How to estimate a fence job by the linear foot, done right
A fence estimate is built from linear feet: divide the run by post spacing (usually 8 feet) to count posts, figure three rails per section for a 6 foot privacy fence, convert length to picket counts, add concrete per post hole, then price crew labor and divide the whole cost by one minus your target margin. Cedar privacy fencing priced this way commonly quotes $35 to $50 per linear foot installed. Gates and corners are where footage math alone falls short, so count them separately every time.
Step by step
- Walk the line and measure the true run. Wheel the fence line, mark corners, ends, and gate locations, and note grade changes, since slopes force stepped or racked sections that slow the build. Confirm the property line with the homeowner in writing, because building a beautiful fence eighteen inches into the neighbor's yard is a story every fence contractor eventually hears. Call 811 for utility locates before you commit to a dig date; it is free and required.
- Count posts from spacing, then add the extras. Divide the run by 8 foot spacing and add one: 150 feet is 19 spans, so 20 posts, using pressure treated 4x4s at about $12.75, stepping up to 6x6s at $28.50 for gates and tall fences. Every corner and every gate adds posts beyond the straight-line math. Post count drives holes, concrete, and the hardest labor on the job, so this number carries the estimate.
- Figure rails, pickets, and hardware. A 6 foot privacy fence wants three 2x4 rails per span at $6.35 each, and pickets convert from length: 150 feet is 1,800 inches, and at 5.5 inches of coverage per picket that is 328 pickets, plus 5 percent waste for splits and culls, so 344 at $3.90 each. A gate kit with hinges and latch runs about $79 plus its pickets. Screws at $6.60 a pound beat nails for callbacks and cost a few dollars more per job.
- Price concrete and depth by frost line. Standard practice sets posts at a third of their height in the ground, at or below the local frost line, commonly 24 to 42 inches depending on region, with two bags of post concrete per hole at $7.60 a bag. Twenty posts is 40 bags, $304 that beginners routinely forget. Rock, roots, and caliche turn 15 minute holes into hour holes, which is why a rock clause belongs in the contract.
- Estimate labor as set day plus build day. A two man crew typically sets 20 to 30 posts in a day and plumbs them in concrete, then returns after cure to hang rails and pickets, roughly 150 feet in a second day. That is about 32 crew-hours; at a $50 loaded rate covering wages, burden, truck, and augers, labor is $1,600. Hand-digging, slopes, and tear-out of an old fence each add hours you should price, not absorb.
- Add tear-out and haul-off if there is an old fence. Removing an existing fence is real labor plus disposal tonnage, typically several hours for 150 feet plus dump fees, and old concrete footings are the hidden half of the work. Price removal per foot as its own line. If the customer wants to keep costs down, tear-out is the safest scope to hand back to them.
- Divide cost by one minus margin and check per foot. Materials plus labor plus disposal equals cost, and the quote is cost divided by (1 minus margin): at 35 percent, divide by 0.65. Check the answer per linear foot against your market; cedar privacy below $30 a foot installed usually means the concrete or the gate got skipped. The alternative habit, cost times 1.35, looks similar and pays you nine margin points less.
- Put the line assumptions in writing and send it. State the fence height, material, post size and spacing, concrete per post, gate count, and who confirms the property line, then exclude rock digging and unknown utilities beyond the locate. Send the line-item estimate the same day as the walk, signable by text. Fence buyers usually collect two or three bids in a week, and the first clear number sets the anchor.
The fence pricing formula
Posts plus rails plus pickets-with-waste plus concrete plus gate kits equals materials; crew-days times 16 hours times the loaded rate equals labor; add tear-out and disposal, then divide the total cost by (1 minus target margin) to get the quote. Dividing by 0.65 delivers a 35 percent margin, and it is not interchangeable with multiplying by 1.35, which delivers only 26 percent because the percentage is applied to cost instead of price. Quote per-foot for the customer, but build the number from counts.
