How to Estimate Fence Cost? Your Guide to Correct Your Prices

The fencing industry is valued at around $28 billion and can grow 5% by 2027. And the United States is home to over 50,000 fence contractors.

With the rising competition, it’s getting difficult for fence contractors and businesses to sustain in the market, and they are starting to lower their prices, disrupting the industry.

There are multiple speculations about the right fence cost that needs to be charged to the customers, but we’ll remove all the doubts and queries about how to estimate fence cost.

Our team has highlighted the nitty-gritty aspects of the cost of a fence to help you bypass troubles and ensure that you run a successful fencing business.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Factors that Affect the Fence Cost

1. Size

Multiple factors can be considered while finalizing the cost of the fencing project, but we have highlighted a few of the prominent ones

While calculating the fencing cost, size plays a critical role in dictating the project’s price. The wider the area that needs to be fenced, the more material and working hours are required, thus increasing the project’s overall price.

You need to measure the area per foot size and analyze the clients’ specific requirements to finalize the final quote.

You can estimate the price based on the size, close to the national average fence cost per linear foot. You don’t want to undercharge to lose your profits or overcharge to lose your clients to other fence installation businesses.

2. Material

When it comes to fences, different fence materials have their specific prices. The least expensive is the simple chicken wire fence, and the most expensive is the composite fence. According to LawnStarter, we researched the average fence price brackets, which can vary from $1 to $57 per linear feet.

Let’s explore a few different types of fence materials that can help you understand their per linear foot pricing for better calculation.

• Chain link fence cost

  The chain link fencing can range from $12 – $33 per linear foot, depending upon the style and height of the chain link fence. Being an effective material used in the fencing industry, you can pitch your client’s different chain links in 4′, 5′, and 6′ heights.

  

  You can also offer different colors in chain link fencing that can increase the variety for the clients to ensure that they get what they desire. Chain link is available in metallic, green, and brown.

• Wood picket fence cost

  The wood picket fence is one of the affordable fencing options with a price range between $5 – $15 per foot. Cedar, redwood, and pressure-treated are the commonly used wood fences that can protect your client’s area.

  

  You should provide different types of wood options to your clients that can help you increase your variety. These woods can be left natural or painted in different colors based on the requirements.

  Pickets can be considered a decorative and cost-effective choice, but you need to make the customer aware that it offers less security and privacy.

• Wood privacy fence cost

  Wood privacy fence costs around $14 – $31 per linear foot in the fence industry. It’s a great material that adds great privacy and security to the client’s area compared to the wood picket cost. The style and wood choice can vary the final quote offered to the client.

  You can offer different styles of privacy to your clients, like a solid board, stockade, and shadowbox. The wide variety can help you cater to clients with different requirements.

• Vinyl picket fence cost

  The vinyl picket fence is priced at around $17 – $38 per foot and is expensive compared to its wood counterpart. Vinyl is maintenance-free and beautiful. Your customer can recoup the overall cost of the fence over time by skipping the painting and staining costs.

  

  You can explain the benefits of the vinyl fence over the wood fence to increase your profits and revenue. Unlike wood, vinyl is resistant to rotting and lasts longer as it requires fewer repairs.

  Although it may increase your initial revenue and profits, vinyl fencing won’t drive much repair work that can decrease your future profits. But it’s fine because you don’t have an unsatisfied client in your customer base, right?

• Vinyl privacy fence cost

  The premium version of the vinyl fence is a privacy fence that can cost the clients around $30 – $55 per linear feet. The fencing is closed and offers great security and privacy.

  It also has a beauty and maintenance-free quotient like the vinyl fence.

• Aluminum fence cost

  Aluminum fences offer a durable and upscale look. They can cost up to $27 – $55 per foot but don’t require repair or maintenance. It adds great security to the client’s property and is an excellent alternative to the iron fence.

  

  You can suggest your clients use aluminum fences if they need sturdiness and high security for their area.

