How to Measure
for a Fence
Four numbers get you an accurate quote over the phone. Here is what to measure, what to measure from, and the two mistakes that make every quote you receive wrong.
The four numbers a quote needs
Total length in metres, the height you want, how many gates and how wide, and whether there is an existing fence to remove. Those four things are enough for an accurate range on almost any residential job.
Measure along the ground in a straight line between corner points, and write each run down separately rather than adding them into one figure. A quote for three runs of 12, 8 and 15 metres prices differently to one 35 metre run, because each run needs its own end posts.
Measure the boundary, not the existing fence. Old fences drift, and a fence built 200mm inside the line is a common and expensive discovery. If you are not confident where the boundary sits, a surveyor is far cheaper than moving a fence.
You do not need to be perfect. Within half a metre over a residential run is fine for a quote, because we measure properly before anything is ordered. What matters is the shape of the job, not the last centimetre.
What your measurements translate to
Roughly what a standard 1.8 metre fence works out to in posts, so you can sanity-check a run against your own numbers.
| Run length | Approx. posts |
|---|---|
| 10 metres | 5 – 6 |
| 20 metres | 9 – 11 |
| 30 metres | 13 – 16 |
| 50 metres | 21 – 26 |
Post counts assume roughly 2.4 metre spacing, which tightens on taller fences and exposed sites. A pedestrian gate and removing an old fence are each quoted separately.
Measuring a fence line properly
1Find the boundary
Look for survey pegs at the corners, or work from the title plan. Do not assume the old fence is on the line. If two neighbours disagree about where it sits, that is a surveyor job, not a fencing one.
2Break it into runs
Every time the fence changes direction, that is a new run. Sketch it roughly and label each leg. Corners need their own posts, so the number of runs affects the price as much as the total length does.
3Measure along the ground
Run the tape along the ground rather than through the air, corner to corner. On a slope, measure the ground distance. That is what gets fenced, and it is longer than the flat map distance.
4Mark the gates
Note where each gate goes and how wide the opening needs to be. Gates need their own reinforced posts, so their position changes the post layout for the whole run.
5Photograph both ends
Photos of each end of the run, the access path, and anything in the way. Access is the variable that most often surprises a quote, and a photo tells us more than a description.
Four mistakes that make every quote wrong
If three quotes come back wildly different, one of these is usually why.
The boundary and the old fence are not the same line
If there is any doubt, get it surveyed before anything is built. It costs a fraction of moving a completed fence.
Measuring the old fence
Old fences drift off the boundary over decades. Building the new one where the old one was can put it on your neighbour's land, and that is expensive to discover afterwards.
Measuring the flat distance
On a sloping boundary the ground distance is longer than the horizontal one. Measure along the surface, or the fence comes up short and the quote comes up wrong.
Adding runs together
Three short runs cost more than one long run of the same total length, because each needs end posts and each corner needs its own. Give the legs separately.
Forgetting access
A rear boundary reachable only through the house adds hours before work starts. It is the most common reason a quote changes after the site visit.
Free measures across Melbourne
Bayside
Known for Bayside, Glen Eira and Port Phillip councils.
Measuring questions
What people ask before ringing around for quotes.
Book a free measureTotal length per run in metres, the height you want, the number and width of any gates, and whether an old fence needs removing. Photos of each end and the access path make the quote considerably more accurate.
Related guides and tools
Rather not measure it yourself?
We will come out, measure properly, check the boundary and the access, and leave you with a written fixed price. Free, no obligation.