Timber Fence Cost NSW 2026 - Get Free Quotes

Timber Fence Costs in NSW

Timber fencing is quoted per linear metre, running from $75 for a basic treated pine paling fence to $400 or more for a hardwood feature screen. Most residential boundary work sits between $90 and $180 a metre once style, height and timber are settled. Broader carpentry rates appear at carpentry pricing. Measure the whole run before requesting any quote. A quote per metre against an unmeasured length is a quote against nothing.

A complete project including gates totals $3,000 to $15,000. That range covers everything from a short front boundary to a full perimeter on a larger block, and the per metre rate only becomes meaningful once you know how many metres you actually have. The total length drives the total figure. A tape measure costs nothing at all. A twenty metre side boundary and an eighty metre perimeter are entirely different projects at the same rate. An auger sets a post hole in minutes and hand digging takes twenty.

Style affects the price as much as timber does. A simple paling fence uses standard components and straightforward construction, while a horizontal slat or feature design needs more material, tighter tolerances and considerably more labour per metre. Design complexity compounds right through the job. Simple construction is genuinely cheaper per metre. A slat fence takes roughly twice the fixing time of a paling fence over the same distance. That labour difference is most of the price gap.

What a Quote Covers

A standard fencing quote covers site assessment, post hole digging, posts, concrete footings, rails, palings or panels and site cleanup. What varies between quotes is whether capping, gates, old fence removal and disposal sit inside that figure or outside it. Confirm the inclusions line by line beforehand. Old fence removal is the usual omission. Read what each quote includes rather than what each one costs. Line by line is the only useful comparison.

Post hole digging is normally done with a machine auger where access allows. Where it does not, the holes are dug by hand, which adds hours to a job that would otherwise take a morning, and that difference is substantial across a long run. Site access determines which method is possible. Hand digging costs considerably more in labour. Old fencing carries a tip fee that varies between councils.

Concrete footings are what determine whether a fence lasts. Posts set in properly proportioned concrete at adequate depth stay plumb for decades, while shallow or under filled footings let a fence lean within a few years. Footing specification is worth asking about directly. Cutting corners on footings is invisible initially. A post hole that is too shallow or too narrow saves a few dollars of concrete and costs the whole fence. Timber shrinks across its width as it dries and opens gaps.

Rail configuration varies with height and style. A 1.8 metre paling fence uses two or three rails depending on the span between posts, and reducing rail count is a common way of quoting cheaper without saying so. Ask exactly how many rails are specified. Fewer rails means noticeably more flex. A two rail fence at 1.8 metres flexes noticeably in wind where a three rail one does not. The saving is a few dollars a metre and the difference is permanent.

Capping along the top is sometimes included and sometimes extra. A capping rail protects the end grain of palings from weather and finishes the fence visually, and its absence shortens the life of the timber underneath. Capping protects the exposed end grain. Confirm whether capping is priced in. Exposed paling end grain absorbs water and rots from the top downward. A capping rail is cheap insurance against that.

Old fence removal adds $10 to $30 a linear metre plus disposal. Some existing posts or footings can be reused where they are sound and correctly positioned, which reduces the new work, though a fencer will assess rather than assume. Removal is nearly always quoted separately. Reusable posts genuinely reduce the total. Halving the picket gap roughly doubles the picket count.

Paling Fences

A treated pine paling fence at 1.8 metres costs $75 to $130 a linear metre installed. This is the standard residential boundary fence across most of New South Wales, using pine posts, rails and palings with everything treated for in ground or above ground use as suitable. Pine paling is the default residential choice. It is the best value per metre available. Pine paling remains the most common residential fence in the state by a wide margin. String lines and a laser level are standard on slat work.

Hardwood paling fences run $130 to $200 a linear metre. Spotted gum, ironbark and cypress deliver considerably longer service life than treated pine through natural durability rather than chemical treatment, which is why the initial cost is higher. Hardwood costs considerably more at the outset. It also lasts substantially longer in return. Hardwood also holds its shape better through wet and dry cycles than treated pine does. Straightness matters more on a visible boundary.