3. Style

You might have got an idea that, like different materials, the price of the fence changes based on the style also.

Like in the above examples, there was a clear difference in the picket and privacy fence. Some fence styles take more material and skill to install, thus increase the overall cost to install.

Some of the fences are inexpensive and simpler to install.  The most common fence styles are rail fence (aka ranch fence), privacy fence, board on board fence (aka shadowbox fence), and different per-foot fences.

4. Height

Usually, the standard height of the fence is 6 feet, but there are different options that you can offer to your clients that may vary the overall pricing. Fences come in different sizes, including 8 feet for backyard protection and 4 feet for decorative fences in the front.

You need to figure out the budget for the fence at the average 6 feet size and then add or subtract the cost based on the different fence heights.

5. Gates

The regular fence panels are inexpensive to install compared to the gates. It is a significant factor that impacts the cost of the overall fencing project. The size, location, and type of the gate affect how much you need to charge.

A simple wooden walkway through the gate will cost less than an automatic aluminum driveway gate.

6. Slope of land

If the fencing project needs to be completed on uneven terrain or a hill, then more work is required for your on-ground workers to complete the project. You need to regrade the land, which increases the project’s overall cost.

You need to ensure that additional factors like these are included during the price estimation of the fencing project. Talking about additional services may include different tasks.

7. Extra services

Multiple fencing segments are included in the extra services that can increase the overall cost to install. Sometimes, you need to replace the customers’ existing fence, which requires more labor and labor costs. You need to set a standard price for removing fences per foot.

Similar is the case for staining or painting the wood fence. Sometimes, the clients may want a specific fence color that requires additional painting work. You need experts who can paint for your service business, or you can outsource the task to another contractor.

Either way, you need to add the additional service cost and labor costs to your estimate. One more situation may arise that can trigger the fencing project estimate and that is The fence’s path may get blocked by different existing features in the client’s landscape, like bushes or trees.

You need proper landscaping tools and experts to handle the removal part, which should be included in the overall cost.

These are the major factors that can affect the overall price of the wood fencing project. Now let’s focus on how to estimate your fencing cost.

How to Estimate Your Fencing Costs?

Once you understand these major factors, it will become easier to estimate the fencing cost. You can visit the client’s location and know their zip code to verify different factors and understand the overall requirements to tailor the pitch-perfect estimate for your clients.

You can standardize your fencing business pricing so that it doesn’t sound expensive to your target audience and ensure that people are happy and are willing to pay the amount you quote.

You can also use modern-day technology that can help you with the final invoicing of the project. A field service management software can enable your workforce to create quick invoices once the project is completed and share them with the clients for easy and simplified digital payments.

It can help you to add different additional factors that weren’t included in the initial quote and ensure that you deliver a transparent and effective customer experience.

How Can Field Service Software Help Your Fencing Business?

A quality field service management software enables the on-ground workforce to consistently stay connected to the management team for quick assistance while handling dynamic situations.

It provides real-time updates about the location of the service staff, which can be shared with the customers to maintain complete transparency with them.

You can use field service management software to extract well-vetted reports to optimize your business operations that need improvements.

A field management software ensures that it delivers an excellent customer experience because of simplified and automated workflows.

But there are only a few software that can deliver a quality experience for your business. It may get difficult for you to finalize the best for your business, but we have done the hard work on your behalf.

FieldCamp Got You Covered

FieldCamp is the leading field service management solution that can help you improve your fencing service operations and ensure that you deliver a quality customer experience.

You get centralized control over the business operations that bring the best in your team and create a positive and productive environment. You can schedule the service task, get real-time updates, and check the work history within a few clicks.

FieldCamp enables you to create a powerful communication channel between your on-ground team and inner management force that helps you streamline your workflow.

You can digitize up to 90% of the daily tasks and increase business productivity by 95% to stand out from the competitors.

So, what’s making you wait?

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