Free Fence Cost Calculator (+ Guide)

What is a fence cost calculator?

A fence cost calculator adds up every cost of a new fence, from the installer's quote to the survey and permits around it.

It shows the total with a contingency, the cost per foot or meter and what's left of your budget.

How it works

The cheapest of your quotes goes in the total, next to the costs it doesn't cover.

Call 811 before the post holes

The US Department of Transportation asks everyone to call 811 a few days before any digging, building a fence included.

The call connects you to local utility operators, who mark the approximate location of buried gas, electric, telecommunications, water and sewer lines. It's been the national number since 2005.

What to budget for in a fence

A fence quote rarely covers everything, so list the rest beside it.

• Survey: knowing where the line is before the posts go in
• Old fence removal: taking down and hauling the fence you have
• Gates: often priced apart from the run of fence
• Permits: ask your town's building department what needs a permit, since the rules vary by town.

Put each on its own line, and the chart shows which one moves your total most.

How to compare contractors' quotes

The Federal Trade Commission gives this advice before you hire anyone.

• Hire only licensed and insured contractors, and check the license with your state or county
• Get several written estimates, each with the work, the materials, the completion date and the price
• Don't automatically pick the lowest bid, and ask why if the estimates differ a lot
• Get a written contract with the contractor's license number and the start and finish dates
• Never pay the full amount up front, and make the final payment only when the work is done

It also warns that a contractor who asks you to get the permits, or who only takes cash, may be running a scam.

How much contingency to add

A contingency is money set aside for what you find once the walls or the ground are open.

HUD requires one on its 203(k) renovation loans: 10% to 20% of the repair costs on a home 30 years or older, and at least 15% when the utilities don't work.

On a newer home, it's up to the lender, to a maximum of 20%.

A worked example

Here's the example the calculator loads: a 150-foot fence with three quotes of $6,200, $5,400 and $7,000, plus a survey, two gates and the permit.

The cheapest of the three quotes is $5,400, $1,600 less than the dearest. Your other costs add $1,100, so the fence comes to $6,500 before the contingency.

A 10% contingency adds $650, for a total of $7,150. That's $47.67 per foot, and $850 left of a $8,000 budget.

Mistakes to avoid

These are the slips that come up most.

• Digging post holes without calling 811 a few days ahead
• Comparing quotes with different heights, materials or gate counts
• Forgetting the old fence's removal and hauling

Who is the fence cost calculator for?

It's for anyone fencing a yard, a pool or a field, and these tools help around it.

• Fence calculator – for posts, rails and panels
• Concrete calculator – for the post holes
• Landscaping calculator – for the rest of the yard

Mark the lines and the gates before you compare prices, and the fence goes up once.