# Fencing Prices?



## k9kenai (Jul 1, 2017)

Fencing and labor prices definitely depend on your area, and what work is needed to prepare the land in question. $17,000 seems VERY high to me, but I live in a rural area where fencing in general is much cheaper. It looks like you live in upstate NY, where most things are probably on the more expensive side. Get as many quotes as possible from different, reputable companies. Talk to other horse-owning/livestock-owning friends and neighbors in the area to see who they used. You may even get lucky and find someone very experienced but not associated with a business and you will need to only purchase materials and pay them for their time and labor (a much cheaper option, but be cautious on this one and make sure they come HIGHLY recommended by multiple people).

I was just reading an article on fencing that I found interesting. You may check it out to help you decide on what type of fencing you should choose. Safe Fencing for Horses | TheHorse.com

Electric fence is a popular option, but if you live in a suburban area or specially zoned areas, you may be restricted on its use or be required to have additional fencing in order to prevent children from entering your pasture. In my area, pipe fencing is the preferred method. We don't have a lot of post and rail fencing of any material (wood, PVC, flex, etc.) as pipe is just plain cheaper here and an easier material to get a hold of here. The other popular option here (and the option I just went for in my yard for my dogs) is no climb horse fence. It keeps critters out and the animals in and is a fairly safe option and would meet the requirements of stricter zoning regulations if your area has them in regard to keeping children out of your pasture and away from your horses. You can always add on electric tape to whatever type of fence you choose for an extra safety measure.


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

I'm in a very rural part of the Finger Lakes area. I've just moved here so I don't have many connections (the few local people I've talked to have said to just go with hot wire as it's cheap). The majority of places in my area seem to be pretty big horse operations, with lots of wood fencing supplemented by electric tape. I want to use some sort of flex tape fencing for my dry lot, but for the actual paddock I would like something a little more substantial. I'll keep looking for places that will give me estimates, but I'm a little apprehensive about just hiring someone to freelance the work, since I would have no idea if everything is going right and corners aren't being cut, etc... 

Thanks for the article and advice!


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

$17,000 does seem high. I quick calculation for me in our area comes up with about $3000 in lumber. Around here, labor is now about 2/3 of the total cost, so I would estimate the cost should be in the $9000-$10,000 range (still a lot of $$s to me). If you could do 3 strands of electric polyrope with t-posts yourself, you could get it done for under $1500.


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

PaintHorseMares said:


> $17,000 does seem high. I quick calculation for me in our area comes up with about $3000 in lumber. Around here, labor is now about 2/3 of the total cost, so I would estimate the cost should be in the $9000-$10,000 range (still a lot of $$s to me). If you could do 3 strands of electric polyrope with t-posts yourself, you could get it done for under $1500.


$10k is still a pretty penny, but less painful to face then $17k! I will be using T-posts and electric tape to fence off the dry lot where they will stay most of the winter, but want a more permanent and appealing fence for the main paddock. Since I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, besides knowing what type of fencing there is, it's a little daunting to look at these prices!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

*Ready for a book to read?*

So...
Is there any current fence in place that needs removal?
So, labor is expensive for any labor intensive job such as this, the most expensive part of the job.
Although not truly skilled like a electrician or plumbing, it still takes manpower and know-how to correctly put a fence in.
So...I live in Florida but use to live in NYS for some years...
Labor is expensive per hour and you are talking about several people working this job.
Permits needed? That adds expense and maybe you did not cover that. Then possibly survey to make sure you are within your land. Zoning codes need looking into and appeasing the building department for codes...

OK..so materials.
I recently did some replacement fencing so know some prices for materials based on prices in Florida but you can find those same prices on your local Home Depot/Lowe's websites along with Tractor Supply stores for some idea of what you are spending in materials.
Pressure treated wood is the way to go with wanting this to last outdoors for years.
Quality treated wood costs more but lasts longer. 
Home Depot imports their lumber from overseas. I am told it is inferior wood by the farm supply dealer down here...idk.
Quality fence posts are not landscape ties either and you need to find out what size posts they are putting in as they come sized from 2.5" - 8" in diameter and many sizes in between.

