Fencing in Woonona for Older Blocks
Most of the fences we pull out in Woonona have been there longer than the people living behind them. The suburb is full of older cottages on long, narrow blocks between the escarpment and the beach, and a lot of the boundary fences are original timber paling that has been patched, propped and leaned on for decades.
That changes what a new fence actually involves. The old posts are often rotted off below the ground and still sitting in the hole, the line has drifted over the years, and on some blocks a garden bed or a shed has been built hard up against it. Getting those out cleanly is half the job, and it is the half that never shows up in a quick quote.
We are Wollongong based and work through the northern suburbs every week. Timber, Colorbond and steel gates are all our own work, so a Woonona fence with a new side gate or a steel post at the driveway is one crew and one quote.
Fencing Work We Do in Woonona
Paling Fence Replacement in Woonona
The old fence comes out completely, posts and concrete included, and the spoil leaves with us. New treated pine or hardwood palings go up on treated rails, with posts set to suit the height and the clay. The line gets strung and checked before any post goes in, so the fence ends up straight even where the old one had wandered.
Colorbond on a Narrow Block
Colorbond suits a lot of Woonona blocks because it goes up fast, needs no painting and is square on a gentle fall. The sheets come in by hand down the side path, which is slower than an estate job but perfectly normal here. Near the beach we match the fixings to the steel so they do not rust out ahead of the fence.
Side Gates That Still Latch
A side gate that drags or will not latch is usually a post or bracing problem, not a hinge problem. We set the gate posts properly and build the frame square, in timber or steel from our own shop. If the path is narrow we size the gate to swing clear of the house rather than leaving it to hit the downpipe every time it opens.
Repairs After a Storm
Northern suburbs fences take the southerlies hard. Where a section has blown down, urgent repairs can go ahead without a formal fencing notice if one is not practical, and the neighbour still shares the cost. We make it safe first, then quote the proper fix rather than leaving a temporary prop in place for months.
Fences and Gates Around the Illawarra
A timber paling fence following the fall of a sloping backyard, with posts set in concrete.
Old Posts, Narrow Blocks and Salt Air
The posts are where an old Woonona fence has failed, nearly every time. Timber posts set straight into concrete hold water at the base, and after enough wet winters they rot through at ground level while the top still looks fine. When we take a fence out we pull the old posts and their concrete rather than cutting them off, because a new post cannot go in the same spot if the old footing is still there, and moving every post along the line to dodge them makes the panels uneven.
Narrow blocks mean access is tight. On a lot of these properties the only way to the back fence is down a side path barely wider than a wheelbarrow, so the old fence comes out by hand and the new materials go in the same way. That is normal and we plan for it, but it is worth knowing why a fence here takes a little longer than the same length on an open estate block.
The closer you are to the beach, the more the fixings matter. Salt air eats cheap nails and brackets well before it touches the timber, which is why we use galvanised or stainless fixings on the coastal side of the highway and pick the fixings to suit the fence material, not whatever is in the ute.
Then there is the neighbour. A boundary fence in NSW is shared, and under the Dividing Fences Act the two owners split the cost of a fence of a sufficient standard. If one of you wants something better than that, the extra is theirs. We do not decide who pays, but we can put the figure in writing so you both have the same number in front of you. If a fence needs replacing and your neighbour is hard to reach, a written fencing notice is the formal way to start, and it can go to the owner even when the house next door is rented.
More on fencing, Colorbond fencing, gates and handrails and retaining walls.
Should an Old Woonona Fence Be Repaired or Replaced?
If more than a few posts have rotted at the ground, replace it. A paling fence is only as good as its posts, and on older Woonona blocks the posts tend to go together because they were all put in at the same time, in the same ground, the same way. Patching one leaves the next one a winter away from failing.
Repair makes sense when the posts are mostly sound and the damage is local, like a run of palings knocked out, a sagging gate or a single post snapped by a falling branch. The quick test is to push on each post at the top. A sound post barely moves. One that rocks at the ground has rotted below it. We do that test with you on the first visit and put both options in writing, so the decision is yours and it is based on what is actually in the ground.
Need a fence line looked at in Woonona?
Send through photos of the fence line and the rough length, and you will get a straight answer on what it involves and what it costs.
Contracts, Deposits and What NSW Asks For
Renovation work in NSW comes with consumer protections worth knowing before you sign anything. A written contract is required once the contract price is over $5,000 including GST. Work between $5,000 and $20,000 can run under a small works contract; above $20,000 it needs a full home building contract, and home building compensation cover with the certificate that goes with it. The maximum deposit anyone can ask for is 10 per cent, on a small job or a large one. Variations should be agreed in writing before the varied work happens, not reconciled at the end. None of that is unique to us, and you should expect it from whoever you use.
Quoting a Woonona Fence
Every job gets quoted on what it actually needs. We look at the access, the condition of what is already there, the materials you want and how much of the existing work can be kept, then give you a figure before anything starts. Two jobs that look identical in photos can be very different once someone is standing in the room, so we do not publish a rate card. You get a price for your job, and it does not move once we have agreed it.
Woonona is a regular run for us, between Bulli, Bellambi and Corrimal, and fencing jobs along the northern suburbs get grouped where the timing allows so travel stays off the quote. A first visit means walking the line with you, testing the old posts, checking the side access and talking about the neighbour, so the quote reflects the real job rather than just the metres. There is no charge for that visit or the written quote.
Plumbing and electrical work is carried out by licensed partners, not in-house.
Woonona Fencing Questions
Do I need my neighbour's agreement to replace a fence in Woonona?+
For a shared boundary fence, you should get it. Under the NSW Dividing Fences Act the two owners share the cost of a fence of a sufficient standard, so the usual first step is a conversation and then a written quote you can both see. If you cannot agree, a fencing notice sets out the line, the work and the cost, and after a month either owner can go to the Local Court or NCAT. Mediation through a Community Justice Centre is also an option.
Can you just replace the rotten posts on our Woonona fence?+
Sometimes, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth it. If the palings and rails are still sound and only a few posts have gone, new posts or galvanised stirrups can buy the fence years. If most of the posts have rotted at the ground, replacing them one at a time costs nearly as much as a new fence and you still have old palings. We look at the posts first and give you both options in writing.
How do I get a fencing quote in Woonona?+
Send the length of the fence, a few photos of what is there now and whether it is shared with a neighbour. We then come out, walk the line, test the posts and check how the materials get in, because on a narrow block that changes the job. You get an itemised written quote with the exclusions listed, so you and your neighbour are looking at the same figure. We do not publish prices, because no two fence lines here are the same. Call 0413 147 335.
Can you do the fence, the gate and the retaining at the same time?+
Yes. Fencing, gates and the steel that goes with them are all our own work, and so is the low retaining that often sits under a fence where the two yards are at different levels. Doing them together means the posts, the wall and the gate are set out once, rather than one trade working around another. If plumbing or electrical work is needed nearby, such as a downpipe or a light on the side path, we organise licensed partners and keep it on the one job.
“Finally found someone who actually turned up when he said he would!”
“Cheerful, quick, and didn't try to upsell me on things I didn't need. Rare these days.”
“Turned a weekend-long headache into a one-visit fix. Absolute legend.”