Wood Fence Replacement in Walnut Creek, CA

Repair or replace

Check	Leans toward repair	Leans toward replace
Age	Under about 15 years	20+ years (HomeGuide’s rule of thumb)
Posts	One or two soft or broken	Several soft at the ground
Rails and boards	Sound; a few boards split	Rails rotting; boards grey, cupped, splitting
Cost	Repair well under half of new	Repair near or over half of new
Plans	Happy with the height and style	Want a different height, style or material

Materials compared

Prices per foot are on the cost page; lifespans vary too much with posts, soil and finish to quote one number.
Material	Look	Upkeep	Near the house in a fire zone
Redwood	Warm red tone, greys if left unfinished	Seal or stain every few years	Combustible
Western red cedar	Lighter tone, straight grain	Similar to redwood	Combustible
Pressure-treated pine or fir	Plain; usually stained	Stain to limit checking	Combustible
Galvanized steel posts, wood boards	Looks like a wood fence	Posts don’t rot; boards as above	Boards still combustible
Aluminum or ornamental steel	Open, see-through	Minimal	Noncombustible

Price per foot by material is on the cost page.

Styles

Board-on-board: overlapping boards on both faces of the rails; no see-through gaps as the wood shrinks.
Shadowbox: alternating boards on each side; looks the same from both yards and lets some air through.
Horizontal slat: modern look; needs closer post spacing or a stiffener so long boards don’t sag.
Lattice top: an open top section. In Danville, a fence can reach 7 feet when the top foot is open lattice (Fence Standards).
Good neighbor: finished on both sides. See good neighbor fences.

Fences on slopes

Stepped panels keep level tops and leave gaps on the low side; racked panels follow the grade.

Stepped fences suit steeper lots and look tidy from the street; the triangular gaps under each step usually get a kickboard or wire for pets. Racked (sloped) panels follow gentle grades with no gaps. Either way, height is measured from the ground, so the tall side of each step is what counts against the city limit.

Fences on a retaining wall

Where a fence sits on a wall, some cities count the two together.

Orinda and Danville both limit the combined height of a fence on a retaining wall (Orinda §17.4.27; Danville Fence Standards). Details are on the height and permits page. A wall that’s failing should be fixed before a new fence goes on top of it.

What a replacement job includes

Demolition and haul-off of the old fence ($10–$20+ per foot, HomeGuide)
New post holes and footings; rock, roots and slopes slow this down
Care around protected trees near post holes
HOA approval where it applies (Blackhawk, Rossmoor mutuals and many others)
30 days’ written notice to the neighbor if the fence is shared and you want to split the cost
Confirming the property line before posts go in

Questions

What is the average price to replace a fence?

HomeGuide puts fence replacement at about $30–$80+ per linear foot, including removal of the old fence (HomeGuide). For 100 feet that’s about $3,000–$8,000+. Real quotes can land below or above that.

How much would a 100 ft wood fence cost?

At $20–$50+ per foot for a new wood fence (HomeGuide), 100 feet is about $2,000–$5,000+ before removal of an old fence ($10–$20+ per foot) and any gates. See worked examples.

What’s the cheapest fence?

Pressure-treated pine or fir boards on wood posts are usually the lowest-cost wood fence; welded wire on wood or steel posts is cheaper still where privacy doesn’t matter. Spending a little more on posts (steel, or well-drained footings) usually saves more than cheaper boards do.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026. Rules and prices change; confirm anything that affects your project with the city or a licensed contractor.

Fence Replacement in Walnut Creek