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How many fence bids should I compare?

Get more than one written fence estimate, as FTC home improvement advice recommends, and compare them on one written scope covering the fence line, height, material, gate count, post setting, old-fence disposal and utility marking, rather than chasing a set number of responses.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Researched by the InstaBids editorial team. Last checked: 14 October 2026

A long white vinyl privacy fence running along a wide backyard.

Key facts

Why do bids for one job differ?

Compare fence bids line by line, because two companies can read one yard differently: the run length they measured, where the line sits against your property boundary, the height and material, how posts are set, how many gates swing, and whether disposal of the old fence is in the written scope.

The FTC's home improvement advice says: "A written estimate should include a description of the work to be done, materials, completion date, and the price." For a fence, ask each company to name the post material and spacing, the panel or picket style and the gate hardware.

Source: FTC home improvement hiring guidance, read 14 October 2026.

Ask whether each bid assumes a clear fence line. Shrubs, roots or a slope along the run change the labor, so ask every bidder to mark clearing, haul-away of old panels and grading as included or excluded.

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When is a comparison less useful?

Check whether the fence line and any homeowners' association approval are settled before you collect more fence bids. Another estimate cannot tell you where your boundary runs or what your association will accept, and a bid drawn on the wrong line or height gives you a written scope you cannot use.

Section 720.3035(1)(a) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, on homeowners' associations, reads: "The authority of an association or any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of an association to review and approve plans and specifications for the location, size, type, or appearance of any structure or other improvement on a parcel, or to enforce standards for the external appearance of any structure or improvement located on a parcel, shall be permitted only to the extent that the authority is specifically stated or reasonably inferred as to such location, size, type, or appearance in the declaration of covenants or other published guidelines and standards authorized by the declaration of covenants." If you live in an association, ask for its written fence guidelines and give every bidder the same copy.

Source: Florida Statutes section 720.3035, read 14 October 2026.

How can I ask several companies the same questions?

Use one fence sketch for every company, marking the line, measured run lengths, height, material, gate positions and widths, and what happens to the old fence. Send each bidder the same sketch and photographs so every bid answers your layout instead of a layout the company guessed.

  1. Corners and ends: mark each corner and where the fence meets the house or a neighbor's fence.
  2. Gates: give each gate a position, width and swing direction, and ask which hinge and latch hardware the bid includes.
  3. Posts: ask how posts are set and how the bid handles rock, roots or a slope along the run.
  4. Old fence: say whether it stays or comes down, and who handles disposal.

If the new fence will also form part of a residential swimming pool barrier, section 515.29(3) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "Gates that provide access to swimming pools must open outward away from the pool and be self-closing and equipped with a self-latching locking device, the release mechanism of which must be located on the pool side of the gate and so placed that it cannot be reached by a young child over the top or through any opening or gap." Ask each bidder to address that passage in writing for any pool-side gate.

Source: Florida Statutes section 515.29, read 14 October 2026.

Should I ask whether a quotation has a charge?

Ask whether a fence company treats its measuring walk-through as part of the estimate or as a separate booked service, and ask the same about a property survey. Get those terms in writing so an assessment stays separate from installation work you have not chosen.

A measuring walk-through and a boundary survey are different tasks. If a bid assumes a survey you have not ordered, ask the company to state that assumption in the written scope.

What should my request include?

Describe your fence request with photographs of the whole fence line, both ends and each gate spot, plus a written scope listing height, material, run lengths, gate widths, old-fence removal and any association guideline you must follow.

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, read 14 October 2026.

What should I do when written bids arrive?

Compare written fence bids against your sketch first: match run length, height, material and gate count, then check that each start date leaves time for utility marks and ask who will request them before post holes are dug. A bid that leaves disposal, gate hardware or post setting blank is incomplete, so ask before choosing.

Section 556.105(6)(a) of the 2026 Florida Statutes reads: "An excavator shall avoid excavation in the area described in the notice given under subsection (1) until each member operator underground facility has been marked and located or until the excavator has been notified that no member operator has underground facilities in the area described in the notice, or for the time allowed for markings set forth in paragraphs (5)(a) and (b), whichever occurs first. If a member operator has not located and marked its underground facilities within the time allowed for marking set forth in paragraphs (5)(a) and (b), the excavator may proceed with the excavation, if the excavator does so with reasonable care and if detection equipment or other acceptable means to locate underground facilities are used." Ask each fence company who will notify the one-call system for your address and how its start date allows for the marks.

Source: Florida Statutes section 556.105, read 14 October 2026.

The decisive comparison is the line itself. If one bid's run length, corners or gate positions differ from your sketch, return the sketch and ask that company to correct the bid before you look for another fence estimate.

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Sources for the facts on this page

Sources checked: 14 October 2026.

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