Fencing time?

[Old Mill Tree Care]

A client has asked me to do some fencing but I've never done it before so I'm unsure how to price it.

How long does it take to install for a competent chap. It's nothing fancy, dig holes, use postcrete, feather edge boards.

There will be three of us doing it and both my groundie's used to work for landscapers.

Thanks.

[East Anglian landscaping]

Hi we do a lot of panel fencing takes about 2 hrs to sort the frist panel then an hour a panel after that

[s.varty]

Hi we do a lot of panel fencing takes about 2 hrs to sort the frist panel then an hour a panel after that

 

I agree with that, based on one man ,concrete posts & gravel boards, but and its a big but , it all depends on the ground your digging into, its took me up to 15 mins in chalk/flint and 1-2 mins in sand to dig one hole.

[Hodge]

When I'm fencing I just charge my normal day rate, even though the work is different the overheads don't:)

[Pedroski]

Closeboard fencing - 3m length bays, 1.8m high, 2.7m x 100mm wooden posts, wooden gravel boards, 2 bags postcrete per hole - we price £195 per bay all in. Covers all contingencies. There are plenty of knobs about who charge £120 per bay, which is stuuuuupid. The materials alone are ~£70 per bay by the time you factor in reels of nails for the nail gun etc!

 

It's much easier to price per bay like this, allowing enough in the price for hard holes to dig, previous concrete to kango out etc. By pricing per bay you can measure the length of the run and easily give the customer a price. Some people do it on a day rate, but the customer then doesn't have a clue what it's going to cost unless the person pricing decides up front to put plenty of days on it knowing for certain it's going to take less. And by pricing per bay you can sometimes come out well on top. I priced like this for a job a few weeks back - £195/bay, 5 bays, and got the lot done on my own in a day. Meant I walked away with £565 profit. Customer very happy, If I'd done it on a day rate then I certainly wouldn't have worked like a nutter on a Saturday for £150!

Edited August 8, 2012 by Pedroski

[s.varty]

and the running around for materials plus time looking and pricing the job,had a bloke a few weeks ago that wanted 3 portugese panels @£47.00 each erected, when i said £300 his reply was "oh thats far to much i dont want to spend anymore than £150,best thing was he showed me the panels he wanted in his wickes book and could clearly see the price of them.

[Pedroski]

and the running around for materials plus time looking and pricing the job,had a bloke a few weeks ago that wanted 3 portugese panels @£47.00 each erected, when i said £300 his reply was "oh thats far to much i dont want to spend anymore than £150,best thing was he showed me the panels he wanted in his wickes book and could clearly see the price of them.

 

There be some proper numpties about!

 

What you say about running around for materials is another reason to price per bay and not to do it on a day rate. Customers don't seem to be able to comprehend that they're paying someone on a day rate to not be on site, but to be running around here there and everywhere picking stuff up, and eating bacon, sausage and egg baguettes from the roadside food place!

[smiles]

I'd also check what you're insurance has to say about digging holes - had a bit of a run in with an LV mains cable - fortunately my mate was alright,but we won't be using that spade again!

The EDF guy gave me a good talking too and quite rightly pointed out the HSE requirements for working at depth,which basically involve contacting all utilities for plans/drawings and then using a CAT if services are evident.

Never felt the need to do this in the past - but the repurcussions for future costs and even more paperwork are going to be a lot of work.

 

Cheers

Steve

[Pedroski]

Steve, my workmate did similar - just skimmed a supply cable with a fence spade as he was digging holes for post and rail up someone's drive. Big sparks! Afterwards he noticed the metal stud in the pavement marking where the cable was. Fortunately, he has insurance to cover such incidents.

[smiles]

We were on a rear boundary of a garden and an unadopted road,I had already removed nine 40-50 year old leylandii's and a mate ground the stumps out before we started fencing - the cable was three feet down right under the stumps,just on the last knockings for the hole,really put the willies up me,now looking for a CAT and the relevent training - I thought it was just going up trees that caused the problems!!!