Am I expecting too much with fencing pricing? Should I try a residential company?

[horsegal301]

Back in March, right before all of the COVID stuff went into high gear, we had a fencing company come out and give us an estimate, for around 2.3 acres for no climb fencing and about 6 gates. The guy has been leading us on until about last week, taking a week to a week and a half to return calls after promising to come out and put in posts back in March and April, and then saying he was waiting for product shipment. The last we heard from him is when we called him to tell him we would be fine with a smaller amount of acreage if he was having issues. He said it was already ordered and it would be fine, no mention of how he still hasn’t come to do posts. That was 2.5 weeks ago. I have given up on him, but the issue is that he is only ONE of THREE agricultural fencing companies and him putting us in this bind has put us smack into the middle of all of these companies’ busy season.

We had someone from one of the other companies come and measure on Saturday and he emailed over his estimate. For 1.5 acres of no climb, he quoted us about $17.3k. He had told us the vinyl flexfence would be significantly cheaper, but that estimate came out to $16.1k. I don’t know about you, but $1k is not “significantly cheaper” to me for what he described as a fraction of the work.

This seems outrageous to both me and my husband. Am I in the wrong here, is this what is expected? Is this a “I don’t really want to do this job” kind of quote, or is this a “COVID really screwed us all over so you get to get charged double what I would normally charged” kind of quote?

I am at a loss. The other company hasn’t called me back. There are no more agricultural fence companies in this area. I don’t even know if this is something residential fence companies would be interested in doing. Our land is incredibly flat, it’s not like it would be a hard job for someone with the right equipment.

I do not have the physical capacity or time to go out and dig up posts myself. We only have a UTV, no tractor. What are my options? I feel so frustrated right now and at a loss. The only thing I can think of is potentially finding someone who will install the posts and corners and we could put up the flex fence as that does seem easily attainable for my husband and I.

What are your thoughts?

[StormyDay]

Holy crap. That seems really high to me.
Can you hire some day laborers and oversee the work? This is how we did our last fencing project. Buy the materials, rent a post hole digger (bonus if you can get the tractor attachment, a neighbor may lend you one) and hire some guys outside of Home Depot. Pay generously and bring out lots of cool drinks. They will be very happy to work for you, and it won’t cost 17k.
Edit: saw about the lack of tractor. You can rent a post hole digger. It’s more work but still doable.

[Fellbutbackup]

Did you ever get an estimate from guy #1? Use it to negotiate with guy # 2. He might starting high to make room for negotiation.

[OneTwoMany]

It has been several years since our last fencing project, but IIRC, our 5’ no-climb (knotted NOT welded) with top board ran about $10 a foot installed. With inflation, I’m sure prices are higher today. Gates were extra and ran about $300 each installed, give or take, depending on the length of the gate. If your 1.5 acre project is perfectly square, you would need a little over 1,000 linear feet of fencing. If on the other hand, your 1.5 acre project is 100’ by 650’ (as an example) you would need over 1,500 linear feet of fencing. So the shape of your project will influence the amount of linear footage of fencing, which will influence the cost of the project.

As you seek to get quotes, you might consider simply ask the fencing company over the phone what they charge per foot for 5’ no-climb installed. That will give you a sense for the going rate in your area.

I don’t have an opinion as to whether it is practical to attempt the project on your own as earlier posters suggested, but if you consider that route, you will want to use the right equipment. Some tractor dealers offer rentals as does Home Depot. Google will help you determine if there are rental situations available in your area.

Best of luck!

[OneTwoMany]

It has been several years since our last fencing project, but IIRC, our 5’ no-climb (knotted NOT welded) with top board ran about $10 a foot installed. With inflation, I’m sure prices are higher today. Gates were extra and ran about $300 each installed, give or take, depending on the length of the gate. If your 1.5 acre project is perfectly square, you would need a little over 1,000 linear feet of fencing. If on the other hand, your 1.5 acre project is 100’ by 650’ (as an example) you would need over 1,500 linear feet of fencing. So the shape of your project will influence the amount of linear footage of fencing, which will influence the cost of the project.

As you seek to get quotes, you might consider asking the fencing company over the phone what they charge per foot for 5’ no-climb installed. It won’t be a binding quote, but it will give you a sense for the going rate in your area.

I don’t have an opinion as to whether it is practical to attempt the project on your own as earlier posters suggested, but if you consider that route, you will want to use the right equipment. Some tractor dealers offer rentals as does Home Depot. Google will help you determine if there are rental situations available in your area.

