Home / Wood Fence Installation and Repair Services
Wood Fence Installation and Repair Services
Licensed General Contractor · Bonded & Insured · CSLB #1033958
Where fences fail
At the dirt
The post, not the boards
Leaning fence
Posts only
Replaced without rebuilding the run
Rot & termites
Found & fixed
Posts replaced back to sound wood
Framing classification
C-5 licensed
Lic. #1033958 — family-owned since 2017
Wood fence installation & repair in San Diego County
A wood fence dies below the dirt
Not in the wind. Wind only reveals it. A fence goes over because the post rotted through at ground level — the one place on the whole fence that stays damp, has no air, and is where termites find wood already softened for them. Everything above it is usually still fine. That is why a leaning fence is almost never a fence problem: it is a post problem wearing a fence.
Which changes what you should be buying. Most people asking for a new fence actually need posts replaced and panels reset, at a fraction of the cost. So we look at the posts first, knock along the run, and tell you which it is. And when we do build new, the attention goes where the fence will fail: post depth, how the concrete is finished so water runs off instead of sitting, and grade sloped away from the wood.
GC Framing is a licensed California framing and rough carpentry contractor (CA Lic. #1033958, C-5) and holds the general building classification, family-owned in Chula Vista since 2017. Rot and termite damage is a constant part of our work — which is not a small thing on a fence, because a fence is wood, outdoors, in the ground, in a county where termites are a fact of life rather than a possibility.
The one decision that matters
What holds your fence up
Boards, height and pattern are the fun part. The posts decide how long any of it lasts, and it is the choice almost nobody is offered.
Wood posts — our default
Done this way a wood post lasts a long time. Done the way most fences in this county were built — shallow, in a concrete cup that collects water — it does not.
Steel posts — if you ask
We do not push these, and wood is what we build most. But if you want the fence to outlast its posts, say so at the walkthrough and we will quote both side by side.
Styles we build
Privacy, or something to look at
Most of these come down to one question: how much do you want to see through it, and does it need to look finished from both sides?
Full privacy
Open & decorative
Gates: walk gates and double drive gates, framed and hung so they still swing true in a year. Gates are the part of a fence people touch every day, so they are the part built heaviest.
How a fence goes in
Five steps, and two of them are about water
A fence is simple carpentry done outdoors in soil. Which means the whole job is really about keeping wood and water apart.
Walk the line
Where the property line actually runs, the slope, the drainage, tree roots, sprinklers, and where a gate needs to be. We also check what your city and HOA allow for height on that particular line.
Style, wood & quote
Pattern, height, wood species, post choice, gates, and finish — in writing, itemized, so you can see what the upgrades cost rather than being handed one number.
Old fence out
Tear-out, old posts and concrete dug out rather than left in the ground, and everything hauled away. New holes get fresh, correctly placed ground — not the wet cavity the last post died in.
Posts set & cured
Dug to depth, plumbed, aligned along the run, and set in concrete finished to shed water away from the post. Then left to cure before anything hangs off them.
Rails, boards & gates
Rails, boards to the chosen pattern, cap and trim, then gates hung and adjusted. Stain or seal if you want it. Site raked, offcuts and old concrete gone.
In every fence we build
The details that decide the lifespan
Repair & maintenance
Most fences we look at don’t need replacing
They need three posts and a gate. We will say so even though the bigger job pays better — because the bigger job is the one you would find out about later.
Rotted posts replaced
The repair that fixes most leaning fences. We pull the failed post and its old concrete, set a new one, and reattach the existing runs — without tearing out the good fence on either side of it.
Boards, sections & finish
Individual boards that have cupped, split or gone soft, a whole section, or a run replaced to match. Then staining and sealing to even out new lumber against weathered, and slow down the next round.
Gates that sag or stick
A gate that drags, will not latch, or has dropped at the corner. Re-hung, re-squared, hardware replaced, and the post it hangs from checked — because a sagging gate usually means that post is moving.
New gates in an old fence
Adding a walk gate for yard access, or a double drive gate wide enough for a trailer or a mower. Framed and hung to match the existing fence, with the opening properly posted on both sides.
Termite damage
A post that crumbles under a screwdriver gets read correctly the first time. Damaged material replaced, and an honest opinion about the rest of the run and what is likely next.
Storm & wind damage
A section down or boards torn off. We put the run back up — and check why that section was the one that went, which is nearly always a post that had already failed before the wind arrived.
Wood & materials
Which wood, and why it matters here
Redwood and cedar are naturally resistant to decay and insects without any treatment — the reason they have been the Southern California fence woods for a century, and worth the money on the boards you look at. Pressure-treated pine is treated to resist rot and termites and is the value option, especially below the rail line. Douglas fir is strong and economical for rails and framing. Most fences we build mix them: the right wood in each position rather than one species everywhere. Named by species and grade in your written quote, along with the post choice, so you can compare two fence bids honestly.
While we are in the yard
A fence job means a crew, tools and a truck already at your property, with the yard open. It is the cheapest time to deal with the other outdoor carpentry on your list — a deck with a soft post base, a storage shed, a patio cover, or siding that has been bothering you on the wall the fence runs past. One quote, one schedule, one mobilization.
Common questions
What people ask before they call
Why is my fence leaning?
A post has rotted through at ground level. The boards above it are usually still sound — the fence is leaning because what held it up has gone soft a few inches under the dirt. The fix is posts, not a new fence.
Do I need a whole new fence?
Usually not. Posts gone and boards sound means new posts and reset panels. Boards gone and posts solid means new boards. A full rebuild is honest when both have failed, or it has been patched in three different colours of lumber already.
Wood posts or steel?
Wood is our default and what we build most — it looks right and costs less, and set properly it lasts. Steel posts like Post Master cannot rot or be eaten and hide behind the boards. Ask and we will quote both so you can see the difference.
How tall can it be?
Generally six feet in a rear or side yard and lower in a front setback — but it varies by city, zoning and HOA, and corner lots have sight-line rules. We check what applies to your line at the walkthrough and design to it.
What will it cost?
Linear feet, height, style, wood, post choice, gates, slope, and whether an old fence has to come out all move the number. The walkthrough and written itemized quote are free, and the quote shows what each choice adds.
Should it be stained?
Redwood and cedar are fine left to weather to grey, if you like that. Stain or sealer slows the greying, evens new lumber against old, and buys the boards time. It is genuinely a preference — we will do either.
Where we work
The whole county, plus the mountain
Based in Chula Vista and building and repairing wood fences across San Diego County — South Bay, the city, East County, and North County coastal and inland — plus properties up in Big Bear, where freeze and snow load are hard on a fence in a way the coast never is. Coastal runs get a different hardware spec; salt air decides that.
South Bay
Chula Vista · Bonita · National City · Imperial Beach · San Ysidro · Otay Mesa
City of San Diego
San Diego · Clairemont · Mira Mesa · Miramar
East County
La Mesa · Lemon Grove · El Cajon · Santee · Alpine · Poway
North County
Del Mar · Rancho Santa Fe · Encinitas · Cardiff by the Sea · Carlsbad · Oceanside · Vista · San Marcos · Escondido
Get a free estimate
Tell us roughly how many feet
A full line, one side of the yard, three leaning posts, or a gate that has stopped closing. We walk the line, check the posts, tell you what your city allows for height, and put the work and the price in writing, itemized, at no cost.
Photos of the run help a lot here — especially of the posts at ground level. Mention you have them and we will ask.