Height changes the material quantity and therefore the price. A 2.1 metre fence uses more paling, longer posts and deeper footings than a 1.8 metre one, and the increase is more than proportional because the taller fence carries more wind load. Taller fences cost more than proportionally. Wind loading increases sharply with height. A 2.1 metre fence carries roughly seventeen per cent more sail area than a 1.8 metre one. Posts and footings both have to account for that.

Lapped and capped construction costs more than a plain paling run. Overlapping the palings removes the gaps that open as timber shrinks and adding a capping rail finishes the top, and both together add meaningfully to a per metre figure. Retaining walls are priced at timber retaining wall costs. Lapped construction eliminates those shrinkage gaps.

Paling thickness and width vary more than people notice. A thicker paling costs more and warps less, and a fencer quoting unusually low is frequently specifying thinner stock than the competition without mentioning it. Ask what paling dimensions have been specified. Thin palings cup and twist within seasons. Thinner palings also cost less to buy, which is exactly why they appear in cheaper quotes.

Post spacing affects both cost and longevity. Wider spacing uses fewer posts and quotes cheaper, though it increases the span each rail carries and the flex the fence develops over time. Standard post spacing exists for good reason, and decking is priced at timber decking costs. Ask what post centres are being used. Standard post centres sit around two point four metres on most residential fencing. Anything wider is a decision rather than a default.

Picket Fences

A picket fence at 1.2 metres runs $90 to $180 a linear metre. Front boundary fencing is the usual application, where the purpose is definition and appearance rather than privacy, and the lower height keeps material quantities down. Picket fencing suits a front boundary. The height stays low by design. A 1.2 metre picket fence uses roughly two thirds the material of a 1.8 metre paling fence. Height is why the rate looks similar despite the extra detail.

Picket spacing drives both look and cost. Wider gaps use fewer pickets and cost less, while closer spacing uses more material and more fixing time, and the visual difference between the two is considerable. Picket spacing is a genuine cost lever. Closer spacing costs proportionally more again.

Picket profile affects the price more than expected. A square cut picket is cheapest, while pointed, rounded or decoratively shaped tops add machining cost and sometimes need to be ordered rather than cut on site. Picket profiles get quoted individually by the fencer. Custom shapes carry their own lead time. A shaped picket top has to be cut, sanded and frequently primed before installation.

Painted picket fences carry an ongoing commitment. A painted finish looks right on a period property and needs recoating every few years, while a stained or oiled finish weathers more gracefully with less frequent attention. Painting is priced at timber window costs for related joinery. Painted finishes need recoating every few years. A painted fence needs preparation as well as paint at each recoat. Factoring that into a decade of ownership changes the comparison.

Heritage properties sometimes have specific requirements. A conservation area or a heritage listed property may have controls on fence style, height and material at the front boundary, which limits the options considerably. Check any heritage controls before designing. Front boundaries attract considerably more scrutiny. Conservation area controls apply to what is visible from the street rather than to the whole property. Rear boundaries are usually unaffected entirely.

A picket fence rarely satisfies a pool barrier requirement. Pool fencing has its own specific rules on height, gap spacing, climbability and gate hardware, and a decorative picket fence almost never complies. Pool barriers follow an entirely separate rulebook. Never assume a picket fence qualifies.

Horizontal Slat Fences

Standard horizontal slat fencing costs $150 to $220 a linear metre installed. Treated pine or merbau slats with moderate spacing sits in that range, and the style has become the default for anybody wanting a contemporary look rather than a traditional one. Slat fencing reads as contemporary rather than traditional in style. The slat spacing sets the character. The style has moved from architectural to mainstream over the last decade.

