Before you sign a fence estimate: the questions that separate good builders from the rest

Ask about the people, the posts and the paperwork

Before you hire a fence company, ask who will actually be on your property, how the posts will be set, what exactly the written estimate includes, and who handles the permit, the HOA paperwork and the utility locate. Also ask whether they offer repair and restaining as well as new fences, and which materials they build in. The answers tell you far more than the price does, because a fence that is built well and a fence that is built fast can look identical on the day the crew leaves.

Before fencing, I built custom homes, including luxury homes in Preston Hollow, and that background shapes how I judge any trade: a good one answers specific questions with specific answers, and vagueness about the things listed below is usually where problems start. Use these questions with any fence company, including mine.

Who will be on site, and who checks the finished work?

Ask who comes to the consultation, who supervises the crew during the build, and who walks the finished fence with you. In some companies, a salesperson measures the yard, a crew you have never met builds it, and nobody who saw the original conversation looks at the result. That is how details agreed at the kitchen table get lost by the time the posts go in.

A good answer names people and roles. At Park Cities Fence & Deck, I attend every consultation and every build, an experienced team leader supervises the crew on site, and I walk the finished job with the owner before it is called complete. You do not need exactly that arrangement from every contractor, but you do need to know who is responsible for your fence on the day it is built.

Ask, too, how you will hear about the schedule. Materials have to arrive, the locate has to be completed and weather can push a start date. A contractor who tells you in advance when the crew is coming, how long they expect to be there and what they need from you, such as access to the backyard, a gate code or pets kept inside, is one who is likely to run the build itself the same organized way.

How will the posts be set?

This is the most important technical question, and it is the one homeowners skip. The posts carry the fence. Ask what the posts are made of, what size they are, how far apart they will be, how deep they go, how they are set, and how long the footing is allowed to cure before rails and pickets are hung. Ask how gate posts differ from line posts, since a gate post carries a swinging load every day.

A contractor who knows the work answers these without hesitation and adjusts the answers to your fence: a taller privacy fence, a heavy driveway gate or a long open run in a windy spot all call for different post decisions. A contractor who changes the subject back to picket style or price is telling you where their attention is.

If you have an existing fence, also ask what happens to the old posts and their concrete. Pulling them out and setting new posts in clean holes is more work than setting a new post beside an old footing, and the estimate should say which one you are paying for.

What exactly is in the written estimate?

A verbal number is not an estimate. Ask for a written one, and read it before you compare it with anything else. Two quotes that look far apart often describe two different fences. My guide to what drives the price of a new fence explains why, but the short version is that the estimate should spell out every item that changes the cost.

At minimum, look for these on paper:

• Material, species or metal type, style and height
• Total footage, ideally broken down by section
• Post type, size and spacing, and how posts are set
• Every gate: size, style, hardware and whether it will be automated
• Removal and haul-off of the old fence and old concrete
• Staining or finish, and when it will be applied
• Who handles the permit, HOA submittal and utility locate
• A timeline from approval to completion

Do you repair and restain, or only build new?

Ask this even if you are sure you need a new fence. A company that only installs new fences has exactly one recommendation to give you. A company that also resets posts, replaces pickets and rails, rebuilds sections and power washes and restains can tell you honestly whether your current fence is worth saving, and you can judge the honesty of the answer.

Our own rule of thumb is that when about 20 percent or less of a fence is damaged, targeted repair is usually the most cost-effective choice, and past about 30 percent, replacement is often the better long-term value. If a contractor recommends a full replacement for a fence with two leaning posts, ask why. My guide on repairing or replacing a leaning fence shows you how to test the posts yourself before anyone comes out.

Which materials do you build in?

A contractor who only builds wood will recommend wood. One who only sells iron will find reasons iron is right. Ask which materials they build in-house and which they subcontract. We build wood, iron and masonry fences ourselves, along with gates, decks and pergolas, so the recommendation can follow the property: the street, the house, the HOA, the pool, the dog and the budget.

Then ask why they are recommending the material they are recommending for your property in particular. The answer should mention your yard, not a general claim that one material is best.

It also helps to ask what the contractor would not recommend for your property and why. Someone who can explain that iron suits a pool enclosure better than wood, that a solid masonry wall needs more planning on a sloped lot, or that a board-on-board cedar fence costs more up front because both faces are finished, is someone who has thought about your yard rather than about the order.

Who handles permits, HOA approval and the utility locate?

Many cities in the area require a fence permit above certain heights, HOAs often require approval of material, style and height before construction, and nobody should dig a post hole before underground lines are marked. Ask who is responsible for each of those. Atmos Energy, in a reminder published by the City of Arlington, encourages homeowners and contractors to contact 811 before any digging and notes that the request is free.

We coordinate the permit and the 811 locate and provide the material and style details HOAs usually ask for. For property lines, we treat a survey as the definitive source and will not guess. If a contractor says permits never apply or a locate is not needed for a fence, keep looking. My guide to fence permits and HOA rules covers what to check on your own.

Answers that should make you keep looking

A fence that fails after only a few years usually was not a bad idea. More often it was a rushed job that showed warning signs before anyone signed. These are the ones I would treat as reasons to get another estimate:

• A firm price over the phone without anyone seeing the yard
• No written estimate, or one that lists only a total
• Vague answers about post size, spacing and how posts are set
• Pressure to sign today to keep a special price
• No mention of the permit, the HOA or the utility locate
• A replacement recommendation with no explanation of why repair will not work
• Unwillingness to confirm insurance or to put workmanship terms in writing

Insurance, workmanship terms and references

Ask whether the company is insured. We are. Ask how workmanship is backed and what the material manufacturers cover, and ask for both in writing. On our estimates, the specific terms are reviewed with you before you sign, which is how it should be with any contractor: you should not have to guess what happens if a gate sags or a post moves.

Then ask for references, and ask for older ones. A fence built last month looks good. A fence built several seasons ago shows how the posts and the finish have handled heat, storms and sprinklers. Online reviews help, especially ones that mention the process: whether the crew showed up when promised, communicated clearly and cleaned up. If you want to know what keeps a fence looking right for years afterward, my guide on making a cedar fence last covers the maintenance side.

What our first visit looks like

You call or send us your address, what you want built or fixed, and a few photos if you have them. I come out for the consultation, walk the property with you, look at the existing fence, the ground, the gates and anything in the way, and talk through materials and design. You receive a free, no-obligation written estimate with the options and a timeline. When repair and replacement are both reasonable, I will tell you so.

Once you approve it, we schedule the work, coordinate the permit, the HOA details and the 811 locate, and build with a team leader on site. Most residential wood and iron fences take one to three days once materials are on site; masonry, large estate fences and automated gates take longer. Then I walk the finished job with you. We work for homeowners, HOAs and businesses across Dallas-Fort Worth, and every question in this guide is one you are welcome to ask us first.

Questions people ask me