Fence FAQ

Installed by a contractor, 6ft pressure-treated wood averages $23 to $32 per linear foot across most U.S. markets. Cedar jumps that to $28 to $38. DIY drops the PT price to $10 to $14 per foot in materials if you already own the tools. Expect the low end in Texas and the Southeast, the high end in California and the Northeast.

Vinyl wins on 10-year total cost if you include stain and repair labor. A $32/ft vinyl fence costs about the same as a $22/ft cedar fence once you add three rounds of $800 staining at years 2, 5, and 8. If you love the look of wood and don't mind the maintenance, wood still has a real case. If you hate outdoor chores, vinyl pays back.

Yes, for a simple rectangular wood or chain-link fence on flat ground. Watch a few YouTube install videos, rent a two-man auger from Home Depot, borrow a friend for post-lift day, and plan two weekends for 150 feet. Skip DIY if your ground is rocky, your property line is disputed, or the project exceeds 300 feet. That's when the time-cost stops being worth the labor savings.

A 3ft wood walk gate that matches your fence should run $275 to $400 installed. Vinyl $400 to $800. Aluminum $500 to $1,200. Chain-link $150 to $250. If a contractor is charging $800 for a standard wood walk gate, you're being upsold. Ask for the gate cost separate from the fence per-foot pricing on every quote.

In most U.S. cities, yes for anything over 6ft. Front-yard fences often require a permit regardless of height. Some cities (Austin, Houston, parts of Florida) require a permit for any fence. Call your county permit office before you dig. The $50 to $200 permit fee is nothing compared to the $3,000 to $6,000 tear-out order you'll face if you skip it and your neighbor complains.

One-third of the post's total length, minimum, or to the local frost line, whichever is deeper. For a 6ft fence that's usually a 24-30 inch hole. In Minnesota or Michigan, frost depth pushes you to 42-48 inches. In Texas or Florida, 24 inches is fine. Use Quikrete fast-setting concrete, 2 bags per 4x4 post, and crown the top so water runs away from the wood.

Whatever your CC&R document says you agreed to. HOAs can dictate material, height, color, style, and side-facing orientation. They can reject vinyl if the neighborhood is all wood. They can require "finished side out" so the smooth side faces the street. They can cap height below city code. Read the CC&R before you spec anything and submit architectural approval in writing.

Yes, and most contractors charge $2 to $4 per linear foot to tear out an existing fence. That includes hauling off the debris. If you DIY the removal you can save that line but budget a full day of demo for 150 feet of old wood and a trip to the landfill with a $30 to $60 disposal fee. Check with your city, some municipalities pick up fence debris as part of bulky-waste day.

Labor rate, overhead, profit margin, and how hungry the crew is for work this month. A one-man crew working out of a pickup will quote 40 percent less than a company with an office, three trucks, and a yard. Neither is wrong. The cheap quote is higher risk if the crew vanishes mid-job. The expensive quote is often just paying for better paperwork and a real warranty. Get three, read all three, pick the middle one with references.

Cedar looks better, rots slower, and costs nearly double. Pressure-treated (Southern yellow pine) costs less and lasts a long time if you stain it in year one. My honest take: if you'll stare at the fence from the kitchen window every morning, spend on cedar. If it's the back-of-property run nobody sees, PT pine is fine. Either one outlives most vinyl gates.

Cheap vinyl cracks in deep freezes. Quality brands (CertainTeed, WamBam, Freedom Fence) are rated for cold and include UV stabilizers that keep the PVC flexible below zero. If you're buying in Montana, Minnesota, or Maine, pay for the better-rated product. The January 2024 polar vortex took out dozens of budget vinyl fences across the Upper Midwest that a CertainTeed install next door survived just fine.

Yes. Three options. Privacy slats that weave through the links (about $2 per foot at Home Depot, cheapest, looks okay). Windscreen fabric zip-tied to the frame ($1.50 per foot, less durable, best for temporary). Or grow a hedge against it (free over 5 years, but you're waiting 5 years). Slats are the usual answer. Budget an extra $400 to $500 for a 200ft chain-link run.

Texas wood fencing runs $18 to $26 per foot installed, cheaper in rural areas, higher in Austin or Houston proper. California is $30 to $45 per foot for the same build. The difference is mostly labor. California also requires a licensed C-13 contractor for most fence work, which adds overhead the DIY-friendly Texas market skips. The calculator's 15 percent cushion handles most regional swing; anything bigger usually means the quote has extras.

4ft chain-link with privacy slats, around $13 to $16 per foot installed. If you want wood, 4ft pressure-treated dog-ear picket runs $15 to $19 per foot. Both finish a backyard for under $2,500 on a 150ft run. Not pretty, but functional, and functional is fine for a lot of situations. Save the cedar upgrade for the fence neighbors actually see.

Walk the perimeter with a 100ft tape and a notebook. Measure each straight run separately, corner to corner. Add them up. Don't forget to subtract the width of any gate you're including (a 3ft walk gate replaces 3ft of picket). Take photos of any spots where the fence will cross slope, rock, or tree roots; those cost extra and the contractor will want to see them. If you're over 500 feet total, double-check with a measuring wheel. Tapes stretch over long runs.