For UK fencing contractors

Fencing quote template (UK)

A clear layout for a fencing quote that sets out scope, terms and VAT properly, so the customer knows what is included before the first post hole is dug.

What a fencing quote should include

Fencing quotes go wrong in one predictable place: the ground. What sits under the line, how the old fence comes out, and whether a machine can even get to the back garden. A good fencing quote prices the visible run firmly and handles the unknowns in the ground honestly, so the customer is not surprised and you are not out of pocket when a post hole hits old concrete.

• Your business details. Trading name, address, contact, and your VAT number if registered.
• The customer and the site. Their name and the property address.
• The run and the fence type. Length in linear metres or number of panels or bays, and the type: closeboard or featheredge, lap panel, post-and-rail, palisade, picket or composite.
• Posts and fixing. Concrete or timber posts, spacing, and whether posts are set in postcrete or concrete.
• Gravel boards and gates. Gravel boards to keep timber off the soil, and any pedestrian or vehicle gate with its ironmongery.
• Removal and disposal. Taking out and carting away the old fence, including tip charges.
• Labour and materials. Days by your rate, plus posts, panels, boards, fixings and gates named where it helps the customer trust the price.
• VAT. If registered, subtotal, 20% VAT and total. If not, say so.
• Timeline and access. Days on site and whether machinery access is possible or the work is all by hand.
• Payment terms. When you expect payment and any deposit against ordered materials.
• Exclusions. Making good to lawns, moving customer belongings, and painting or staining are often excluded. Say so clearly.
• Validity period. "Valid for 30 days" so a timber price does not follow you around after supplier costs move.

A fencing quote example

The figures below are illustrative and shown only to demonstrate the layout. They are not market rates. Price every job from your own supplier prices and day rate.

Scope note: "Remove existing fence, supply and set concrete posts in postcrete at agreed spacing, fit closeboard featheredge with concrete gravel boards, hang one pedestrian gate, test and leave clear. Excludes painting or staining, making good to lawns and moving customer belongings." Terms note: "Price assumes clear, diggable ground on the agreed line and machinery access to the working area. Rock, existing concrete foundations, buried services or hand-dig only conditions found on site will be quoted and agreed in writing before proceeding. Valid for 30 days."

The mistakes that cost fencing contractors money on a quote

• Ground conditions and buried services. Rock, heavy clay, old concrete or a buried cable turns a quick post hole into an hour with a breaker. Price for the ground you expect and add a clear variations line for what you cannot see. Have the customer confirm the position of any known services.
• Leaving out old fence removal and disposal. Taking down the old run and paying the tip is real time and cost. Price it in as its own line, not as an afterthought.
• Post type and spacing. Concrete posts and timber posts are not the same price or the same job, and wider spacing changes panel and rail counts. State the post type and spacing so there is no argument later.
• Forgetting gates. A gate needs a stronger post, ironmongery and hanging time. If a gate is wanted, quote it as a named item rather than assuming it is in the run rate.
• Boundary ownership uncertainty. If it is unclear which side owns the boundary, note that you are pricing the works only and that ownership is a matter for the customer to confirm. See quote vs estimate.

Should a fencing contractor send a quote or an estimate?

For a defined run on clear, known ground to an agreed line, quote it firmly. Where the ground is unknown, there are old post foundations to break out, buried services on the line, or the whole job is hand-dig with no machine access, an estimate with a firm quote to follow once the posts are dug is the honest approach. Put the scope and variations in writing either way. Our guide to quote vs estimate for UK trades explains when each is fairer.

This page is practical quoting guidance, not legal advice. Boundary responsibility is set by the property deeds, not by the quote, so confirm with the customer which boundary is theirs before you start. For a serious dispute or a large sum, take proper advice.

Fencing quote FAQ

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