How much does fence installation cost?

Length is the obvious one, and it is why most fencers quote per panel or per metre rather than per day. Measure your run before asking for quotes — it makes every price you get back comparable.

Panel type is the next biggest factor. Basic overlap (larchlap) panels are the cheapest; closeboard and featheredge cost more and last considerably longer. Decorative panels, slatted screens and anything hit-and-miss sit higher again.

Posts matter more than most people expect. Timber posts are cheaper up front but rot at ground level and are usually the reason a fence fails. Concrete posts cost more per post and are heavier to handle, but they outlast several sets of panels and let you replace a damaged panel by sliding a new one in.

Ground conditions can change a quote substantially. Digging post holes in soft soil is quick; clay, rubble, tree roots or old concrete footings are not. If the ground slopes, panels have to be stepped or raked, which adds time.

Access is the last one. If everything has to come through the house, or there is no parking near the garden, expect that in the price.

Supplied and fitted is the usual arrangement and generally the better one. Fencers buy materials at trade prices, and if a panel warps or a post fails early it is unambiguously their responsibility.

Labour only — you buy the materials, they install — can save money if you have a merchant account or found a genuine deal, and day rates of roughly £150–£250 are typical. Be realistic about what it involves: panels are heavy and awkward, concrete posts more so, and you need everything on site before they start. If you under-order by one panel, you pay for a return visit.

Whichever you choose, get the quote broken down into materials and labour. It makes comparing two prices possible, and it shows immediately whether someone has quoted for concrete posts or timber.

Before spending anything, work out whether the boundary is actually yours. Your title deeds or Land Registry plan may show a boundary marking, though these are often less definitive than people expect.

The common rule of thumb — that you own the fence whose posts are on your side — is a convention, not law, and it is wrong often enough to be worth checking rather than assuming.

If the fence is shared or your neighbour's, talk to them before work starts. Replacing a boundary fence unilaterally is a reliable way to create a dispute, and a fence put up in the wrong place is expensive to move. If you are both contributing, agree in writing who is paying what before anyone books a fencer.

In most cases you can put up a fence to 2 metres without planning permission, dropping to 1 metre where the boundary adjoins a road used by vehicles or a footpath alongside it. Those are the general rules in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, and local rules can too.

There are common exceptions worth checking before you order materials: listed buildings, conservation areas, and properties where permitted development rights have been removed by condition. If your deeds contain a restrictive covenant about boundary treatments, that binds you regardless of what planning permits.

A quick call to your local planning department costs nothing and is a great deal cheaper than taking a fence down. Any fencer who tells you height rules never apply is not someone to hand a deposit to.

Most fences fail at ground level, where the post meets wet soil. Concrete posts sidestep the problem entirely. If you are using timber, gravel boards keep the panel itself clear of the ground and are cheap insurance at £15–£30 each — replacing a rotted gravel board is far easier than replacing a panel.

Ask what treatment the timber has. Pressure-treated is the standard worth having; dip-treated is cheaper and does not last as long. A guarantee against rot is common on pressure-treated timber, so ask what it covers and for how long.

Once it is up, keep soil and compost heaped away from the base, cut back climbers that trap moisture against the panels, and re-treat when the colour goes. None of that is difficult, and it is the difference between a fence lasting eight years and twenty.

Replace panels, not the whole fence. If the posts are sound — particularly concrete ones — swapping tired panels costs a fraction of a full replacement.

Deal with the old fence yourself if you can. Removal and disposal typically adds £100–£250, much of it tip fees and time. If you have a way to dispose of it, say so when getting quotes.

Book outside the spring rush. Fencing demand spikes after the first storms and again in early spring; quieter months often mean keener prices and quicker dates.

Do the whole run at once. Mobilising for a job happens once, so replacing twelve panels in one visit is meaningfully cheaper per panel than doing six now and six next year.

And get several quotes. Fencing has one of the widest price spreads of any outdoor job — posting it and letting local fencers bid costs nothing and routinely beats the first number you are given.