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Fence replacement

Old fence out, new fence in both on one estimate

Removal, old concrete footings and disposal priced as their own lines — not buried in the number. Replacement across northern New Jersey by our own crew.

200+ five-star Google reviews
Removal & disposal included
0% financing available

You are buying two jobs, and one of them is a demolition

Most of the fence work in northern New Jersey is not a bare yard getting its first fence. It is a fence from the late 2000s that has finally gone — posts loose, panels grey, one section leaning into the neighbour's hedge. That is a different job from a new install, and it should be priced like one.

Before any of it, there is a question worth answering honestly: does this fence actually need replacing? Posts are the fence and panels are cladding. If the posts are sound and the panels are tired, that is a repair, and we will quote it as a repair. If more than about a third of the posts move when you push them, the fence is at the end of its life and patching it is money spent twice.

When it is a replacement, the part that separates a real quote from a cheap one is the old concrete. Every post is sitting in a footing below the frost line, and after fifteen or twenty years those do not lift out cleanly. Some crews snap the post at grade, leave the concrete in the ground and shift the new line to miss it. That is faster, it is cheaper, and it is a problem you inherit. Ask every quote which one you are buying.

Licensed & insured
Old fence hauled away
Permit application assistance
Our own crew, never subcontracted

The four things that decide what a replacement costs

Repair or replace, what happens to the old footings, why the new posts need new holes, and where the old material goes.

1 in 3

When it stops being a repair

Push the posts. If more than about a third of them move, are rotted at grade or have heaved, you are replacing the fence rather than repairing it. Posts are the fence; panels are cladding. Sound posts with tired panels is a repair, and often a good one.

Old footings

The line item cheap quotes leave out

Every post on the old fence sits in concrete below the frost line, and after fifteen years it does not lift out cleanly. Ask any quote whether the old footings are coming out or staying in the ground — those are different jobs at different prices.

New holes

Why the old post positions rarely work

Post spacing follows panel width, and panel width changes with material and manufacturer. New posts also want undisturbed soil, not old backfill and broken concrete. New fence, new holes, new concrete.

Sorted

Where the old fence actually goes

Treated lumber is construction debris, not yard waste and not firewood. Vinyl is bulky and costs more to haul. Chain link and aluminum are scrap metal and can offset part of the disposal. We handle all of it.

From assessment to a cleared yard and a new fence

Five steps, with the demolition shown separately. Most residential replacements are two to four days on site.

1

Assessment and honest recommendation

We walk the line, test the posts and tell you plainly whether this is a replacement or a repair — including when only one run needs to come out and the rest can wait a few seasons.

2

Itemized estimate with the demolition shown

Removal, footing extraction and disposal appear as their own lines, separate from the new fence, so you can see exactly what the teardown costs before you commit.

3

Permit and markout

Most New Jersey towns require a zoning permit even for a like-for-like replacement. We help you prepare it, and we have the underground utilities marked before any hole is dug.

4

Removal and disposal

Old fence out, debris containered and hauled, and the old footings handled the way your estimate specifies. The yard is cleared before a single new post goes in.

5

New fence installed

New holes, posts set in fresh concrete, panels racked to follow the grade. Site cleaned and walked with you at the end.

What you get when Fence Pro by Bruno replaces your fence

The demolition is priced, not hidden

Removal, footings and disposal show as their own lines on the estimate. You should be able to see what the teardown costs — and compare quotes on the same basis.

We will tell you when to repair instead

Sound posts with bad panels is a repair, and we quote it as one. Selling a full replacement to somebody who needs three sections is how a company gets one job instead of a customer.

The old footings are a line on the estimate

Leaving them in the ground and shifting the new line to miss them is faster and cheaper, and it is a problem you inherit later. Whether they come out is written on your estimate as its own line, so you know which job you are buying.

Permits, including for like-for-like

Most townships require a zoning permit even to replace a fence in the same position. We help you prepare it, so a replacement does not become a violation.

