Has anyone had three board fence installed recently? What’s a reasonable ball park on price per linear foot?
Not looking for anything exact, just an idea of cost 
Found this website --looks like about $50-100 a foot, but looks like you can put in your own zip code to get a better estimate. My fence guy has two prices --good and perfect. I generally go for "good, " but along the road, I went for “perfect.” You might want to discuss with installer --the only difference between good and perfect was spacing --posts were not exactly same distance apart --but then my property is quite hilly, so not sure how much better “perfect” would have been.
http://www.homewyse.com/costs/cost_of_board_fencing.html
Foxglove
This is very area specific. Area price of materials and available contractors. Our farm is in area with a lot of horse farms, big and small. The majority have wood fencing. Other V-mesh with a top board. A few with synthetic, like Ram etc. These are mostly hobby types.
There are a fair amount of HORSE fencing contractors and a few places that are basically fencing “lumber” yards so materials are easy to come by. This is a big state with a lot of Oak and lumber mills of various sizes. 16’ oak boards go for $8-9, sometimes a bit over $6. Most are nailed to 4X6 pressure treated pine, pretty much the same that can be had at Home Depot, Lowes etc.
But this state also has a fair bit of Locust growing and there are mills that cut this up for posts. By far the superior wood for posts. No need to “treat” and will last a life time. You don’t want to have hand nail into locust.
There is also split rail and Slip board. I have put up a fair bit of Slip Rail oak on locust post. I really like the look of Slip board and it can be set on 9-10’ spacing.
All posts are “pounded”. The good horse fence contractors can put up more than a 1/2 a mile a day.
Material cost for 3 board oak on 4X6 posts with the standard 8’ spacing runs around $3-4 a foot. When I have paid to have it done that last time being 5+ years ago it ran about $6 per foot if memory serves. Fencing contractors around here generally charge twice the material costs.
Be careful using residential fencing contractors. The prices I have heard are outrageous and they don’t know how to put up “horse” fencing.
gumtree, can I pay you to come up and do our fencing in CT? We’ll put you up and keep you fed and well stocked with whatever your libation of choice is!! 
[QUOTE=Foxglove;8744628]
Found this website --looks like about $50-100 a foot, but looks like you can put in your own zip code to get a better estimate. My fence guy has two prices --good and perfect. I generally go for "good, " but along the road, I went for “perfect.” You might want to discuss with installer --the only difference between good and perfect was spacing --posts were not exactly same distance apart --but then my property is quite hilly, so not sure how much better “perfect” would have been.
http://www.homewyse.com/costs/cost_of_board_fencing.html
Foxglove[/QUOTE]
There is no way $50-100 per ft is an accurate estimate for farm fencing. Maybe privacy fencing or small yards with an inflated installation fee…
A pretty standard quote around here is in the ballpark of $8-12 per ft installed. And while one might think Nashville, TN would be cheaper than New England, it’s not. Which is why most folks around here have t-posts and wire…
Shuck Fence gave me a quote that is about $10/ft for some small paddocks, 720 feet of fence but I don’t recall the exact $ amount.
I recently got quotesaround $8-10 a linear foot for around 1600’ of fence. Treated 4x6posts and rough cut treated rails.
[QUOTE=Foxglove;8744628]
Found this website --looks like about $50-100 a foot, but looks like you can put in your own zip code to get a better estimate. [/QUOTE]
That can’t be right. I paid $9/linear foot 5+ years ago for 4-board fencing around my arena. It was about the same price for 2x4" non-climb fencing with an oak top rail. Posts pounded for both estimates.
In my case it was over 3000 linear feet; but not sure there is a lot of discount for bigger jobs; just more materials to buy and transport so it really can’t be much cheaper.
I also did four-board and it was about $7 a linear foot with treated round posts. Estimates ranged from $7 to about $12 as I recall.
[QUOTE=Simkie;8744670]
gumtree, can I pay you to come up and do our fencing in CT? We’ll put you up and keep you fed and well stocked with whatever your libation of choice is!! :D[/QUOTE]
Do you have a pool? How far from the beach? Am I allowed to smoke on the property(outside only from time to time)? AC in the bedroom and TV? What’s your specialty in kitchen?
If you have all of the above I can be had quite reasonable because its gotta be better than what I am making now. Word of warning if you make me too comfortable I might not leave.
[QUOTE=Libby2563;8747577]
I also did four-board and it was about $7 a linear foot with treated round posts. Estimates ranged from $7 to about $12 as I recall.[/QUOTE]
I have found nailing boards to round posts is not a good way to go about it. Because of the lack of flat surface area to nail to. The boards have to be nailed basically to the butt end of the boards in a straight pattern.
The posts “round away” from the backside of the boards not far from where they are nailed. Offering little to no resistance to twisting, warping. Verses a 4X6 that that has 2 1/2+ inches of a flat surface to nail each board tight on the flat surface in a V pattern at the butted ends.
16’ boards should always be used and set in a staggered pattern. The middle of each board can hold 4 nails in a box pattern on the 4X6 middle post. This keeps them nice and tight to the post and will rarely allow them to warp/twist over time.
In my experience the majority of oak boards I have gotten are almost always pretty much “fresh cut” from the mill to the supplier. They are not required to be kiln or air dried and rated/graded. So we a pretty much putting up green boards and if not secured well they will warp.
I would up-grade so as to post pictures but considering they are not much bigger than thumb nails I don’t see the value. I have one line of 3 board oak nailed to existing round posts that has not stood the test of time. It looks crappy compared to the lines I installed at the same time on 4X6 treated pine posts. I have seen the same on other farms where boards were installed on round posts. I am sure there are exceptions but I wouldn’t take the chance again of being one of those.
It is also a more of a PITA installing boards on round post because you have to be more exacting in your post placement, because of the lack of nailing surface there is not a lot of leeway if “off” by an inch or so in the spacing.
However just about all of the oak boards I have gotten over the years come from the mill/supplier an inch or 2 over 16’
[QUOTE=gumtree;8749416]
Do you have a pool? How far from the beach? Am I allowed to smoke on the property(outside only from time to time)? AC in the bedroom and TV? What’s your specialty in kitchen?
If you have all of the above I can be had quite reasonable because its gotta be better than what I am making now. Word of warning if you make me too comfortable I might not leave. :)[/QUOTE]
Nothing is 100% yet on where we’re going, but pool (or at least a hot tub!) is a possibility, the beach is maybe a half hour away and yes to the smoking and AC and TV :lol: I cook just about anything, but do make a GREAT chili and Mr S is the grill master.
It sounds like $10/linear ft is a fairly reasonable guesstimate number for ballpark figures. Thanks, all!
