Costs & pricing
How Much Should I Expect to Pay for a New Fence?
Most homeowners want one number. In practice a new fence is priced from four things: the style of boarding, the posts underneath it, how easily materials reach the boundary, and what happens to the fence that is already there.
If you have never replaced a boundary before, the first quote can feel like a shock, and the second one arriving hundreds of pounds apart makes it worse. It helps to know roughly where honest prices sit before anyone visits, so you can tell the difference between a keen price and a price that has quietly left half the job out.
The ranges on this page reflect the kind of residential work we are asked to quote across London and Hertfordshire. They are a guide to help you budget, not an offer, and a written price always follows a look at the actual boundary.
Typical supply-and-fit ranges by style
Fencing is normally quoted per metre of finished run, with posts, boarding, fixings, labour and clearing away included in that rate. The table below gives the sort of band a straightforward garden boundary tends to fall into once everything is counted.
- A short run costs more per metre than a long one, because setting up and clearing away is the same either way
- Gates are always priced separately from the boarding rate
- Any concrete breaking out or ground works sits outside the per metre figure
| Style | Indicative supply and fit, per metre | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lap panel, timber posts | Lowest of the ranges | Budget choice, shortest life expectancy |
| Lap panel, concrete posts | A step up | Removes the usual failure point at ground level |
| Closeboard, concrete posts | Mid range | The specification we fit most often |
| Slatted or hit and miss | Mid to upper | More timber and more careful setting out |
| Composite boarding | Highest | Highest material cost, lowest upkeep |
The four things that actually move the number
Once you have a rough per metre band, the variables are predictable. Height is the obvious one, as a 1.8m boundary uses more timber and needs more support than a 1.2m one. Post type matters more than most people expect, because that is where fences fail first. Access decides how much of the day is spent carrying rather than building. And an existing fence has to be taken down, loaded and disposed of legally before anything new goes in.
- Height and boarding style, which together set the material volume
- Timber posts against concrete posts, the single biggest longevity decision
- Whether a vehicle can get near the boundary or everything goes through the house
- Removal and licensed disposal of the old fence, spurs and stumps
Where spending more genuinely pays back
Not every upgrade earns its money. Spending more on decorative post caps changes how a fence looks on day one and nothing else. Spending the same money on concrete posts and a gravel board changes how the fence is doing in year twelve. If a budget only stretches to one improvement, put it below the boarding rather than on top of it.
Getting a figure for your own boundary
The honest answer to what a fence costs is that it depends on the run in front of you, and that is a ten minute conversation rather than a guess. We measure, look at the ground and the access, and put a fixed written price in writing. Ring 07885907880 and we will arrange a look at it.
Frequently asked
Is fencing usually priced per panel or per metre?
Per metre of finished run is the normal basis, because posts, gravel boards and labour do not divide neatly by panel. Panel counts are useful for materials, not for pricing a boundary.
Why does a very short fence cost more per metre?
Travel, setting out, digging equipment and clearing away are much the same whether the run is four metres or forty, so those fixed costs are spread across fewer metres.
Does a taller fence cost proportionally more?
Slightly more than proportionally. It uses more boarding, needs longer posts set deeper, and takes more care to keep straight and true along the run.
Do I pay extra if there is no vehicle access?
It affects the labour figure, yes. Carrying every post and board through a house or a narrow side return adds real hours across a full boundary.
Will you give me a price over the phone?
We will happily talk through ranges on the phone, but the written price comes after we have seen the boundary. It is the only way to be fair to both sides.
Want a real figure for your own boundary?
We measure the run, look at the ground and the access, and put one fixed written price in front of you. Free visit across London and Hertfordshire.