How to Ensure Your Morehead City Fence is Hurricane-Ready

Coastal Living Reduces Your Fences’ Lifespan

From scenery to recreation, there are a lot of perks to living in a coastal town, but it doesn’t come without its downsides. A moisture-rich environment is hard on outdoor amenities, making regular maintenance a necessity to ensure they last. Factor in storm season, and you can expect to replace and repair outdoor features multiple times a year. Fencing is no exception; if your fence has become a victim of corrosion, wood rot, or warping, then you know how moisture takes its toll. In order to ensure your fence lasts another storm season, you’ll need to be on top of maintenance. 

Storm Season

Storm prep in Morehead City is more than just waterproofing your fence. You need a plan for hurricane season. When you have threats like wind-load, flying debris, and flooding to your property, you have to be prepared. The best way to be prepared is to have a plan. The best plans will include regularly assessing your fence for weak points and repairing them before they become a liability. 

Storm Prep Checklist

• Trim overhanging branches
• Secure gates
• Check for rotting/corrosion
• Brace anything leaning or loose
• Test post security
• Take photos of pre-storm condition

Has Your Fence Become a Liability?

Asking yourself the following questions can help you decide if your fence will last another season or might become a liability:

Is your fence leaning? 

If your fence is already leaning, your risk of fence failure, especially against hurricane-level wind loads, is greatly increased. If your fence fails, it could damage your property or, worse, your neighbors’. 

Is your fence rotted or corroded? 

Take a screwdriver to your fence and put some pressure on any points that look unstable. If your screwdriver goes through your wood or rust breaks away from your aluminum, you’ll need to assess whether or not those weak points make your fence a hazard. (It probably does). 

Are your posts stable?

Check if your posts are anchored well by firmly grabbing them and applying pressure; if your post wiggles, it likely needs to be reset. Pushing this off could result in your fence becoming like a sail and damaging surrounding structures in a storm.

After asking yourself these questions, you’ll need to evaluate whether or not it’s time to replace your fence. If you’re unsure, you can reach out to our Morehead City fence company for guidance. 

Best Fencing Material for Morehead City

The best fence material for a coastal city is something that can withstand moisture. Wood is porous, so if you’re not prepared to do regular maintenance, you may want to avoid this material when choosing a fence for your property. Aluminum provides enough space for wind to pass through without damage, but cheap aluminum is prone to corrosion, so you’ll need to ensure you use high-quality aluminum if you choose this material. Vinyl is the perfect choice for moisture resistance; a privacy fence may withstand high wind loads. Weighing the pros and cons of each material with an experienced fence contractor can help you decide what’s right for your property. 

Fencing Tips for Morehead Homeowners

Choosing a reliable fence contractor in Morehead is crucial to ensuring your fence is as strong as possible. You need a Morehead fence contractor that pulls out all the stops to ensure that your fence remains safe and stable even in a hurricane. There are a few things to look out for when choosing a fence contractor that’s right for you. Ask them these questions to better understand how they will ensure your fence is hurricane-ready. 

1. How do you anchor fence posts to ensure they remain stable even against hurricane-level winds?
2. How do you plan for flooding? What methods do you use to encourage proper drainage?
3. What coatings do you use to prevent corrosion?

Superior Fence & Rail of Morehead City is Your Coastal Fence Company

If you need guidance on any step of your fencing journey, feel free to reach out to our team of experienced fence contractors. We know what it takes to keep your fence in tiptop shape. Whether you just have a question or have decided it’s time to replace your old fence, our team members are dedicated to assisting our community members with all things fencing in Morehead City. Contact us today at (252) 359-4661 or click here for your free fence estimate.