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If your wooden fence is falling down or is in disrepair from rot or termites, it can really be a sad, and ugly, sight, as well as being ineffectual at such things as security. If you did your own work to make and install the fence, then this dilapidation can be extremely frustrating. You might feel like just burning the thing to the ground! But, don't, for you can very likely make the repairs that are needed to bring your wooden fence back to “life”.
If your fence is recently put in, or if it doesn't look “all that bad”, then you can touch it up and then prevent the need for future repairs with some basic upkeep done throughout the year. To begin with, you want to paint or re-stain your fence every year or at least every other year. Most of the damage that gets done to a wooden fence comes from water, and paint or treatment prevents a great deal of water seepage. You also want to keep excessive vegetation trimmed back, as this not only gets to be ugly but on the practical level the vegetation traps in moisture by the fence. Go over your fence periodically looking for any rotting spots, and fill them in with plastic wood. Insects love to make such holes their homes, and they will over time destroy your fence.
If your fence is standing unevenly,then it's time to reinforce it. Begin by looking for damage to the posts. Hopefully they were installed correctly, with concrete or some kind of gravel in the hole. If they weren't and you see one that is falling down, then you'll want to attach some temporary reinforcement staffs to the post, and then dig out around it. If there is rot at the base of the post, treat it; if it is beyond hope, then you'll need to remove the post entirely with a post remover and put in a new post (done right this time). In either case, fill some gravel at the base of the post and then fill in the post hole tightly with dirt after you have straightened the post to a perfectly vertical stance once again.
If there are rails that have been damaged by rot, remove the rotting spots with a chisel and fill them in with plastic wood. If the rails are coming unattached where they join to the post, then you can buy some steel T-brackets and install them to hold up and reinforce the rails at the points of unattachment. You can also prop up sagging rails using a small piece of wood, which you secure in place with long nails made of galvanized steel.
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