Fence Removal After a Storm in Central Florida

After a storm rolls through Central Florida, the fence is the first thing that looks wrong. A wood panel is flat on the grass, chain link is bowed under a limb, or a whole run of vinyl is leaning into the yard next door. Here's how I take out what the storm ruined, what to do about the neighbor, and when it's worth waiting on the county instead of calling me.

What does a storm do to each kind of fence?

Wood. Wind pushes on a solid privacy fence like a sail. Posts snap at the ground where they've been rotting for years, and panels go over in sections. Usually some panels are fine and some are kindling.

Chain link. It bends more than it breaks. A limb lands on it and the top rail folds. The fabric is sometimes reusable if you're patient. Bent posts are not.

Vinyl. Panels pop out of the posts, and the posts themselves crack. Vinyl doesn't rot, but it does break, and broken vinyl doesn't go back together.

Most storm fence jobs are a mix: pull the wrecked sections, leave the good ones, and haul the pile.

Do you pull the posts and the concrete?

Yes, and this is the part homeowners give up on. A snapped post leaves a stub in a concrete footing. Pulling that by hand is an afternoon per post. I use the skid steer or a post jack and it comes out footing and all. Wood, chain link and vinyl posts go on the trailer with the panels. The concrete footings don't ride in the dump trailer, so I quote their haul-out with the job through my dump-truck partners, and you hear that number before the work starts. If a new fence is going on the same line, the installer usually wants the old footings gone. Ask them.

What about the fence I share with my neighbor?

Talk to your neighbor. That's my whole advice, and I mean it. A storm fence sits on the line between two yards, and both of you are going to be dealing with it. I remove what you point at along your side. If a run sits on the line, sort out with them who's paying and what's replacing it before I show up. I'm not the person to settle that, and I won't guess at who owns which post.

Should I wait for county debris pickup?

Maybe. After a named storm, the counties activate a separate debris collection that's free to residents. Polk County Solid Waste asks you to keep storm debris separate from household garbage and sort it into piles at the curb, with construction and demolition debris, things like building materials and lumber, in its own stack away from the vegetative pile. Check the county's hurricane page for the current storm's schedule. I wrote up how county pickup and a hauler compare after a hurricane.

Where the county falls short on fences:

• Posts with concrete footings. Dragging those to the curb is the hard part, and nobody from the county pulls them for you.
• Time. Debris pickup runs street by street and can take weeks. If your dog is loose or the yard is open to the road, that's a long wait.
• Gated communities. Some counties don't collect on private roads without paperwork.
• The fence that's still standing but done. The county takes what's at the curb. It doesn't take a leaning fence apart.

If the county fits, use it. It's free. I'm for when the timing or the posts make it not fit.

How is storm fence removal priced?

By the trailer, the same as any other week. Panels are light and bulky, so it's mostly about volume: $225 for a quarter trailer, $350 for a half, $525 for three-quarters, $700 for a full, all-inclusive. A short run of wrecked panels is a quarter. A whole backyard of privacy fence with posts is a half or a full. Rough feet and a photo get you a number, and the number holds. No storm surcharge.

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What should I do before you come?

1. Take photos of the whole line, not just the worst section, so I can count panels.
2. Mark the sections you're keeping with tape or a flag.
3. Move anything leaning on the fence, like the grill or the trash cans.
4. If there's irrigation or low-voltage wire along the line, tell me. Sunshine 811 marks buried utility lines for free if you call ahead.
5. Let your neighbor know a truck is coming.

What Big Rob's does here

The fence removal page covers the everyday version, and storm debris cleanup covers the rest of the pile. Storm fence calls come from Davenport, Poinciana, Kissimmee, Haines City and Clermont.

Text a photo of the fence line to (863) 225-2147 and I'll tell you what size it is.