Memphis sits on soft loess soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, which slowly tilts fence posts out of plumb. After a couple of storm seasons, that movement shows up as wobbly sections or gate latches that don’t line up anymore. Humidity doesn’t help either, since untreated or aging boards soak up moisture, making them warp or rot around fasteners. When we repair fences around Midtown, Cordova, and Bartlett, we usually find a mix of soil shift below and weather stress above. Local yards supply treated pine and cedar from places like Sutherlands and the Winchester Lowe’s, which hold up better through Memphis’s wet–dry cycles.