A 150 foot cedar privacy fence: 20 pressure treated 4x4 posts at $12.75 is $255, 40 bags of post concrete at $7.60 (two per hole) is $304, 57 rails at $6.35 is $361.95, 344 pickets after 5 percent waste at $3.90 is $1,341.60, a gate kit at $79, and 10 pounds of screws at $6.60 is $66. Materials total about $2,408. A two man crew sets posts one day and hangs the fence the next, 32 hours at a $50 loaded rate, so labor is $1,600. Job cost is $4,008. Divide by 0.65 for a 35 percent margin and you get $6,166, so quote $6,200 even, which is about $41 a linear foot.
Cost factors fence contractors price for
Ground conditions
Rock, heavy clay, roots, and buried debris slow post holes dramatically, and one auger-bending boulder can add an hour per hole. A written rock clause with an hourly or per-hole adder is standard protection. Probe a few spots at the walkthrough before promising a two day build.
Slope and stepping
Sloped yards need stepped panels or racked sections, both slower than level runs, and prefab panels rack poorly compared to stick-built. Grade changes also complicate a consistent top line, which is what the customer photographs. Add 10 to 20 percent labor on meaningful slopes.
Gates
Gates are the moving part and the callback magnet: they want beefier posts (6x6 at $28.50), more concrete, precise hardware, and adjustment. A $79 gate kit is the cheapest component of a $400 to $700 installed gate. Price each gate as its own unit, never inside the per-foot rate.
Material class
Cedar pickets at $3.90 each, vinyl panels at $148, aluminum at $168 a panel, and chain link fabric at $4.35 a foot are different products with different labor rhythms and different margins. Vinyl and aluminum are faster to hang but less forgiving of post placement errors. Quote the class the customer asked for and offer one alternative, not five.
HOA rules and permits
Many municipalities permit fences over a height threshold, commonly 6 or 7 feet, and HOAs restrict height, style, and even which way the finished side faces (usually toward the neighbor, by rule or by courtesy). A fence built against HOA rules comes down at somebody's expense. Ask about the HOA at the walkthrough and put approval responsibility on the homeowner in writing.
Frequently asked questions
What does a wood privacy fence cost per foot to build?
For 6 foot cedar with pressure treated posts on 8 foot centers, professional installed pricing commonly runs $35 to $50 per linear foot, built from roughly $16 a foot in materials plus crew labor and margin. Chain link prices lower and vinyl or aluminum panels price higher on materials but install faster. Gates are always extra, typically $400 to $700 each installed.
How deep do fence posts need to go?
The working rule is one third of the post's above-ground height in the ground, and always to or below the local frost line, which ranges from about 24 inches in milder climates to 42 or more in cold ones. A 6 foot fence typically wants 24 to 30 inch holes with two bags of concrete per post at about $7.60 a bag. Shallow posts are why fences lean after the second winter, and re-setting them is unpaid work.
What markup should a fence business use?
Fence work looks simple, which tempts thin pricing, but augers, trucks, insurance, weather days, and gate callbacks put real overhead at 15 to 25 percent of revenue before profit. Bid at a 30 to 40 percent gross margin by dividing cost by 0.60 to 0.70. At a 10 percent markup, hitting rock on four holes or replacing one warped gate erases the entire job's profit.
Who is responsible for the property line?
The homeowner is, and your contract should say so: you build to the line they show you or to survey pins, and a survey (typically a few hundred dollars) is the only authoritative answer when pins are missing. Fences built over the line get moved at someone's expense, and courts rarely think it should be the neighbor's. Put line confirmation in writing before digging, and call 811 for utilities regardless.
How fast can I get a fence quote to a customer?
With Staxen, before you leave the driveway: speak the footage, height, material, and gate count, and Eddie drafts a priced line-item estimate you review and text for e-signature, deposit included if you want one. Eddie costs $59 per month and your first job is free, no card required. Josie can schedule the install with automatic SMS reminders for $59 more, or all three employees run $149 per month.
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