One number isn't a quote
"Install privacy fence, $5,800" tells you almost nothing. You can't tell what you're getting, you can't compare it with another bid, and if something is left out you'll find out when the crew is already in your yard.
The Federal Trade Commission's advice for any home improvement job is to get several estimates, each in writing and describing the work, the materials, the price and when it will be done. Then sign a contract with the contractor's name, address, phone number and license number, the start and finish dates, and every promise made out loud, with no blank spaces. If you sign it at home, you also get a written notice of your right to cancel within three business days. A fence is a small job, but the same rules hold.
Check your quote, line by line
Tick what your written quote actually says. Whatever is left unticked becomes a list of questions to send the contractor.
The lines that move the price
Labor and materials are most of any fence, and both scale with the length. Everything else is added on top. Here's how our suggested prices break down for a 150-foot, 6-foot-tall wood privacy fence with one walk gate, built by a contractor:
| Line | What it covers | Our figure |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Posts, rails, pickets, concrete and hardware | $2,700 |
| Labor | Digging, setting posts and building the fence | $2,550 |
| Walk gate | The gate, its hinges and latch, installed | $350 |
| Old fence removal | Tear-down only, if there is one | $525 |
| Haul-away | A crew taking the old fence to the dump | $300 |
Without the old fence, the likely range for that job is $4,760 to $6,440. If two quotes differ by more than that, the difference is usually in one of these lines: one includes removal and the other doesn't, one counts a second gate, or one is pricing cedar against the other's pine.
Then there are the things no website can see: rock, roots, a slope, a yard the crew can only reach through a side gate. A quote that names them is more honest than one that leaves them for later.
Put two quotes side by side
Divide each total by the length to get a price per foot. That makes quotes for slightly different lengths comparable, and it's how most contractors think about price anyway. Then go line by line through the checklist above. The cheaper quote is only cheaper if it covers the same job, and the FTC's advice is not to hire the lowest bidder automatically. If two quotes are far apart, ask each contractor to explain why.
When you have a number, the fence quote checker puts it against our likely range for the same fence and tells you what to ask, whichever side of the range it lands on.
Red flags
The FTC lists warning signs that apply to fence contractors as much as anyone:
- Asking for all of the money, or most of it, before the work starts.
- Accepting only cash.
- Pressure to sign today, or a price that's only good if you decide right now.
- No written contract, or one with blanks in it.
- Turning up uninvited, saying they're working nearby or have materials left over from another job.
- Telling you to get the building permit yourself.
Ask for proof of insurance and, where your state licenses contractors, the license number, and check it with the state. A contractor who's happy to show both has nothing to hide.
Deposits and payments
Some states limit how much a contractor can take up front. California's rule is the clearest: no more than $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, and later payments can't get ahead of the work that's been done. Where there's no limit, a deposit that covers materials and payments tied to finished stages are a fair arrangement.
Hold the last payment until the fence is finished, the gates swing and latch, and the yard is cleaned up. The FTC's advice is the same: don't make the final payment until you're satisfied with the work.
Fair questions
Is the cheapest quote a bad sign?
Not by itself. Labor costs less in some places, and some crews are simply efficient. It's a bad sign when it's cheap because something is missing, so check it against the list above before you celebrate.
Should the quote include the permit?
It should at least say who gets it. Many fences don't need one, but where yours does, the contractor normally applies for it and passes the fee on. The FTC counts a contractor who tells you to get the permits yourself among its warning signs. Our guide to fence permits explains when one is needed.
Who decides where the property line is?
You do, not the contractor, and a fence on the neighbor's land is your problem. If the line isn't clearly marked, a survey costs far less than moving a fence. See how close a fence can go to the property line.
Can I buy the materials and pay only for labor?
Some contractors will, and some won't warranty work done with materials they didn't choose. Ask before you buy anything. Our post and picket calculators count what the job takes.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, How to avoid a home improvement scam: what a written estimate and a contract should say, checking licenses and insurance, and how to handle payments.
- California Contractors State License Board, Learn about home improvement contracts: California's limit on down payments and its rule that payments can't run ahead of the work.
- Call 811: the national call-before-you-dig service, for when and how to have buried utilities marked.
- How we calculate: every suggested price behind this calculator, with the date it was last reviewed.
