Stock fencing cost

[Turn Moss]

Hi, I'm looking to replace a fence on a parcel of woodland, half way up a hill, with stock fence (sheep wire and a strand of barbed wire) in North East Wales. It's accessible on foot and quad bike but since Storm Christophe washed the top soil off the hollow trackway I doubt you'd get a tractor near. I've had real trouble getting fencers to even quote but eventually I have one who has quoted for a 400m stretch of fence, 2 men, £1000 each a week labour with a possible job time of 2 weeks. Added to the 2.5k quoted for materials ( I plumped for creo strainers and the most expensive posts) it's going to wipe out my funds. So, 3 questions, does the labour cost seem fair? If not is anyone interested in quoting for the job? any suggestions as to alternative ways of keeping dogs in and undesirables out.....dry hedging? living hedging?

thank you.

[Baldbloke]

Sounds pretty over the top to me. Didn’t realise fencers got that kind of pay. Is it long straight runs? How many ditches, turn posts and gateways are involved? Are you talking hi tensile Rylock with a bottom wire + upper wire + top of barb?
If it’s just for sheep there’s no real need for a barb and you could use droppers like a NZ style fence.

[topchippyles]

Get any quotes in writing to cover your self and draw up a contract.Good contractor will give you a fixed cost so keep looking as that is like the man down the pub pricing it.

Edited June 10, 2021 by topchippyles

[gdh]

Obviously I can't see it but the materials seem expensive (assuming there's no gates) and if I'm reading it right at up to 4k labour that's ridiculous.

 

Unless you're digging the posts in it should only be 3 days work for a decent fencing team. It's surprising where you can get a digger and knocker or tractor with double wheels.

 

I only know fencers in South Wales unfortunately but I would be aiming for £8 per meter and no more than £10 plus vat for netting and single barb on awkward ground.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

If you can even get materiel at the moment - desperate shortage of posts in SW!

[doobin]

Sounds way over the top, unless the access is terrible. Sure you can't get a tracked dumper near?

Edited June 10, 2021 by doobin

[drinksloe]

I'm imagining the price is for hand ball?

 

I often get a bell from the local company when he has a horrible ugly hill fence to do.

 

Last 1 was 6k meter, might have got the tracked chappers to 500m or so the rest all hand dug and packed strainers ( my job, only 1 daft enough to do it without mumping) and all stabs melled in.

We were lucky he hired a tracked Argo as well as his own Argo and Haag Lund we managed to get most of the materials fairly close to fence line.

 

Not every fencing outfit has the experience or tackle to handle big rough hill jobs.

Any 1 should be able to put up a half decent fence on softflat ground.

No idea wot he charges but he gets a few jobs like that, some are a lot worse.

1 long deer fence he built a sledge and had to lower all materials down from the top of the hill ( hundreds of meters to fence line) and that section was almost 1km.

Glad I wasnae there for that.

 

Never seen job so not going to comment on price, but big difference doing a flat field laying materials straight out of the iffor trailer to wot this may be all materials loaded on quad and trailer, so multiple runs every day just to keep u in materials for that day, if a long run to pick up could almost be a man's full time job for a few days.

 

If fencing is like up here even rubbish fencers are busy, so mibbee picking and choosing there jobs..

 

But access and ground conditions would have to be very bad to take 2 fencers 2 weeks for 400m

[Matthew Storrs]

If you can get a quad to it then you can get a digger and knocker or tracked machine. I’ve had my digger fencing on ground so steep the only machine they could use to flail it was one of those robotic tracked flails- I really don’t like fencing by hand!!

As for price yeah £4000 labour for 400m is most likely them quoting for a job they don’t want to do! Unless it’s bedrock or something? 

Edited June 10, 2021 by Matthew Storrs

[Turn Moss]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I've pressed the pause button. I really need to learn how to do this myself, and grow some muscles.

[Matthew Storrs]

1 hour ago, Turn Moss said:

Thank you everyone for your advice. I've pressed the pause button. I really need to learn how to do this myself, and grow some muscles.

Why not look into clippex fencing system. Perhaps not the nicest to look at but Easy to install by hand and combined with the use of gripples a relative amateur should be able to get a decent enough fence up.