How much to charge for fence installation
Fencing is quoted per linear foot, which works right up until the ground says otherwise. Posts, slope and demo are where the margin actually goes.
Below: the published wage for this work, why your billing rate has to be well above it, how this job is actually priced, and what moves the number. Put your own rate into the generator and you get a real itemized estimate built on it.
Generate this estimate now
Describe the job in plain words. No email needed to see your first estimate — about fifteen seconds for a small job, a little longer for a big one.
What you get — see the format first
A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor — itemized by task | hrs | hour | your rate | — |
| Materials — with your markup applied | qty | ea / sq ft | cost + markup | — |
| Permits, disposal, access | — | — | — | — |
Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.
Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.
How fence installation is priced
The headline number is per linear foot of fence for a given height and material, but that rate assumes ordinary digging and a straight run. Gates are priced per unit and cost far more than the equivalent length of fence, because hardware, bracing and hanging are all labour. Corner, end and gate posts are separate from line posts. Demolition and disposal of an existing fence is its own line, and rock, roots or hardpan turn digging from a rate into an hourly job.
What moves the number
- Material and height — the same run in cedar, vinyl, chain link or composite is a different job
- Soil conditions: rock, clay, roots or hardpan can multiply post-hole time
- Frost line depth, which dictates hole depth and concrete volume per post
- Slope — whether the fence steps down or rakes to follow grade, and how many transitions
- Number of gates, their width, and whether any are double or vehicle gates
- Removal and disposal of an existing fence, including old concrete footings
- Access for equipment, plus locating utilities before a single hole is dug
How fence installation gets underpriced
- Quoting per linear foot without walking the line and probing for rock
- Pricing gates as though they were just another six feet of fence
- Forgetting concrete, gravel and the dump run for spoil from every post hole
- Missing the cost of tearing out old footings, which is often harder than setting new ones
- No allowance for utility locates and the wait before digging can legally start
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How to estimate
How to write a contractor estimate · Estimate vs quote vs bid — and which one you should send · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to price a job as a contractor · Should you charge for estimates? · How to follow up on an estimate · How to handle change orders · Estimate vs invoice: what's the difference? · How to raise your prices as a contractor