Wood, vinyl, chain-link, or aluminum—get the full installed cost including posts, panels, gates, concrete, and labor so your quote doesn't leave a post hole in your margin.
On normal soil with a rented auger, you can dig, set, and plumb a post in 15–20 minutes. On caliche or rocky ground, that same post takes 45–90 minutes including a rotary hammer or manual digging. Rocky ground can triple your labor hours. Scope ground conditions during the estimate visit—probe the ground with a steel bar if in doubt. Quote rocky ground as T&M or with a soil-condition clause.
A double drive gate in vinyl or wood runs $400–$800 in materials and 4–6 hours of labor. Per foot, that's 3–5× the fence itself. Gate hardware—hinges, latches, drop rods, auto-closers—adds $80–$200 more. Price each gate as a separate line item, not as fence footage. Customers don't mentally connect "two gates" with adding $1,200 to the job.
Most jurisdictions require a permit for fences over 6 ft. Some HOAs ban certain materials entirely. Call 811 before any post hole—underground utilities have no respect for your schedule or your liability insurance. A struck gas line on a fence job is a felony in some states. This takes 10 minutes and protects you completely.
The Handyman's Business Starter Kit includes a fence and outdoor project price book, a client intake form, and service agreement template. Guide from $19 — Complete Kit with all 19 templates, $49.
Get the Handyman's Kit →Fence pricing depends on total linear footage, material type (wood, vinyl, chain link, aluminum), post count, gate inclusion, and whether the old fence needs to be removed. This calculator builds a complete installation price from all cost drivers. Use it to quote fence jobs consistently across different materials and explain the cost difference between a wood and vinyl fence.