Texas wind. A 7 ft fence catches more of that wind than a 6 ft one, so height is worth a conversation on any run that faces north across open fields. Abernathy sits on the flat South Plains, so panels run level with no stepping. Gate posts get the most attention of all: the hinge post carries a moving load every day, so it is steel, set in concrete, with the gate on a frame that stays square.

Guides for Abernathy homeowners

If your fence is older, a little reading before the bid helps you ask sharper questions. These three guides from the Learning Center match what we find in Abernathy yards.

• Repair or replace a leaning wood fence?: the push test that sorts a patch job from a rebuild.
• What to do when wind lays a fence over: securing the yard and what to photograph before anything is moved.
• When to stain a new cedar fence: how long fresh cedar should dry before the first coat.

Getting Blake out to Abernathy

Call (806) 535-5351 and describe the fence. Blake sets a time, drives up, measures and writes the bid himself, and the same crew that has built with him for over 10 years does the work. Free estimates are an in-Lubbock offer, so ask about the trip when you call. Mention the website for 5% off any repair, up to $200. Our phone is answered seven days a week, 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and there is a contact form if you prefer to write.