How Much Does Vinyl Fence Cost?
If you’re looking for a low or no-maintenance fence for your property, there’s a good chance you’re considering a vinyl fence.
However, like most things, you probably also have a budget in mind, which is why you’re wondering exactly how much does vinyl fence cost. Let’s take a closer look at the answer and what might affect the cost of your vinyl fence.
Cost of Vinyl Fence Per Foot
The most common question people ask when they are asking about the price of fencing is what the price per foot is. While this might seem like the most convenient way to price a fence, it’s not very accurate, and most fence companies don’t like to price this way. But we will get into that in a little more detail in a moment.
The best most people can do when giving an estimate of the cost of vinyl fence per foot is to give you a range, which in this case could be anything from about $40 to $60 or more per foot. Now let’s look at how vinyl fence is priced and why those costs can vary so much.
Why Do Vinyl Fence Prices Vary So Much?
If you’ve been looking for vinyl fence pricing, you’ve probably spoken to a few people who have given you a price range like we did above. You might even have gotten some firm quotes based on a site visit, and they might be all over the map. There are good reasons for this, so let’s look at things that could affect the cost of your fence.
Minimum Labor Rates and Fixed Costs
The first thing you need to know about vinyl fence pricing is that even if your fence is very small and can be completed in less than a day, the prices you get from contractors will still include their minimum labor charge, which could be several hundred dollars regardless of the size of your fence.
The reason for this is that the base cost to get a crew to your site doesn’t really change much, even if your fence is very small. They still have to load a truck. They still have to drive to your site and unload their materials and equipment. They still have to set out your fence and do all their prep. So even if their actual time on site is only a few hours, they’re still using up most of a day to do your project, and those costs have to be covered.
This is probably the number one reason why per-foot pricing for vinyl fences doesn’t work, especially for small jobs, so don’t be surprised if your small vinyl job is a lot higher than the price per foot range you were given on the phone!
Vinyl Fence Quality
The next big factor in answering the question of how much does vinyl fencing costs is the quality of the fence product itself.
As with most things, there are vastly different quality levels of fence out there. Some are much thinner, made from lower quality PVC, not UV protected and so on.
Lower-quality vinyl fence products will probably look similar to a high-quality fence when it goes in, but they might crack, fade and discolor very quickly. In many cases, people who do buy cheap vinyl fences end up replacing them long before the average vinyl fence lifespan has passed.
Ask any fence company that gives you a quote for vinyl fencing to provide detailed product information, and ask what their product warranty is. Many good vinyl fence manufacturers will provide a 25-year warranty, which is a great lifespan for a fence!
Your Fence Layout
Another big factor in the price of a vinyl fence is the layout of the fence.
Long, straight fence lines – no matter what kind of fence you’re installing – will cost less than complex fence lines with lots of ends and corners. The reason for this is based on both materials and labor.
Complex fence lines will require more end and corner fence posts, which usually cost more than line posts, and they will require more labor to cut and fit smaller panels. This also applies when there are big elevation changes, and your fence needs to step to follow the ground.
The more complex your fence will be, the more it’s likely to cost.
The Installation Method
You might not know this, but there are several ways to install vinyl fences, and they can affect how much vinyl fencing costs.
Some contractors install vinyl posts in concrete bases, as they would with most other fences. Others install vinyl posts over metal posts that are pounded into the ground. Vinyl fences can also be installed on concrete surfaces using base-plated steel posts and a similar method.
The costs and benefits of each of these installation methods will vary, and so will the price of the fence.
The Fence Specification
Most people who aren’t in the fence business don’t realize just how vast the options are as far as specifications, and that applies to vinyl fence systems too.
Vinyl fence is available in everything from white picket fence styles for front yards to 6-foot or higher privacy fences. There are endless variations of design and lots of accessories like solar power fence cap lights.
Unless your fence company knows exactly what specification you want, it’s very hard for them to give you an accurate off-the-cuff estimate per foot of vinyl fencing.
How Many Gates You Have
Vinyl fence gates are a lot more complicated to build than the fence itself. They usually require some kind of metal frame inside the PVC fence product, and they require hinges, latches, drop bolts or can bolts and other equipment.
As you can imagine, all that extra material and labor does increase the cost per foot of a fence, and if you have several gates, it can be quite a big difference.
Always Ask for Site Visits and Quotes
Hopefully, this article has explained why it’s so difficult to get a price per foot for vinyl fence over the phone. Even if a fence company will give you a price range, the final price you will pay for a fence might be vastly different from that range.
The best way to find out what a vinyl fence will cost you is to arrange a site visit by one or more local fence companies that specialize in vinyl fence installation and get them to provide a firm quote. Getting more than one quote allows you to compare your options, but make sure that they’re all pricing on the same or similar specifications.
The good news is that a good quality vinyl fence will last 25 years or more, which means that even though it might cost a little more than other options, the lifetime cost of a quality vinyl fence is actually quite low.