We check where the line actually is

An old fence placed by a previous owner is not evidence of a boundary. If the survey and the existing fence disagree, that is worth resolving before we rebuild, not after.

200+ five-star Google reviews

Replacement is the majority of the residential work we do across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Morris County — where a lot of fence stock is now fifteen to twenty years old.

★★★★★
"Two of the three quotes we got never mentioned the old concrete. Fence Pro listed removal, footings and dumping as separate lines and explained why the others were cheaper. The yard was completely clear before they started building."
A Fence Pro by Bruno customer — Northern New Jersey Fence replacement
Financing

0% interest financing available

Replacing the whole line at once costs less than doing it in thirds over six years. Financing is how most of our clients get there.

See financing options
  • 0% interest for qualified buyers
  • Quick approval through our financing partner
  • Pay over 12, 24 or 36 months
  • No prepayment penalty if you pay off early

Fence replacement questions, answered

Repair or replace, removal and disposal, old footings, permits, partial replacement and storm damage.

Is it cheaper to repair or replace a fence?
Repair, until it is not. Two rules we use on site: if more than about a third of the posts are loose, rotted at grade or heaved, the fence is at the end of its life; and if the repair estimate approaches roughly 30% of what a full replacement costs, you are better off replacing, because you will spend the difference again in a few years on a fence that is still fifteen years old. Sound posts with weathered panels is the classic case where repair genuinely wins.
Do you remove and haul away the old fence?
Yes, and it appears on your estimate as its own line rather than being buried in the price. That covers taking the fence down, containering the debris and disposing of it — treated lumber as construction debris, vinyl to the appropriate stream, chain link and aluminum as scrap. What happens to the old concrete footings is written on the estimate as its own line.
Do I need a permit to replace an existing fence?
Usually yes. Most New Jersey municipalities require a zoning permit even when you replace a fence in the same location with the same type and height. We help you prepare the application. If you are moving the fence rather than replacing it in place, expect the town to look more closely at setbacks and to want a current survey.
Can the new fence reuse the old post holes?
Almost never. Post spacing is set by panel width, and panel width changes with material and manufacturer, so an old wood line rarely matches new vinyl panels. Beyond that, a new post should be set in undisturbed soil rather than in old backfill and broken concrete. New holes and fresh concrete are the correct answer even when they are not the cheap one.
What happens to the old concrete footings?
Whether they come out is written on your estimate rather than left to assumption. The alternative — snapping the post off at grade, leaving the concrete in the ground and shifting the new posts to miss it — is faster and cheaper, and it leaves a problem for whoever digs there next, including mid-run spacing that has to shift when a new hole hits old concrete. It is worth asking every quote you receive which of the two you are buying, ours included.
Can I replace just part of the fence?
Often that is the right answer, and we quote it that way. Replacing the failing run now and leaving two sound runs for later is legitimate, and matching a new section to an existing fence is straightforward in most materials. Where it gets harder is a discontinued panel style, in which case matching may cost more than replacing the line.
How long does a fence replacement take?
Most residential replacements are two to four days on site — removal and disposal first, then the new build. The longer part of the calendar is usually the permit and the utility markout beforehand, both of which run on schedules that are not ours.
My fence came down in a storm. Should I claim it on insurance?
Get the itemized estimate first, then do the math. Storm damage is generally covered as a sudden and accidental loss under the other-structures part of a homeowners policy, but your deductible applies and an actual-cash-value policy will depreciate an older fence. A partial repair often lands close to the deductible, in which case filing gains you little. Our guide to storm-damaged fences and insurance walks through it.

Ready to replace the old line?

Free written estimate with removal, footings and disposal shown as their own lines. Permit application help, utilities marked, our own crew on site.

Available Monday – Saturday, 8am – 8pm

Not sure it needs replacing yet?

Start with fence repair — sound posts with tired panels are worth saving. Choosing the new material? Compare vinyl, wood, aluminum and chain link, or see privacy fencing. Further reading: cost to remove and replace an old fence, how long a fence lasts in NJ and storm damage and insurance.

See fence cost guide →