Best of luck!

[YankeeLawyer]

We have installed a lot of fencing as recently as last year. Pricing ranged from $5.75 to $9 a linear foot for either oak 3 board or no climb with an oak top rail, depending on the company.

I recommend looking for a contractor that specializes in agricultural fencing. The residential fencing companies usually are far more expensive.

[carman_liz]

@horsegal301

Back in March, right before all of the COVID stuff went into high gear, we had a fencing company come out and give us an estimate, for around 2.3 acres for no climb fencing and about 6 gates. The guy has been leading us on until about last week, taking a week to a week and a half to return calls after promising to come out and put in posts back in March and April, and then saying he was waiting for product shipment. The last we heard from him is when we called him to tell him we would be fine with a smaller amount of acreage if he was having issues. He said it was already ordered and it would be fine, no mention of how he still hasn’t come to do posts. That was 2.5 weeks ago. I have given up on him, but the issue is that he is only ONE of THREE agricultural fencing companies and him putting us in this bind has put us smack into the middle of all of these companies’ busy season.

We had someone from one of the other companies come and measure on Saturday and he emailed over his estimate. For 1.5 acres of no climb, he quoted us about $17.3k. He had told us the vinyl flexfence would be significantly cheaper, but that estimate came out to $16.1k. I don’t know about you, but $1k is not “significantly cheaper” to me for what he described as a fraction of the work.

This seems outrageous to both me and my husband. Am I in the wrong here, is this what is expected? Is this a “I don’t really want to do this job” kind of quote, or is this a “COVID really screwed us all over so you get to get charged double what I would normally charged” kind of quote?

I am at a loss. The other company hasn’t called me back. There are no more agricultural fence companies in this area. I don’t even know if this is something residential fence companies would be interested in doing. Our land is incredibly flat, it’s not like it would be a hard job for someone with the right equipment.

I do not have the physical capacity or time to go out and dig up posts myself. We only have a UTV, no tractor. What are my options? I feel so frustrated right now and at a loss. The only thing I can think of is potentially finding someone who will install the posts and corners and we could put up the flex fence as that does seem easily attainable for my husband and I.

What are your thoughts?

That is INSANE for posts and no climb. Ok mayyybbee with materials, but still. I would look around on fb and cl for the posts and or the no climb. What area are you in? Let us help you find people you never know who we all may know if you are by any of us!

My second suggestion is call around local co ops and tractor supply stores. Bet you any money they know “a guy”. I had no idea who to use when I want to start doing better fencing and other more skilled tractor work projects.

Lo and behold I get on the local fb horse page and there is a girl less than 5miles from me who not only bought a farm n house we looked at, but also has a construction friend who can do everything I want done when time and money allows, her n I have swapped numbers for horse chore emergencies or the crap I am at work and so n so needs meds, checking on other misc stuff, AND she sold me about 60 bales of hay for only 3 bucks a bale!! She had a boarder bring hay and did not have the storage for all of it so let it go to me for cheap!

Network, network, network!! Oh and good luck and congrats on your new fields!

[Simkie]

This is just SO highly dependent on location. How many linear feet of fence is that, and what general area of the country are you?

I’ve found that residential fencing outfits are quite a lot more costly, because they don’t necessarily have the resources for materials, or the experience in installing livestock fencing. They usually also deal in mucho smaller jobs.

I totally feel your frustrating and have been in the same boat. Just waited over a year for a fence guy to come just do the work. Told him it HAD to be done by March, no worries if he couldn’t, just TELL ME. Kept promising he would be there, still never showed. Bid it out with a local residential guy–who wanted crazy money–and finally found a livestock fence guy a ways away who was willing to travel. Got it done in early June.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[trubandloki]

@horsegal301

Back in March, right before all of the COVID stuff went into high gear, we had a fencing company come out and give us an estimate, for around 2.3 acres for no climb fencing and about 6 gates. The guy has been leading us on until about last week, taking a week to a week and a half to return calls after promising to come out and put in posts back in March and April, and then saying he was waiting for product shipment. The last we heard from him is when we called him to tell him we would be fine with a smaller amount of acreage if he was having issues. He said it was already ordered and it would be fine, no mention of how he still hasn’t come to do posts. That was 2.5 weeks ago. I have given up on him, but the issue is that he is only ONE of THREE agricultural fencing companies and him putting us in this bind has put us smack into the middle of all of these companies’ busy season.

