Estimate the total cost of building a fence including materials and labour.
Fencing is priced per linear foot, but the two halves of that price behave differently. Material scales with height because you are buying area of panel or more boards and rails, so a seven-foot fence costs about seventeen percent more in material than a six-foot one over the same run. Labour scales mainly with length, since the slow work is setting posts every eight feet — the post count is one more than the number of bays, the fencepost problem that gives the classic off-by-one its name. Gates are priced separately and are disproportionately expensive: hardware, bracing and a proper hinge post mean a single gate commonly costs as much as fifteen or twenty feet of plain fence.
Fence cost by length, height and gates
Material = length x material rate x (height / 6); labour = length x labour rate; posts = ceiling(length / 8) + 1; gate cost = gates x (250 + height x 40); total = material + labour + gates
Budget estimate only. Fences are commonly subject to permits, height limits, boundary and easement rules, and homeowner association restrictions, and building over a neighbour's line can force removal at your cost. Confirm the boundary and check local requirements — and always locate buried utilities before digging post holes.
Because it moves. It needs a braced frame, heavy-duty hinges, a latch and a hinge post set deeper and in more concrete than a line post, since it carries a swinging load rather than a static one.
Somewhat — taller fences need deeper posts and more concrete, and are awkward to handle. The dominant effect is on material, which is why this scales that line and leaves labour on length.
Removing an old fence, clearing vegetation, working on a slope, rock or root obstructions, survey costs to confirm the boundary, and any permit. Check the boundary line before building — moving a fence afterwards is the expensive way to learn.