Handyman
Fence Repair Cost Calculator
Prices fence repair, where the posts fail first and matching the existing fence is the difficulty.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus materials and the call-out. Fence repairs are usually one of three things: replacing rotten or broken pickets and rails, resetting or replacing a failed post, and fixing a sagging gate. Pickets and rails are quick. A post is the real job, because it means digging out the old one and its concrete, setting a new one and letting it cure before reattaching the fence, which turns a single repair into two visits or a wait.
What moves the number
- Whether a post is involved, which is much more work than pickets or rails.
- Whether the old concrete footing has to come out, which is slow.
- Matching existing material, which on a weathered fence is never exact.
- Gate repairs, where a brace or hinge post is usually the real fault.
Where this one goes wrong
Call the utility locate service before digging out a post, even on a repair, because buried services run through ordinary residential gardens and a post hole is a hole. It is free and it is required in most places. On expectations, new timber will not match a weathered fence and will stay visibly different for a long time, which is worth saying before the work rather than after, particularly where only a section is being replaced. A sagging gate is almost never a hinge problem: it is either a frame with no diagonal brace or a hinge post that has moved, and fixing the hinges without addressing those means it sags again.
Before you quote
- Call the utility locate service before digging any post out.
- Tell the customer new timber will not match the weathered fence.
- On a sagging gate, check the brace and hinge post rather than the hinges.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Why is replacing one fence post more expensive than several pickets?
Because it means digging out the old post and its concrete footing, setting a new one, and waiting for the concrete to cure before reattaching the fence. That turns a single repair into either a long visit or two, where pickets and rails are quick screw-and-cut work.
Will the repair match my existing fence?
Not initially. New timber is a different colour from weathered timber and stays visibly different for a long time, and even matched profiles differ once one has been outside for years. Staining the whole fence afterwards is the only way to even it out.
My gate sags. Do I need new hinges?
Usually not. A sagging gate is either a frame with no diagonal bracing, so the rectangle has racked, or a hinge post that has leaned under the gate's weight. Replacing hinges addresses neither. A correctly oriented brace or resetting the post is the actual repair.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $85.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $85 |
| Parts and materials | $60 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $255 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $255 of labour, $60 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $43 | $284 |
| $64 | $347 |
| $85 example above | $410 |
| $128 | $539 |
| $170 | $665 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $85.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.