We had someone from one of the other companies come and measure on Saturday and he emailed over his estimate. For 1.5 acres of no climb, he quoted us about $17.3k. He had told us the vinyl flexfence would be significantly cheaper, but that estimate came out to $16.1k. I don’t know about you, but $1k is not “significantly cheaper” to me for what he described as a fraction of the work.

This seems outrageous to both me and my husband. Am I in the wrong here, is this what is expected? Is this a “I don’t really want to do this job” kind of quote, or is this a “COVID really screwed us all over so you get to get charged double what I would normally charged” kind of quote?

I am at a loss. The other company hasn’t called me back. There are no more agricultural fence companies in this area. I don’t even know if this is something residential fence companies would be interested in doing. Our land is incredibly flat, it’s not like it would be a hard job for someone with the right equipment.

I do not have the physical capacity or time to go out and dig up posts myself. We only have a UTV, no tractor. What are my options? I feel so frustrated right now and at a loss. The only thing I can think of is potentially finding someone who will install the posts and corners and we could put up the flex fence as that does seem easily attainable for my husband and I.

What are your thoughts?

What price did the contractor that has not come out to put in the posts give you?

I personally did not gasp at the prices quoted for no climb fencing to be installed. It being a crazy price depends on how many linear feet of fencing it is.

I agree with the advice above, call around and ask for general pricing they charge to install 5’ no climb per foot (include in the question asking what their post spacing is). This will give you a good idea of what places are charging for what you want.

[Bluey]

A side note, if you don’t know how many feet of fencing each stretch is, here is a tool that will help you.
Is very accurate and helps especially when figuring materials for fences:

https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm

Good luck with your project.

[clanter]

I’ve found that residential fencing outfits are quite a lot more costly, because they don’t necessarily have the resources for materials, or the experience in installing livestock fencing. They usually also deal in mucho smaller jobs.

at least here all fencing contractors have the same access to all products.

Yes residential companies are different, the project are in more confined spaces thus requires equipment that can be navigated in tight places…and that equipment usually costs more than a big tractor with a post hole digger. As usually residential fencing requires a Permit from some city, inspections and sign off whereas a field fence is throw everything together

I know a lot of fencing companies, none are setting on their butts as all that I know are busier now then ever. Maybe its just our part of the country with ten of thousands moving in here ever month.

As to OP I would formerly send that fence contractor a certified letter canceling the project. The time lines that were given in the post are just unacceptable. "taking a week to a week and a half to return calls "… and that is Before they have your money, afterwards the likelihood of call returned is near to zero or below.

OP, If you go with that guy do not give him a down payment… instead go to Your Bank, talk with a bank office to have them set up an escrow account to pay for the fence. The contractor is to the submit their billing to the Bank Officer for payment. Bank Office should be directed to not disburse any funds until approved by you. And if the fencing company says they do not work that way… Find Some One Else as all fencing contractors who have worked on large projects have to go through the payment submital process and certify that all products have been paid for before they can be paid. (If you are just going to hand them a check that can come back to bit you on the butt when the supplier files alien on your property for non payment. Get a vendor lien waiver and release…and then call that vendor to make sure the release is real.

Like OneTwoManystated a fence contractor who has been doing fences knows what the cost to install a fence per foot is going to be. There maybe some special site issued that cause variations but the cost per foot is pretty much the same today as it was last week. The suppliers Do Give Advance Notice of price increases if they are to occur.

[clanter]

@Bluey

A side note, if you don’t know how many feet of fencing each stretch is, here is a tool that will help you.
Is very accurate and helps especially when figuring materials for fences:

https://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm

Good luck with your project.

Bluey, Google satellite view, at least for my area, is correct to within Inches in the measurements. I had a plumbing contract give me a quote saying the run was 125 feet… I measured the run at 104 feet by using the satellite view… that was within four inches of the real distance. Simple point click presto there is the measurement.

[js]

We put up pipe (top rail only) with no climb wire mesh, about 2.5 acres was $22,000. It’s not cheap anywhere; 2100 running feet of 3 rail wood fencing 12 years ago was $10,000.

[Simkie]

@clanter

at least here all fencing contractors have the same access to all products.

Not here. A residential fencing contractor has little need for 16’ rough cut oak boards, or any clue where best to source them.

