Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
Taking on a fencing job on a 'per m' basis can be frought with danger for the inexperienced. I have erected many fences over time, but TBH could never compete with the pro's on price, but that didn't stop us getting the work, mainly because we were more than a little 'sypathetic' to the gardens!
In your case James, working out the price of materials is very easy, not forgetting to add concrete and rubbish away - that leaves your labour. As you have already erected 'a fair few' fences, you must have a pretty good idea of your speed of work and ground conditions in your area. Having worked that out, add 15-20% for profit and/or contingencies.
£55/ post hole , that includes the postcrete (2 bags/hole) this should also cover the cost of removing the old fence from site. Then just work out the material cost on top
Geat i think i had been under pricing.
Hello James.
Being in the lucky position to be looking after and recruiting Jacksons Fencing Approved Installers I have a good idea what a typical day rate would be around the country. Based on a team of two being able to erect 9 - 11 bays of panel fencing per day with no take down and reasonable dig, I would expect to be charging £450 - £500 + vat per day.As a budget quote that would be realistic but would always have the clause, 'subject to site survey'. Other factors to consider would be the level of detailing you get involved with and materials you use. The attached is a useful link for when calculating materials. Hope that helps. Chris https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/fence-calculator
Brilliant just what i needed
Build in some contingency time too. I've just finished a closedboard fence, customer deilighted with cost and quality but it was a tough gig. It took me 3 hours to dig out a single post hole after I discoverd TWO old cut off posts in it and a 18 inch steel bar which turned ouit to be an SDS/demolition hammer chisel/breaker bit. (couldn't move location as it was the gate post). The previous (cowboy) installer must have also had the same problem, attempted to get out the old posts but gave up, abandoned the steel breaker bit and just cut the new post 18in short (which is why it fell over). Contingency helps to cover off undoing other peoples failed efforts which cannot be forseen at estimate stage and put them right.
Thanks. I did a big fence at my house and for the 6 inch gate post at the end we had a massive boulder right in the centre so i feel your pain, it took us a whole day to dig round about it and break it int bits that could be lifted by the two of us.
Thanks a lot for all your advice its been just what i needed. I'd say the most helpfull replies ive ever had on this forum, However probbably not for the reason you would think. Id been getting asked to do more and more fences and its not a speciality of mine and ive realised that being able to give my regulr garden customers a quick quotattion on for fences has put them right off the idea due to the cost involved being much more than they expected, had i not received this advice i would have felt obliged to take on at least a few of the jobs and would have been under pricing my time and effort.
Its been a releif now that my customers are away hagling elswhere and I can now confidently price up for any jobs that may come in in the winter months when i have the time to take them on.
Cheers again.
I price on a cost per panel and post but I like to view the site as there may be factors that influence my price. Through experience there is a margin in each bay for unforseen on each post hole which means if you find old concrete you have the time already priced in. Some holes go quicker and some slower so over a fence run it generally evens out. We run from around 120-140 bay depending on choice of panel. I allow about an hour per panel and post which includes everything - materials - ordering and supply and margin, labour - walk in and fence erection, waste panels posts and old concrete, time to go to dump, machinery hire as in cost of breaker. If you divide above figures by 1.8 you get a per metre rate if you prefer but per bay rate easier to update as material costs change over time. A sole trader colleague of mine told me the other day he charges 100 bay on lap and he had been up against a firm that charge 150-60 per bay for the same so lots of variation i guess depending on your business setup.