Whoever quotes first usually wins
Fencing customers get three prices and pick from whoever answered. A quote that arrives four days later is competing against a job that has already started.
For fencing contractors
Fencing quotes sent before you leave the street
Fencing is won on speed. Three contractors look at the same run and the one who sends a proper written price that afternoon usually gets it. Pace it out, dictate the run, send the estimate from the van.
Why estimating is the worst part of the week
The old fence is a job nobody counted
Digging out twenty-two posts set in concrete is most of a day, plus three loads to the tip. On a per-metre price it disappears entirely.
Boundary arguments become your problem
The neighbour insists the line is 300mm the other way, and you are the one holding the post hole digger between two households.
A real example
42m close-board fence with two gates
On the left is what you would actually write down. On the right is what your customer receives.
Your notes
42m of boundary. close board 1.8 high. concrete posts and gravel boards NOT timber posts, they rot off at the base every single time and hes had that once already. 22 posts at 2m centres, straining posts at the 3 corners. ground is hard and the old posts are set in concrete, allow time to dig them out. garden falls about 1.2m over the run so step the bays, dont rake them. 3 arris rails a bay, feather edge at 50% lap. two gates, 900 pedestrian and a 2.4 double for the mower. the last 4m is on the patio so bolt down shoes there. treat the lot before we leave. old fence, 3 loads to the tip. 3 days, two of us. neighbour on the left thinks the line is further over, get the owner to confirm it before we dig
The estimate
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Remove existing fence and dig out concreted posts | 42 linear m | £378.00 |
| Slotted concrete post, supplied and set in postcrete | 22 each | £1,012.00 |
| Concrete gravel board, supplied and fitted | 21 each | £504.00 |
| Arris rails and feather-edge close-board, 1.8m high | 42 linear m | £2,184.00 |
| Straining posts at corners and level changes | 3 each | £204.00 |
| Pedestrian gate, 900mm, hung with ironmongery | 1 each | £240.00 |
| Double gate, 2.4m, hung on posts with drop bolt | 1 each | £520.00 |
| Bolt-down post shoes to paved section | 3 each | £165.00 |
| Treat all timber, two coats | 42 linear m | £168.00 |
| Removal of old fence, three loads to tip | 3 each | £270.00 |
| Total before VAT | £5,645.00 | |
An illustration using typical UK rates, not a price list. TradeScribe prices from the rates in your own notes and your saved day rate.
What we know about fencing estimates
These are the lines that come up again and again on a fencing contractor's estimate. Mention any of them in your notes, however briefly, and they come out properly worded.
- Close-board fencing, 1.8m, per linear metre
- Lap panel fencing with concrete posts, per bay
- Post and rail fencing, per linear metre
- Concrete gravel boards, per bay
- Straining posts and corner posts, each
- Pedestrian gate, hung with ironmongery
- Double or driveway gate, hung on posts
- Trellis topper, per bay
- Remove and dispose of existing fence, per linear metre
- Timber treatment, two coats, per linear metre
Fencing estimating questions
How do I make sure I am fencing the right boundary line?
Put a condition on the estimate that the client confirms the boundary position and has authority to instruct the work, and that any dispute with a neighbour is theirs to resolve. Take photographs of the existing line before you start. Title plans are not precise enough to settle a 300mm argument, and a contractor caught between two households is the one who ends up unpaid.
Should I quote per metre or per panel?
Per metre for close board, per bay for panels, and say which you have used. Customers pace out gardens badly, so put your own measured length on the estimate along with the post centres. It also protects you when a 40m run turns out to be 46m on the day, because the rate and the mechanism are already agreed.
Do I need planning permission for a fence over 2 metres?
The client does, and it is worth stating on the estimate that obtaining it is their responsibility. In England, permitted development generally allows up to 2m, dropping to 1m where the fence adjoins a highway used by vehicles. Height is measured from the higher ground level, which catches people out on a sloping garden. Quote to a compliant height unless they show you a consent.
What do I say if the ground turns out to be full of concrete?
Add a stated rate for obstructions: old post bases, buried slabs and hardcore are routine on a boundary that has been fenced twice already. Something like 'removal of buried concrete or obstructions charged at £45 per post position' is easy to agree in advance and impossible to agree once you are three hours behind.
Do I need to register for CIS if I take on a subcontractor?
If you are paying another contractor for construction work, you are a contractor under the Construction Industry Scheme and you must register, verify them with HMRC and deduct at the correct rate. It applies to fencing carried out as part of construction operations, and it applies even when it is one person helping you dig out for a week. Registering takes an afternoon and the penalties for not doing it are worse.
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