Livestock vs residential fencing can certainly be a different question, at least in some areas of the country. Fencing kids out of a pool is a different job than fencing in horses! :lol:

[Lucassb]

I have put in a considerable amount of four board fencing in the last 12 months, most recently some cross fencing which was about a week ago. I did 4 x 6 posts, set in concrete, pressure treated with a 15 year warranty. It was just over $10/ft. The same work I did last year was just over $9/ ft so it’s gone up a bit, but these guys do impeccable work and they are pretty much the only ones in the area to offer the warranty.

I have learned through experience not to deal with people who are unresponsive when you are standing there with a checkbook. It just never ends well. Go to your local feed store/tractor supply place and inquire. Those folks know who the good vendors are!

[horsegal301]

Hi everyone - I have tried posting locally, and I get all the same suggestions of the expensive company, the one company that never answered my request for an estimate, and the original guy who ghosted me - His original quote was just over $14k for 2.3 acres, but to me, his quote doesn’t really mean much considering he disappeared into the void. He is one of three companies that are agricultural fencing companies out here. It has been a frustrating ride because I thought when we started this back in March, we’d be able to look out on our horses enjoying themselves in newly done fencing, not us having to move the round pen around the area every 3 weeks so they don’t overgraze/trample areas into mud.

We live in Lancaster, NY, which is Western NY. We had contacted the 3rd and only agricultural fencing that I know of, and haven’t heard anything.

I did have someone tell me they could do either the no climb or the flex fence on FB but I saw a public post where she was asking for how people installed the flex fence, so I’m just a little hesitant on that. Every time I post in a non-horsey group about looking for these types of fencing, I just keep getting people thinking I’m asking for regular hard vinyl fencing and telling me I’m getting a steal.

The company that gave me the large estimate requires a significant down payment, which I am incredibly hesitant about. I don’t like paying ANYONE until the job is done, and I certainly don’t want to have the first scenario happen again, but then also be out 8 grand… not that I am entertaining 17k for a fence at all right now.

[trubandloki]

@horsegal301

His original quote was just over $14k for 2.3 acres, but to me, his quote doesn’t really mean much considering he disappeared into the void.

I asked for two reasons.
First being that knowing this price gives an idea of what fencing prices are in your part of the world.
The second is to see if the price was crazy low so that is why they are now non-responsive.

You keep giving the fencing in acres. Can you please figure out what it is in linear feet?

[Simkie]

Can you look a bit further afield?

The outfit that kept stringing me along for a year is based in NY. The guys who were able to do the fence were in NH. (I’m in CT.) I wound up sourcing materials locally, so they just had to haul equipment, but they were game to haul it all down.

I think you are probably just too far for the NH guys, but if you want to talk to them, shoot me a PM and I’d be happy to pass on details. Last time I spoke with him, he was booking 3-4 months out (which is soooooo much better than anything I ever heard from local guys!!)

[skip99]

I feel your pain, I’ve been trying to get about 200 ft of slipboard fence installed & two gates (just breaking up a paddock really).The Amish charge a PITA fee for a job that small in NJ and residential companies charge an arm and a leg. Most of my quotes were in the $4-5k range which is outrageous. One residential company told me they didn’t understand why I wanted solid wire mesh gates (heavy gauge, heavier duty than the County Line ones at TSC), that a 14 gauge wire gate was elephant fence, and I should just attach some welded wire to a pipe gate.

Finally found someone by following a post looking for fence recommendations who has done some horse projects, lives local, and pounds the posts. $12-ish per linear foot. Fingers crossed they’ll get it done in the next month or so.

[horsegal301]

@Simkie

Can you look a bit further afield?

The outfit that kept stringing me along for a year is based in NY. The guys who were able to do the fence were in NH. (I’m in CT.) I wound up sourcing materials locally, so they just had to haul equipment, but they were game to haul it all down.

I think you are probably just too far for the NH guys, but if you want to talk to them, shoot me a PM and I’d be happy to pass on details. Last time I spoke with him, he was booking 3-4 months out (which is soooooo much better than anything I ever heard from local guys!!)

I tried to reach out to someone about an hour away that one of my show acquaintances recommended - we talked for a good bit on the phone, I sent him images of what I was looking for with measurements, but never heard back from him. I know he is super busy and assumed it would also be a bit harder since he’s even farther away.

The main issue with DIY is that we are new to this area and know literally no one. My husband does NOT want to attempt this on his own as he has no idea what he’s doing even if we did have someone come and just do posts.

1,150 seems to be the amount of feet we’ve calculated from redbrand footage estimator