Premium horizontal designs reach $200 to $280 a linear metre. Tight spacing for privacy, wider slat profiles or hardwood species all push toward the upper end, and the material cost rises faster than the labour does. Tighter spacing simply means more material. Privacy costs real money per metre. A twenty millimetre gap and a forty millimetre gap on the same run differ by nearly double the slat count. Privacy is bought by the metre.

Horizontal construction demands better posts than vertical does. Slats fix to the posts directly rather than to rails, which means post spacing and rigidity matter more, and any movement in a post shows immediately across the whole run. Posts carry considerably more load horizontally. Any movement is far more visible. A post that has moved a few millimetres shows as a visible kink across every slat line. Vertical palings hide the same movement completely.

Slat fences need more attention to level than paling fences. A horizontal line reveals any variation in the ground or the posts, where a vertical paling fence hides it, so the setting out takes longer and matters more. Outdoor structures are quoted at outdoor structure costs. A horizontal line exposes every small error.

Timber selection matters more on a slat fence. Slats are usually visible from both sides and often at close range, so cupping, twisting or splitting shows in a way it does not on a paling fence at the back boundary. Visible timber needs better quality stock. Defects are painfully obvious on slats. A cupped slat on a fence you walk past daily is a permanent irritation.

Feature screen fences at $200 to $400 a linear metre sit at the top of the range. Battened screens, mixed material panels and architectural designs all sit here, and the figure reflects design work and fabrication as much as installation. Decking is priced at timber decking costs. Feature screen work is largely bespoke. Feature screens frequently involve fabrication off site and installation as panels. That approach costs more and delivers a better result.

Choosing the Timber

Treated pine is the value option and perfectly adequate for most fences. Pine treated to the right hazard level resists rot and termites for decades in ground, and the treatment level rather than the species is what matters for anything below ground. The treatment level matters more than the species. Check the treatment rating on any post. Hazard level ratings tell you where a piece of treated timber can be used safely. Anything in ground needs a higher rating than anything above it.

Hardwood delivers longevity through density rather than chemistry. Spotted gum, ironbark and blackbutt resist decay naturally, hold fixings better and stay straighter over time, though they cost more and are harder to work. Hardwood is naturally durable without treatment. It also holds fixings considerably better.

Merbau is common on slat and feature work for good reason. It is stable, takes a finish well and weathers to a consistent grey if left alone, though it leaches tannin heavily in the first year and stains anything below it. Merbau bleeds tannin heavily at first. Protect any paving sitting underneath it. Merbau tannin runs heavily in the first few months of rain.

Cypress pine sits between the two on price and durability. It has natural termite resistance without treatment and works more easily than dense hardwood, making it a sensible middle option where budget matters. Cypress resists termites without any treatment. It works more easily than hardwood. Cypress is easier on tools than spotted gum or ironbark, which shows in the labour. Availability varies more than pine or hardwood.

Posts deserve better timber than palings do. A post failure means digging out concrete and rebuilding a section, while a failed paling is a ten minute replacement, so spending more on posts is where the money goes furthest. Gates are quoted at timber gate costs. Spend the extra money on the posts. A single failed post means excavating concrete, resetting and refixing rails and palings either side. That repair costs many times what a better post would have.

Galvanised or stainless fixings are worth specifying. Standard fixings rust, stain the timber and eventually fail, and the cost difference across a whole fence is small against the appearance and life it buys. Fixings are the cheapest upgrade available. Coastal properties need stainless fixings throughout.

Gates and Hardware

A pedestrian gate costs $300 to $800 supplied and fitted on site. Width, height, timber and hardware all move that figure, and a gate matched to a feature fence costs considerably more than one matched to a paling run. Matching the fence style adds real cost. A gate on a paling run can be built from the same components while a feature gate is usually made to order. Lead times differ accordingly between the two.