So, fence boards for a 4 board fence... 1"x6"x16' = $7.00 per board, my cost. You do the math for your size arena f you do board fencing. I would not do 3 board as it allows easier head between the boards and more chance of injury period. My fence is 52" high set on 8' posts. Most use 6.5' high line posts which are adequate but I have a large horse who pushes on fences so built to last his antics.
The fence posts were $8.50 each for 4" diameter posts, line posts.
Add corner posts plus bracing... $10.50 each for 8" posts, a must to keep any fence strong and true you need good supported corner posts. Every gate needs 2 corner posts at that location too.
Hardware of screws not nails, treated so they not rust, were a few hundred dollars for enough to do my job.
A tractor with post hole digger & auger brought in to dig the hundreds of holes...depending upon what your actual ground is that could be quite a undertaking...shale, granite, rock, clay...along with sand to get through each and every hole done.
Now add the cost of vinyl/pvc fencing bought if you decide to go that route.
That warranty if vinyl I hope will cover the cost of tightening it as needed...by me vinyl sags from sun exposure. Fades and honestly all the jobs I see by me look like garbage a year after it is strung. Not cheap here either... a tree lands on it and either it sags to the ground or I've seen it rip...now what do you do?
PVC...unless it is actual horse PVC don't just don't. It is dangerous if it breaks and shards are anyplace in the vicinity of the horses. Horse PVC isn't supposed to do this but IDK.... however, if it gets broken it is a huge task to replace a board yourself. You might need a repair contract to cover things like that....
Have you looked into doing either horse fence or even goat fence has small enough openings the horses are safe with a top board along the entire fenceline so no heads over the fence bending it?
I linked Tractor Supply in Cortland as they are "center" of upstate NY for some pricing ideas of conventional fence. _https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/farm-ranch/fencing/farm-garden-fencing_
Have you considered you purchase the products needed yourself and just pay for the labor?
I don't know if that will save you as much as you think but it will save you some.
Honestly, my neighbor just did his property about 3/4 acre in livestock wire fence. He spaced his posts 8 - 10' apart and no top board with 2 gates{not sure of size}.....cost was $3200.00 installed. Labor down here is probably half what you face in NYS..

I think your "estimate" is rather large in cost for fencing a little more than a acre honestly.
If I was doing this myself my cost...{this is based on your dimension and pricing from Cortland TSS}...
line posts... 143 @ 8' spacing = $1214.00
corner posts... 12 @ each corner and gate = $101.88
48" high horse fence 6 rolls of 200' fence so as few splices as possible = $1499.94
2 gates wire-filled so no pets can slip into the horse area @ 10' = $278.00 
Add probably $200.00 more for screws.............................
Total for materials minus sales tax, .... $3293.82 roughly
Now, that does *not* include labor, any permits or special needs fencing if you have stallions.
*No* ground clearing, stump removal or extra for blasting of rock.
That pricing is for fence that is safe for horses to have to live behind...

If you decide to do plank fencing I strongly recommend you do no more than 8' between posts.
My fence is 6'5" between posts for added strength. 
No horse is going through it and a few extra dollars it was worth peace of mind knowing I was bringing in a "pusher". I also did 8' long posts everywhere where you can save some using 6 1/2' length. I built my fence the way my neighbor did his who keeps bulls, as in 2000 pound bulls behind this fence. My neighbor also owns the town farm supply store so a wealth of knowledge about livestock, their care and safety to build properly for longevity and safety.
I live in a area of cattle ranches and horse breeding farms...money!
I know of only 2 places that have the horse vinyl rolled fence and 1 of hard PVC fence, neither has stood up to the weather conditions down here very well, no matter the warranty. Down here mold is a problem, needing to be scrubbed and cleaned every 6 months...regardless of color.
Either plank fencing, livestock wire, horse wire or actual barbed wire is used {cattle do barb wire}.
People also do electric fence with braid style commonly used with the horses for visibility or in combination with assorted livestock or horse wire.
Many choices you have depending upon seriously how much you want to spend on this project. 
The cost you were given...I would want to see a itemized estimate to see where those costs are incurred.
You yourself can see costs for some items used and can find the pricing online for the rest of the items you're considering. 
Labor _is _your enemy but not at that ridiculous a amount.... 
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

Thank you, thank you, _thank you_! This was absolutely invaluable and completely above and beyond what I had hoped for. I am lucky in the fact that the area is just bare dirt, no obstacle/fence removal needed and no rocks/sand. I'm going to be shooting an email off to the extension agent for my area to see about permits and zoning, also to see if he might be able to recommend or point me towards someone who would be willing to drill holes and put the posts in for a couple of thousand bucks.

After reading some serious horror stories about PVC fencing, I definitely will be going with pressure treated wood. Seems easiest to maintain/repair, cheaper, and safer overall. Thank you for the link to TSC - I definitely need to make up a shopping list. 

Thank you again for the outstanding advice, I will definitely be coming back to refer to it again!
Save​


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## Werecat (Aug 23, 2015)

I'm going through a very similar thing right now. Most of my property is fenced but I needed an attractive fence to go around the house and build my paddock around the barn. After crunching numbers, we went with 4 row 4.25" Ramm Flex fencing, which helped bring down the price since pressure treated lumber is a bit expensive in our area. It also requires less maintenance than lumber, and is quite safe. To save more money, we sourced old but good telephone poles for the ends since those have to be around 8x8 circular posts that serve as the strength of the fence for when a horse runs into the fencing. I'm dreading the bill for when I go and purchase my other posts ha.

If you know of anyone who has a decent sized compact tractor or tractor maybe you can rent an auger to dig the posts yourself which would probably save you quite a bit. Smart move on going to the extension office for guidance. The only way I was able to afford my fencing was because we're doing it ourselves with the help of some good people. It's crazy how expensive things are these days! Having to start from pretty much scratch is a killer.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Check Facebook for local city/town/county groups or local horse/ranch groups and ask for recommendations. Or see if your neighborhood has a group on NextDoor dot com. Either way you'll get input on local companies/individuals, both the good & the bad, not just the glowing reviews on a company's website.


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