Question 1

How much does fencing cost?

Accepted Answer

Fully installed fencing runs from about £70 per metre for lap panels to about £200 per metre for premium composite. Our guide prices are £90 to £130 per metre for closeboard and £95 to £180 per metre for composite, both excluding VAT. A single repair is £60 to £150 excluding VAT. Site access, ground conditions and disposing of the old fence shift the total more than the panel does.

Question 2

How much would a 30 metre fence cost?

Accepted Answer

A 30 metre closeboard fence costs £2,700 to £3,900 fully installed at our guide range of £90 to £130 per metre, excluding VAT. In composite, £95 to £180 per metre gives £2,850 to £5,400 excluding VAT. Thirty metres is roughly 17 standard 1.83 metre panels and 18 posts. Removing and tipping an old concreted fence is extra, commonly £50 to £100 per post.

Question 3

How much does it cost to replace a fence panel?

Accepted Answer

Replacing a single fence panel costs £85 to £150 excluding VAT at our guide rates, provided the posts either side are sound. That is the panel plus the labour. Published national figures sit at £60 to £150 for the same job. If a post has failed too, the bay costs more: £150 is the published floor, and real quotes for a panel with a newly concreted post run £300 to £500.

Question 4

How much does it cost to replace a fence post?

Accepted Answer

Replacing one fence post costs £100 to £150 all in, which sits inside our £60 to £150 repair guide range excluding VAT. That price should cover breaking out the old concrete footing, setting the new post in postcrete and refixing the panels either side. A concrete post instead of timber adds roughly £5 to £15 in material. Expect about half a day on site.

Question 5

How much does closeboard fencing cost per metre?

Accepted Answer

Closeboard fencing costs £90 to £130 per metre supplied and installed, excluding VAT. That is our guide range and it matches the published national installed figure. It covers posts, gravel board, arris rails, feather edge boards, postcrete and labour. On difficult ground, or where old concrete post footings have to be broken out and taken away, published rates rise to £150 to £180 per metre.

Question 6

How much does composite fencing cost?

Accepted Answer

Composite fencing costs £95 to £180 per metre supplied and installed, excluding VAT. Published national figures land in the same territory: Checkatrade's itemised build up totals £130 per metre for standard slats and £200 per metre for premium. The panel alone is £120 to £240 for a 6ft by 6ft. Composite panels can often slot into sound existing concrete posts and gravel boards, which cuts the cost.

Question 7

Is it cheaper to repair or replace a fence?

Accepted Answer

Repair is cheaper when the posts are sound and the damage is confined to one or two bays. The published rule is to repair if the cost comes in under about half of what replacing that section would cost, and to replace once posts are rotting at the base across several bays. If a repair quote for five or six panels tops £500 to £600, get a replacement quote alongside it.

Question 8

Why do fencing quotes vary so much?

Accepted Answer

Quotes vary by 20% to 30% between installers for an identical specification, and the rest of the gap is usually scope rather than price. The common omissions are removing and tipping the old fence, breaking out old concrete footings at £50 to £100 per post, gravel boards, and whether VAT is added. Get everything itemised in writing and the quotes become comparable.

Question 9

Do fencing prices include VAT?

Accepted Answer

Our published guide prices exclude VAT, so VAT is added on top where it applies. Treat any claim that domestic garden fencing is VAT free or zero rated with caution, because we could not verify any relief for standard domestic fence replacement. Published cost guides muddy this further: Checkatrade's tables are headed "Cost + VAT" with no note on whether VAT sits inside the figure. Ask for the position in writing.

Fencing Costs