Double or driveway gates run $1,200 to $2,500 and higher. The span requires heavier framing, stronger posts and better hardware, and anything wide enough for a vehicle carries real weight that has to be supported for decades. Wide gates need genuinely heavy posts. Sag is the most common gate failure. A three metre driveway gate puts substantial load on the hinge.

Hardware quality determines whether a gate still works in five years. Hinges, latches and drop bolts take constant use and weather, and cheap hardware seizes, sags or breaks long before the timber does. Buy the hardware once rather than twice over. Hinges are where most gates eventually fail. Adjustable hinges are worth the extra because a gate that drops can be brought back into line. Fixed hinges leave you rehanging it.

Gate posts need to be substantially better than fence posts. A gate hangs its entire weight off one post and swings that load repeatedly, which means a larger section, deeper footing and more concrete than the run either side. A gate post carries a moving load. An undersized gate post leans within months. A gate post frequently needs to be a size larger and set half a metre deeper than the fence posts. That difference is easy to leave out of a cheap quote.

Automation is possible and adds considerably to the cost. A motorised driveway gate needs power, a controller, safety sensors and an electrician alongside the fencer, and that is a separate project rather than an add on. Carports are priced at carport installation costs. Automation involves a separate trade entirely.

Pool gates have prescribed hardware and no flexibility. Self closing hinges, self latching mechanisms at the required height and a gate that opens outward from the pool are all mandatory rather than optional. There is no flexibility on pool gate hardware. Compliance gets checked at the pool inspection. Pool gate hardware is inspected rather than taken on trust.

Site Factors

Sloping ground changes both method and cost. A fence on a slope is either stepped down in sections or raked to follow the ground, and both take longer to set out and build than a level run. Slopes add labour rather than extra material. Stepping and raking look quite different from each other. A stepped fence follows the ground in level sections with a visible step at each post. Raking follows the slope continuously and looks quite different.

Rock is the variation nobody budgets for. Sandstone shelves across much of Sydney and rocky ground through the tablelands can stop an auger entirely, requiring a rock breaker or hand excavation at every affected post. Rock stops a machine auger completely. Sydney sandstone is the usual culprit here. A rock breaker is hired by the day rather than the hour on most jobs. One post in rock and ten cost much the same in hire.

Access decides whether machinery can be used at all. A rear boundary reachable only through a house or down a narrow side path means every post, rail and paling is carried by hand, which adds a day to a job. Poor access rules out any mechanisation entirely. Carrying materials by hand costs hours.

Underground services must be located before any post hole is dug. Gas, water, electrical and telecommunications lines run through yards more often than people expect, and hitting one turns a fencing job into a serious incident. Have all services located well beforehand. The service enquiry itself is free. Service location marking takes a few days to arrange and costs nothing at all.

Existing vegetation adds cost where it has to be removed. Tree roots in the post line, established shrubs along the boundary and overhanging branches all need dealing with before the fence goes in. Clearing vegetation is usually quoted separately. Root cutting near an established tree can also destabilise it, which is an arborist question rather than a fencer's. Both trades occasionally attend the same job.

Drainage and retaining interactions need thinking through. A fence at the bottom of a slope collects water and debris, and a fence doubling as a retaining element is a different structure with different requirements entirely. A fence does not retain soil. A fence is not designed to hold back soil and will fail if asked to. A retaining wall is an engineered structure with entirely different requirements.

Neighbours and the Law

Dividing fences legislation makes a boundary fence a shared responsibility. A neighbour is generally liable for half the cost of a fence sufficient for the purpose, and that entitlement exists whether or not you discuss it beforehand. Fair trading matters are administered by NSW Fair Trading. Half the cost is the default legal position. The legislation is designed around agreement rather than litigation. Most matters resolve at the notice stage without anything further.

Sufficient is the operative word and it is not the same as ideal. The legislation contemplates a fence adequate for the purpose given the properties involved, so where you want hardwood slats and the neighbour is content with pine palings, the difference is generally yours to fund. Sufficient is a legal standard rather than an opinion. Any upgrade is your own cost. A neighbour cannot be made to contribute toward a feature screen where a paling fence would have done. The upgrade is yours to fund.

