Most fencing quotes that blow out later do so for reasons that were visible on day one: a boundary nobody confirmed, ground that turned out to be rock, a gate that had to be widened once a truck tried to use it. None of that is exotic. It is just information that was not on the table when the price was worked out. If you manage the site, you are the person who can put it there. Here is what to have ready before you ask anyone to quote.
Confirm the boundary before anything else
The single most expensive assumption in fencing is that the existing line, kerb or row of shrubs marks the legal boundary. It often does not. A fence built even a little over the line can have to come out, at the cost of whoever built it.
Before you call for quotes, find out whether the boundary has been surveyed and when. If there is any doubt, a registered surveyor pegging the line is cheap next to moving a completed fence. Where the fence sits on a shared boundary with a neighbouring occupier, the Dividing Fences Act 1991 (NSW) sets out how the cost is shared and what notice is required, and that conversation is far easier before the work is priced than after.
Know what is under the ground
Post holes are the part of a fence that meets the unknown. Rock, fill, old slabs, buried footings and services all change how long the job takes and what plant is needed.
Two things are worth having in hand:
- A Before You Dig Australia enquiry for the site. It is free, and it returns the plans for the services registered along your boundary. Lodge it at byda.com.au.
- Anything you know that the plans will not show: old foundations, previous fence lines, backfilled trenches, contaminated ground, capped services from an earlier tenancy.
If the ground is likely to be rock, say so up front. A fencer who knows will price the right gear. A fencer who finds out on day two will come back with a variation.
Access, and the room to work
Walk the fence line the way a fencer would and note what would stop a vehicle or a post-hole rig following it. Narrow side gates, retaining walls, garden beds, level changes, overhanging branches, parked plant, live traffic.
Then note the practical site conditions:
- Where can a vehicle park and unload, and how far is that from the far end of the run?
- Is there a gate or opening wide enough to get plant onto the site?
- Are there hours when work is not permitted, or areas that must stay clear?
- Does the site require inductions, permits or escorts for contractors?
Access restrictions are not a problem for a quote. Unmentioned access restrictions are.
Overhead as well as underground
Powerlines above a fence line change how the job must be done and who is allowed to do it. SafeWork NSW sets minimum approach distances around overhead electrical lines, and work near them may need an exclusion zone, a spotter or a supply authority permit. If any part of your fence line sits under wires, flag it early. The current requirements are published by SafeWork NSW.
Gates: get the sizes from the vehicles, not the gap
Gates are where the most costly changes happen, because the size is usually set by something nobody measured.
- Measure the widest vehicle that has to pass through, not the opening you happen to have.
- Decide sliding or swinging. Swing gates need clear arc on one side and a level surface. Sliding gates need run-back room alongside the opening.
- Work out who needs to get through and how: staff, deliveries, emergency services, waste collection, after-hours access.
- If the gate is to be automated, note whether power is already at the opening, and how far away it is if not.
- Say whether the gate needs to work with an existing access control or intercom system.
Be clear about what the fence is for
"A fence around the yard" can mean a boundary marker or a genuine security barrier, and they are different jobs at different prices. Say which you are after, and note anything specific: the height you need, whether you want the fabric fixed at the base, whether you need barbed or razor topping, whether the finish has to be powder coated to match something else on site, whether the fence must stay see-through for supervision or camera coverage.
If a council condition, a lease clause, an insurer or a standard is driving the requirement, put that in front of the fencer too. It usually dictates the answer.
Timing and staging
Say when you need it and what has to happen around it. On a live site or a staged build, the fence may need to go up in sections, or start as temporary fencing and be replaced with the permanent line later. That sequence changes the price and the program, so it belongs in the brief rather than in a phone call three weeks in.
Note any dates that cannot move: a handover, an inspection, an event, a tenancy start.
The short version
Before you ask for a quote, have these ready:
- Boundary confirmed, or the doubt flagged
- Before You Dig plans lodged, plus anything you know that the plans do not show
- Ground conditions, especially rock or fill
- Site access, parking, working hours, induction and permit requirements
- Overhead powerlines noted
- Fence purpose, height, finish and any standard or condition driving it
- Gate openings measured off the widest vehicle, with sliding or swinging decided
- Power at the gate, if automation is wanted
- Dates that cannot move, and any staging
- Photos of the run, including the awkward parts
The takeaway
A quote is only as good as the information behind it. Ten minutes walking the line with this list, and a few photos of the parts you think will be difficult, will get you a price that holds. Rules, standards and council requirements change over time, so treat the guidance here as a starting point and confirm the current requirements for your site before work begins.