Price it
A few questions, a range in about a minute. The calculator uses the rates we quote with — a site visit pins the exact number.
Instant fence & deck estimate
01 / 09GTA fence pricing per linear foot by material and height, and the grading, access and post-spacing factors that change your final number.
A price per linear foot is a useful way to compare materials and a poor way to price a specific yard. The figure is an average that assumes a long straight run on cooperative ground, and it moves with height, material and specification before it touches your property at all. Chain link sits at the economical end, wood in the middle depending on species, and vinyl and aluminum above that.
The reason the average breaks down is that the expensive parts of a fence are not the feet. They are the posts and the gates. Every corner, end, direction change and gate forces a post, so a yard cut up by a garage, a deck and two gates carries far more post per foot than a rectangular boundary of the same total length.
Two quotes on the same footage can differ legitimately, and these are the usual reasons:
The honest version of a per foot number is the one calculated backwards from a real quote on a real yard. We measure the line, count what the layout requires, and give you a fixed written price. You can divide it by the footage afterwards if you want the comparison.
A per-foot rate only means something once it names what it is describing.
| What the rate names | Options | Effect on the per foot figure |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Chain link, wood, vinyl, aluminum | Chain link sits at the economical end, wood in the middle depending on species, vinyl and aluminum above that |
| Board pattern | Plain vertical privacy, shadowbox, board-on-board | Shadowbox uses more boards than plain vertical, and board-on-board uses more again while leaving no gaps as the wood dries |
| Height | Standard rear and side yard heights and above | Steps the rate up |
| Post size | Standard or upsized posts | Steps the rate up, and deep frost here means the digging and concrete behind every post are a real part of it |
A rate quoted without naming the pattern and the post size cannot be compared against another one.
Per-foot pricing is the standard way fencing is quoted, and the band is wide because it has to cover everything from galvanized chain link to cedar board-on-board on six-by-six posts. Material and board pattern set the starting rate. A shadowbox pattern uses more boards than a plain vertical privacy fence; board-on-board uses more again, and buys you no gaps as the wood dries.
Post size steps the rate up. Then regional reality applies: in southern Ontario the frost line is deep, so the digging and concrete behind every post are a real part of the rate. A per-foot figure is only useful once it names the material, the pattern, the height and the post size, which is why we quote yours after measuring rather than from a table.
Measure the run properly first, because that is where most estimates go wrong. Walk the perimeter you intend to fence and measure each straight section separately, following the ground rather than cutting corners — steps, angles and jogs around a shed all add footage. Subtract nothing for gates; they cost more per foot, not less, so count them as their own items.
Then take your quoted per-foot rate for the specific material, pattern, height and post size you want, multiply it by the measured footage, and add the gates, the removal and disposal of any existing fence, and any hand-dig sections. A rate quoted without naming the pattern and post size cannot be compared against another one. Our quote does that arithmetic for you against measurements taken on site.
Three hundred linear feet is a large residential perimeter or a small commercial run, and at that scale the pricing conversation changes. The crew works continuously, so the per-foot rate is more efficient than on a short job, but a run that long almost always crosses varied ground — a grade change, a section with no machine access, tree roots, an old footing. Those sections are priced on what they actually require rather than smoothed into one rate. Material choice dominates the total at this length: the difference between chain link and cedar over three hundred feet is substantial. Runs above two hundred feet go to custom volume pricing with us rather than an automatic figure, so you get a measured written quote that itemises gates, disposal and any difficult digging.
Four hundred feet is commercial or acreage territory and we quote it as a custom job, not from a rate card. At that length the drivers shift. Material volume dominates, so the choice between galvanized chain link and a wood privacy fence changes the total dramatically. Access matters more than on a small yard — whether a machine can reach the whole line, or whether sections have to be dug by hand, can swing the labour significantly.
Grade changes over that distance usually mean stepped or racked sections. Gate count, gate width and whether any gate needs to take vehicle traffic all get priced individually. Site survey is not optional at this scale: we walk the full line, note the conditions section by section, and issue one written fixed price covering the whole run.
Professional installation is priced into the per-linear-foot rate rather than billed as an hourly labour line, which means the figure you approve is the figure you pay. What you are buying beyond the materials is the part that determines whether the fence is still straight in ten years: utility locates called in before digging, post holes taken below the frost line, posts set in concrete and left to cure, and a run kept plumb and true across sloping ground. It also covers liability and workplace coverage while people are working on your property, and disposal of the old fence and the excavated soil. We measure on site, confirm the by-law height for your municipality, and give you a fixed written price before any work begins.
Per-foot pricing is the standard way fencing is quoted, and the band is wide because it has to cover everything from galvanized chain link to cedar board-on-board on six-by-six posts. Material and board pattern set the starting rate. A shadowbox pattern uses more boards than a plain vertical privacy fence; board-on-board uses more again, and buys you no gaps as the wood dries. Post size steps the rate up. Then regional reality applies: in southern Ontario the frost line is deep, so the digging and concrete behind every post are a real part of the rate. A per-foot figure is only useful once it names the material, the pattern, the height and the post size, which is why we quote yours after measuring rather than from a table.
Measure the run properly first, because that is where most estimates go wrong. Walk the perimeter you intend to fence and measure each straight section separately, following the ground rather than cutting corners — steps, angles and jogs around a shed all add footage. Subtract nothing for gates; they cost more per foot, not less, so count them as their own items. Then take your quoted per-foot rate for the specific material, pattern, height and post size you want, multiply it by the measured footage, and add the gates, the removal and disposal of any existing fence, and any hand-dig sections. A rate quoted without naming the pattern and post size cannot be compared against another one. Our quote does that arithmetic for you against measurements taken on site.
Three hundred linear feet is a large residential perimeter or a small commercial run, and at that scale the pricing conversation changes. The crew works continuously, so the per-foot rate is more efficient than on a short job, but a run that long almost always crosses varied ground — a grade change, a section with no machine access, tree roots, an old footing. Those sections are priced on what they actually require rather than smoothed into one rate. Material choice dominates the total at this length: the difference between chain link and cedar over three hundred feet is substantial. Runs above two hundred feet go to custom volume pricing with us rather than an automatic figure, so you get a measured written quote that itemises gates, disposal and any difficult digging.
Four hundred feet is commercial or acreage territory and we quote it as a custom job, not from a rate card. At that length the drivers shift. Material volume dominates, so the choice between galvanized chain link and a wood privacy fence changes the total dramatically. Access matters more than on a small yard — whether a machine can reach the whole line, or whether sections have to be dug by hand, can swing the labour significantly. Grade changes over that distance usually mean stepped or racked sections. Gate count, gate width and whether any gate needs to take vehicle traffic all get priced individually. Site survey is not optional at this scale: we walk the full line, note the conditions section by section, and issue one written fixed price covering the whole run.
Professional installation is priced into the per-linear-foot rate rather than billed as an hourly labour line, which means the figure you approve is the figure you pay. What you are buying beyond the materials is the part that determines whether the fence is still straight in ten years: utility locates called in before digging, post holes taken below the frost line, posts set in concrete and left to cure, and a run kept plumb and true across sloping ground. It also covers liability and workplace coverage while people are working on your property, and disposal of the old fence and the excavated soil. We measure on site, confirm the bylaw height for your municipality, and give you a fixed written price before any work begins.
