Last updated October 28, 2026

How to bid fencing jobs

What a fence bid has to say, a worked wood privacy fence price by the linear foot, the property line and utility locate lines that keep you out of trouble, and the deposit terms fence contractors use.

A fence bid is a per-foot price with four things that can wreck it: the property line, the utilities, the gates, and the old fence. The customer sees "180 feet of privacy fence" and does the math. The bid that wins and holds up is the one that shows the math and names the four things.

What a fence bid has to answer

Linear feet and height, and the style: 6-foot board-on-board cedar, dog-ear pickets, 4-foot chain link.
Posts: material, size, spacing, and set in concrete. Gates: how many, how wide, and the hardware.
What comes out: the old fence, posts pulled or cut, and disposal.
The property line: who confirmed it, and that the fence goes where the customer shows you unless a survey says otherwise.
The utility locate, called before digging, and that the start date follows the marks. HOA approval, if there is one, is the customer's to get.

How to price it

Example numbers for 180 feet of 6-foot cedar privacy fence, one 4-foot gate, old chain link removed, in a typical market. Yours will differ.

Material: pickets, rails, posts, concrete, screws, gate hardware, at cost plus markup. Say $3,100 at today's cedar prices.
Old fence removal and disposal: $4 to $6 a foot, $900.
Install labor: $12 to $20 a foot for privacy fence, two people. At $14, $2,520.
Gate: $250 to $450 built and hung, on its own line, $350.
Total: about $6,870. $6,300 to $7,200 is the usual range for this job, moving with cedar prices and how many corners and slopes there are.

Chain link, iron, and vinyl each have their own per-foot labor and their own material math. The structure of the bid is the same: feet, height, posts, gates, removal, with the line items visible.

Where fence bids go wrong

The fence went up eight inches onto the neighbor's lot, and the bid said nothing about who confirmed the line.
No locate, and the first post hole found the irrigation main.
The HOA rejected the style after the material was bought, and the bid did not say approval was the customer's job.
Gates were priced as fence feet, and three gates with hardware ate the margin.

A finished fence bid, line by line

Four sample fencing estimates: wood privacy fence, chain link fence, ornamental iron fence and gate, and fence repair. The fencing proposal template is the blank version with the property line note on it.

Deposit and payment terms

Half at signing is the norm on fencing. The material is bought for the job before the first post goes in, and the deposit covers it. Balance on completion. Say that the start date follows the utility marks and, where it applies, HOA approval, so a delay on either is not read as a delay on you.

Getting more fence jobs

Walk the line with the customer, count the corners and gates, and text the bid before you leave. A bid with the linear feet on it beats a round number from the truck. Put two heights or two styles on the same bid when the customer is undecided. Follow up at three days; fence customers are getting three bids. Ask for the review with the gate hung and the yard cleaned, and a photo of the finished run.

BidWriter Pro writes the per-foot bid from your notes with the gates, removal, and the property line note on it, signed and deposited from the customer's phone. $29 a month, 30 days free.

Questions contractors ask

How much should I charge per foot for a privacy fence?

Material at cost plus markup, removal of the old fence, install labor per foot, and gates as separate lines. Many markets land between $30 and $45 a linear foot installed for 6-foot cedar, with gates and corners on top.

Who is responsible for the property line on a fence job?

The customer, and the bid should say so: the fence goes where the customer indicates unless a survey says otherwise, and any dispute with a neighbor is theirs. One sentence on every fence bid.

Do I need a utility locate before a fence?

Yes, and the bid should say you call for one and that the start date follows the marks. It also tells the customer you have done this before.

Write a fencing bid from your notes

Type the job the way you would text it. It comes back as a finished estimate in about five seconds, in your words. No account.

Type a job the way you would text it

Only what you type goes on the estimate. Nothing gets added.

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