Fencing Cost?

[lemon boy]

Sigh, neighbors just called and it appears that the dogs have utterly defeated one of our fences, the big dog has to date been pretty uninterested in jumping them but the little dog just realized he can clear 3.5' or more and the big dog is trailing along fuckers. Oh well, this was the summer it needed done anyway.

Just so I have a basic idea what's the general per foot cost for an installed wooden fence, okay to quote just a basic one although we'll probably get something a little more ornamental. The fence is an easy 300' long so shouldn't have any minimum length worries.

[yes, I know I can do this job myself. I also know that sometimes it's just as easy and satisfying to pay someone to do it. gonna be an expensive summer for the house this year ]

[smmokan]

Before reading your whole post, I was going to suggest doing it yourself or with some labor "help" from TGR guys.

Back in November I built a short 16' long, 4' high wooden picket fence with a 3' wide gate. I got a few quotes from "fence-builders" on craigslist, and just for that size fence, they wanted something like $800-1200. I obviously told them to fuck themselves. I did it myself in about 5-6 hrs of labor, for a total cost of under $200.

If you do decide to build it yourself, I'd be willing to help out. You know, if the price is right.

[lemon boy]

thanks, I know I could do it myself I just don't want to do it myself. I'm a believer in paying to get some things done so I just don't have to deal but mostly just want to get an idea of how much $ we're talkin here right now. Obviously we're a little ways out from getting a new fence installed

BTW, the wife (and by extension me) is psyched on the blind. She redid that whole room and it looks way better now.

[smmokan]

Nice... I just ordered 6 for our master bedroom and got a couple more thru our test program. Almost have the whole house filled up.

I was just looking on CL and one guy wanted to charge $14/foot for a 6' wooden privacy fence. That's a cool $4200 for your fence.

[lemon boy]

That's a cool $4200 for your fence.

yeah that kind of talk makes my nuts shrivel.

[RootSkier]

Yeah, wood fences cost a tubgirl sized assload. No doubt. 6' cedar 1x6 pickets are like close to $1.50 here, so you are talking $3/foot for just the cost of the fencing, let alone posts, rails, and labor.

One option, if you have any skilllllllz whatsoever: pay a fencebuilder to set the posts, then you do the rest.

[gr8fldoug]

Just last summer I fenced in part of our yard with wooden stockade fence. Quotes form fence guys were in the neighborhood of $1000.00. I only needed just under 100'. I did it myself for just under 400. I did 2 runs in nice wooden fence w/ 2, 4' gates and then the side and back,(where according to the mrs. nobody would see it), I just did 4' coated wire fence.
Our dogs went from having the "neighborhood" in New Hampshire to themselves to being confined to our 1/2 acre lot(most of which is taken up by the house). I thought they'd jump the first chance they got, but much to my surpirse they've stayed put
Now I will warn you if you do it yourself or even if you have someone do it for you make sure they "Call BEFORE they dig". I didn't and hit my gas line
Long story short, no harm no foul, horribly embarassing and not how I wanted to meet the neighbors (we had only been on the house 2 weeks!) but no one was hurt and neither was the house.

[Danno]

yeah that kind of talk makes my nuts shrivel.

I think, then, that the nuts need to be prepared to be shriveled.

I had a 6' cedar fence put in, 3 sections (to close off my yard, it already had some fencing), lengths ~12', 10', and 30', each with a gate, and paid $1600.

[smmokan]

Buy the materials, then pay some guys from TGR to do it. Installing a fence is pretty damn easy, and I'm not exactly "constructionally gifted".

[lemon boy]

Ug, yeah I may have a few labor calls this spring/summer. I was hoping that the DIY/Contractor ratio would be closer to 50% instead of 10-20%

Won't have any problems on the util front for that project at least. Everything in the backyard is overhead and we only have gas+water through the front.

[smalls]

if you aren't looking to go too fancy, just use these:

link

The panels are 6'x8' and are incredibly easy to install. Get some college kids or maggots, a post-hole digger, a shit-ton of cement, a line-level and a lot of beer and you'll do it much cheaper than a contractor. You can then stain/paint it whatever color you want. I did this at the parents' ranch a few years ago (about 300' long) and it was pretty easy.

[RootSkier]

i Get some college kids or maggots, a post-hole digger, a shit-ton of cement, a line-level and a lot of beer and you'll do it much cheaper than a contractor.