Written notice is the mechanism that makes the process work. A notice setting out the proposed work, the materials and the cost gives the neighbour a defined period to agree or respond, and it is the step that turns an informal conversation into an enforceable position. A written notice starts the formal process. A verbal agreement is difficult to rely on afterwards.

The local tribunal resolves disagreements where notice fails. Where a neighbour will not agree or does not respond, the matter can go to the tribunal for a determination on what fence is sufficient and how the cost is shared. Fencing disputes have a defined pathway. The tribunal decides what counts as sufficient. Tribunal applications carry a modest fee and take some weeks to be heard.

Council controls apply to height, particularly at the front. Front fences are commonly limited in height and sometimes in material or transparency, while rear and side boundaries have more latitude, and exceeding a control means an application. Planning is administered by NSW Planning. Front fence height is nearly always controlled. Corner blocks and properties on a public reserve frequently have additional controls. Two frontages means two sets of restrictions.

Boundary position matters more than people assume. A fence built off the true boundary can create adverse possession complications years later, and a survey is worth the cost where the line is genuinely unclear. Standards are published by Standards Australia. Get a survey where the boundary is genuinely unclear. A survey costs a few hundred dollars and settles the question permanently. Building on assumption is what creates the problem.

Maintenance and Lifespan

A treated pine paling fence lasts fifteen to twenty five years with reasonable care. Posts fail before palings do, usually at ground level where moisture and oxygen meet, and a fence is generally replaced rather than repaired once several posts have gone. Posts fail well before the palings do. Ground level is where the rot always starts.

Hardwood fencing runs twenty five to forty years depending on species and exposure. The extra initial cost works out favourably across that period, particularly where a fence would otherwise need replacing twice. A hardwood fence sees out two pine ones, with flooring quoted at timber flooring costs. The economics favour hardwood over the long term. A hardwood fence replaced once where a pine fence would need replacing twice pays for itself outright.

Oiling or staining extends the life of visible timber. A slat or feature fence benefits considerably from a coating every few years, while a back boundary paling fence is frequently left to weather without much consequence. Visible fences benefit considerably from a coating. A back boundary can weather naturally. A coating also stabilises the timber and reduces the movement that causes cupping. Appearance and stability both improve together.

Keeping soil and mulch away from the timber matters more than any coating. Garden beds built up against a fence hold moisture against the palings and rot them from the bottom, which is the most common avoidable failure. Keep any garden beds clear of the timber. Raised garden beds against a fence are the single most common cause of premature failure. Pulling the soil back a hundred millimetres solves it.

Individual paling replacement is cheap and worth doing early. A cracked or fallen paling lets weather at the rails behind it, and replacing a few boards costs very little compared with what neglecting them leads to. Replace any damaged palings reasonably promptly. Small repairs prevent much larger ones. A missing paling exposes the rail behind it to weather directly. Rails are far more expensive to replace than palings.

A leaning fence is telling you about the footings rather than the timber. Where posts have moved, the fix is resetting or replacing them rather than propping the fence, and a fence that has started leaning rarely stops. A leaning fence means footing failure. Propping delays the problem rather than solving it.

Storm damage is the most common reason a fence gets replaced before its time. A tree limb across a boundary or sustained wind on an already weakened run can take out several panels at once, and the insurance position depends on the cause rather than the damage. Storm damage may be covered by insurance. Photograph the damage before removing anything at all. Gradual deterioration through age is generally excluded.

Replacing a section rather than a whole fence is frequently possible. Where a few panels have failed and the posts either side are sound, a matching section can be built in, though matching weathered timber is difficult and the repair usually shows. Section repairs cost far less than replacement. Colour matching is close to impossible on aged timber. Whole runs look better where budget allows.

