🎯 The business: you fix fences and decks, you do not build them. A leaning section, a rotten post, a gate that drags, a handful of soft boards, a wobbly rail. Contractors ignore these jobs, and repairs stay under most licensing caps that building does not.
Homeowners after a storm, sellers with an inspection report, landlords and HOAs. A post replacement runs $200 to $400, a gate rebuild $250 to $500, a deck board-and-rail repair $400 to $1,200. Staining and sealing a deck is the add-on that doubles the ticket. Wind season fills the calendar for a month.
| Saw, drill, post-hole digger, levels, clamps, demo tools | $1,000 |
| Trailer or truck bed rack for lumber | $0 to $1,500 |
| LLC, insurance | $800 |
| Lead-app budget and lettering | $800 |
| All-in | ≈ $2,500 to $4,000 |
Learn your state’s cap and keep every quote under it. Repair your own fence and two neighbors’ for photos. Introduce yourself to home inspectors and realtors; inspection reports are a list of your jobs with a deadline. Price by the post, the gate and the board, and put the price sheet on your site.
Two $350 post-and-section repairs in a day is $700 with maybe $120 in lumber and concrete. Four days a week is about $2,500 of labor a week, more in storm season. Deck staining at $600 to $1,200 a deck in spring and fall turns a repair business into a year-round one.
Repairs under the handyman cap need no contractor license in most states; replacing a whole fence line or building a deck usually does, and a deck often needs a permit. Call 811 before you dig a post hole. HOAs regulate fence height and style.
A repair becomes a rebuild once you see the rest of the fence, and you are over the cap. Hidden utility lines. Lumber prices jump between quote and job. And the customer who wants the whole deck for the price of the repair. Quote the repair, name the rebuild price, and let them choose.