A fence is one of the few home improvements where the whole job is visible from the street and most of the cost is buried in the ground. Knowing what separates a good fence contractor from a cheap quote is mostly about knowing which questions have concrete answers.
Compare quotes on post depth, post spacing, footing type, rail count and hardware — not on price per foot. Two quotes for the same fence can differ by a third because one sets posts in concrete below the frost line and the other tamps them in gravel.
Useful before signing anything: a new boundary fence, a replacement run, or a repair large enough that replacement is on the table.
The quote should name species or gauge, post section and depth, rail count, fastener type and gate hardware. 'Wood privacy fence, 6 ft' is not a specification. 'Pressure-treated 4x4 posts at 8 ft centres, 24 in concrete footings, three rails, ring-shank galvanised fasteners' is.
Fence height, setback from the property line and corner sight-line rules are set locally, and an HOA may add its own approval on top. Both are the property owner's obligation; a contractor can advise, but the permit is issued to the owner.
Duration is driven by footage, post count, soil, and whether concrete needs to cure before panels go on. Rock, tree roots and no machine access are the three things that most often turn a two-day job into a week.
Wood wants stain or seal on a cycle; chain link and aluminium want nothing but occasional inspection of ties and hardware. Whatever the material, the annual check that matters is pushing on the posts.
Linear footage, height, material and grade, post section, post spacing, footing depth and type, rail count, fastener type, gate count with hardware, and what happens to the old fence. Anything vaguer than that is not comparable to another quote.
Usually footings and post spacing. Concrete footings below the frost line at 8 ft centres cost noticeably more than tamped gravel at 10 ft centres, and the difference does not show for two or three years.
The owner. A survey or a recorded plat is the only authority on where the line runs; a fence built on an assumption is the owner's problem to move.
Call Donor Probe fencing-sterling on (512) 555-0134, or send the details through the form.