Timing the job matters more than most people expect. Fencers are busiest through spring and after storm seasons, and booking in autumn or winter frequently means better availability and occasionally better pricing. Autumn is generally the quietest window. Spring demand pushes lead times out considerably. Ground conditions also suit digging better outside the wettest months.

Timber Against Other Materials

Colorbond is the usual alternative and prices comparably to hardwood. A steel fence costs more than treated pine and less than hardwood on most runs, needs effectively no maintenance and lasts decades, though it offers none of the appearance timber does. Colorbond needs no maintenance at all. Timber looks better and asks more of you. The choice is largely aesthetic rather than economic.

Composite fencing has appeared as a middle option. Made from recycled timber and polymer, it holds colour without coating, resists rot and termites entirely and costs somewhere above hardwood, though it never quite reads as real timber up close. Composite costs more than hardwood does. It also never needs oiling or painting. The appearance of composite divides opinion considerably.

Masonry and rendered fences sit in a different bracket entirely. A block or rendered boundary wall costs several times what timber does, requires footings designed for the load and frequently needs council approval, which makes it a construction project rather than a fencing job. Masonry costs several times what timber does. Approval requirements are considerably stricter too.

Mixed material fencing has become common and works well. Masonry piers with timber infill panels, or a steel frame with timber slats, combines the durability of one material with the appearance of another at a cost between the two. Mixed construction splits the difference sensibly. Piers with timber infill is the common pattern, and skirting appears at skirting board costs.

Whichever material you choose, the neighbour contribution question works the same way. The dividing fences position applies to any boundary fence rather than to timber specifically, and sufficient remains the standard regardless of what you would prefer to build. The legislation is neutral about the material. Sufficient is judged on purpose rather than finish.

Sydney Metro Costs

Sydney rates run above regional New South Wales, driven by wages, disposal costs and travel across a large city. The market is deep enough that three quotes on a boundary fence is straightforward. What varies most across the metropolitan area is the ground, since sandstone shelves across the north and east can add hundreds of dollars per post while the alluvial soils of the west take an auger without complaint. Inner city disposal costs more than suburban disposal on top of the carrying. Both compound on a terrace boundary.

Inner suburban blocks are the most expensive fencing work in the city. Terraces with rear lanes or no vehicle access at all mean every component is carried through the house, and disposal of the old fence goes out the same way. Inner city access is the binding constraint. Carrying the materials dominates the labour.

Heritage conservation areas limit what can be built at the front. Style, height and material are all commonly controlled, and a contemporary slat fence is frequently not permitted on a front boundary in those areas. Confirm the specification before anybody starts. Get the inclusions itemised rather than summarised.

Newer estates are the most straightforward fencing available. Level ground, clear access, no rock and consistent boundaries make for predictable jobs at the lower end of each band. Prices in those areas sit below the metro average. Estimating on those blocks is also more reliable.

Regional NSW Costs

Regional rates run below Sydney, though travel narrows the gap and timber supply can be less consistent outside the major centres. A fencer covering several towns builds the drive into the quote, and being flexible on timing helps. Ask which day they cover your area. Fitting into an existing run helps.

Rural boundaries are a different proposition entirely. A long rural fence line is usually stock fencing rather than timber paling, and the rate per metre bears no relation to a suburban boundary fence. Stock fencing prices quite differently again. Post and wire, ringlock and steel posts bear no relation to a suburban timber boundary. A fencer who does one may not do the other at all.

Termite pressure varies considerably across the state. The north coast and other humid districts see far more termite activity than the inland, which makes treatment level and species selection more consequential there. Staircases are priced at timber staircase costs. Termite pressure differs considerably by region.

Coastal exposure demands better fixings and finishes. Salt air corrodes standard fixings quickly, and a fence within a few kilometres of the coast benefits from stainless hardware and a protective coating. Specify stainless fixings anywhere near the coast. Salt air reaches further inland than people expect.