Except using concrete for fence posts is retarded. Used crushed rock or gravel and pack it in there.

Better drainage and no frost heaving = longer lasting posts and straighter fence.

[smalls]

it was a mix of gravel and concrete. my list of required items was by no means complete (notice the lack of hookers and blow).

[P_McPoser]

Ug, yeah I may have a few labor calls this spring/summer. I was hoping that the DIY/Contractor ratio would be closer to 50% instead of 10-20%

Won't have any problems on the util front for that project at least. Everything in the backyard is overhead and we only have gas+water through the front.

holla when you get to it. I'll work for beer.

[advres]

Depending on the style fencing you are looking at about $11-$20 per foot of white cedar stockade installed. It usually worked out to be around $15 for most installs. Gates and extra shit cost more. That was the going rate back in Massachusetts anyway.

That was also the rate for post holes dug. If they hit ledge and need to get a lot of heavy rock out, you are fucked.

[molson14]

I am buying my first house and will need a fence to keep my dogs inbounds. I have roughly 275-300 feet of fence I need. I have a quote from a fence guy of around $2600 installed for painted black metal fence. I do not mind doing it myself, but wonder the true cost difference to just have it done. We have a lot of other work to be done on the inside of the house that I will be doing. Thanks

[concretejungle]

Rural or in town? We rock an electric fence that shocks the living hell out of the dog.

[molson14]

It will be in town on half acre lot. I would do electric, but it won't keep other dogs out, and my male dog is an asshole with other male dogs.

[doughboyshredder]

Except using concrete for fence posts is retarded. Used crushed rock or gravel and pack it in there.

Better drainage and no frost heaving = longer lasting posts and straighter fence.

I work with multiple professional fencing contractors and have never heard such a thing. Must be a montucky thing.

[Donkey Punch]

I work with multiple professional fencing contractors and have never heard such a thing. Must be a montucky thing.

I'll second that. I am not a full time fencing contractor but I have installed 1000's of feet and have cemented every post, and had no issues with heaving.

[RootSkier]

Actually, I have never seen a frost heaved post in Montana, but I have in Minnesota.

I have spent a lot of time working with wood and everything I have learned tells me you should try really hard to limit or eliminate wood <-> portland cement contact.

Anyways, go ahead and set those posts in concrete...because hey, everyone else does it, right?

[Pinner]

LB, I priced out a cedar privacy fence and was days away from beginning the project when I injured my knee.

Contractors gave me wildly varying estimates, and after a dozen quotes the average install was around $20 per foot. I sourced the material from a wholesaler and it worked out to about $6 per foot for basic, but not the dirt cheapest, material.

Wes L. Coast
Rocky Mountain Forest Products
5075 Tabor St. Wheat Ridge, Co 80033
Off: 303-420-3331
Fax: 303-420-3831
WWW.RMFP.COM
WCOAST@RMFP.COM

[khakis]

if LB doesn't have a fence by now he needs to get over to the procrastination thread!
bummer about the knee...

[XXX-er]

Actually, I have never seen a frost heaved post in Montana, but I have in Minnesota.

I have spent a lot of time working with wood and everything I have learned tells me you should try really hard to limit or eliminate wood <-> portland cement contact.

Anyways, go ahead and set those posts in concrete...because hey, everyone else does it, right?

rain water combined with the limestone or whatever is in in cement eating posts or SFT??

I am not sure but I have always wondered why the post rots at the ground level and whats in the ground might be ok?

I have set posts in gravel and cement but never stayed around long enough to find out the results

setting posts in crushed rock works really well tho and they don't move

[DJSapp]

FWIW, 6' wooden fence installed by union labor in the SF bay area runs $30-$35/ft. Just about every project I've ever looked at shows wooden posts in concrete, just make sure you vibrate the concrete to get the air out and that will solve a lot of your rot issues.

If you're going DIY, look into renting a small auger drill from HD or the like. Will make the day go much faster (that and I fucking hate post hole diggers).



And beware of the quality of some of the prefab panel systems. I was renting in a new development a couple years ago, and the fence panels were crumbling after ~3 years. Sag, rot, boards splitting, rust stains (they didn't use galvanized hardware) etc. This was happening throughout the entire neighborhood.