Local knowledge is worth more regionally than in the city. A fencer who works the district knows the ground conditions, the timber suppliers and the council's requirements, and that shortens both the quote and the job. Fencers who work the district quote considerably faster. They already know the local ground conditions.

What to Look Out For

Talk to the neighbour before you get quotes rather than after. A fence on a common boundary is a shared responsibility under the dividing fences legislation, and a neighbour is generally liable for half the cost of a fence sufficient for the purpose, whether or not you discuss it first. Proceeding without agreement and then presenting an invoice is where most fencing disputes begin. A written notice setting out the proposed work and the cost starts a defined process, and the local tribunal provides a pathway where agreement is not reached. Where you want better than sufficient, expect to fund the difference yourself.

Confirm what the quote actually includes line by line. Site assessment, post holes, posts, footings, rails and palings are standard, while capping, gates, old fence removal at $10 to $30 a metre and disposal are the items that quietly sit outside a headline figure. Ask how many rails are specified and what paling dimensions are being used, since reducing rail count and specifying thinner stock are both ways of quoting cheaper without saying so. A fence that flexes or whose palings cup within two years usually reflects one of those two decisions.

Ask about footing depth and the concrete mix. Spend the extra on posts rather than palings, since a post failure means digging out concrete and rebuilding a section while a failed paling is a ten minute replacement. Galvanised or stainless fixings are the cheapest worthwhile upgrade available across a whole fence. Concrete footing depth is the specification nobody can see once the job is finished, which is exactly why it gets cut from a competitive quote. Get it named on the written quote.

Establish the ground conditions before accepting a per metre rate. Rock is the most expensive surprise in fencing, and sandstone shelves across much of Sydney can stop an auger entirely, requiring a rock breaker or hand excavation at every affected post at $80 to $200 each. Sloping ground is either stepped or raked and both take longer than a level run. Have underground services located before any post hole is dug, since the enquiry service is free and hitting a gas or electrical line turns a fencing job into a serious incident.

Check the council controls, particularly at the front boundary. Front fences are commonly limited in height and sometimes in material or transparency, while rear and side boundaries have considerably more latitude, and heritage conservation areas restrict style and material further again. Never assume a decorative fence satisfies a pool barrier requirement, since pool fencing has its own prescribed rules on height, gap spacing, climbability and self closing self latching gate hardware that a picket or slat fence almost never meets. Horizontal slats are particularly problematic because they can present a climbable surface. A Dial Before You Dig enquiry takes minutes and is free.

What to Look for in a Quote in NSW

A fencing quote should state the total length in metres and the rate per metre rather than presenting a single figure, specify the timber species and treatment level for posts, rails and palings separately, and state the post spacing, the number of rails and the footing depth. It should say plainly whether capping, gates, old fence removal and disposal are included or extra, and note how rock or difficult ground would be charged if encountered. Any gate should be itemised with its hardware. The removal, the footings and the rail count are the three items most likely to separate two quotes that look similar on the front page.

Give every fencer the same information. The length of the run, the height you want, the style, whether an old fence needs removing, what the ground is like and how a truck can access the boundary all shape what should be proposed. Send each of them the identical brief. Photographs of the existing boundary help considerably. Photographs of the boundary help a fencer quote accurately.

Ask what they would do differently if it were their fence. A fencer who suggests better posts, deeper footings or a different timber for the exposure is giving you a professional view rather than the cheapest possible compliant quote. Listen for the recommendation you did not ask about. It usually indicates the better operator, and it is worth paying attention to.

Settle the neighbour, the inclusions, the ground and the specification before anybody starts. Have the conversation next door, get the quote itemised, establish how rock would be handled and confirm what timber and footings are specified. Related work is priced at timber gate costs and at timber retaining wall costs, with wardrobes at built in wardrobe costs. With those four agreed, a fence goes up once and stands for decades. Ask what depth the post holes are going to.