To price a fence job by voice, walk the full run and say the linear footage, height, style, post spacing, gates, corners, demolition, grade, soil, access, and your price. Voice Estimate extracts the measurements you spoke and the server turns them into planning quantities for posts, rails, pickets, and concrete; you supply every rate or lump sum. Review the takeoff against the actual layout, then send the estimate with the scope and assumptions written down.
Walk the line before you price it
Record total linear footage, height, fence style, post spacing, gates, corners, demolition, grade changes, soil conditions, and access. These details affect both material quantities and labor. Mark each corner and gate location while you are still on-site: a 150-foot straight run and 150 feet wrapped around a yard do not use the same posts or take the same time.
A voice script you can use
“Estimate 150 linear feet of six-foot privacy fence with posts eight feet on center, three rails per section, standard pickets, and two bags of concrete per post. Include one four-foot gate. Labor and materials lump sum is 8,900 dollars.”
The measurements and $8,900 lump sum are captured from your words. The calculator produces material quantities only: it never invents a price or adds an unpriced suggestion to the estimate total.
Worked example: 150 linear feet
22
posts
57
rails
335
pickets
44
concrete bags
At eight-foot spacing, 150 feet rounds up to 19 sections. That means 20 posts for the run, plus two posts for the gate; three rails per six-foot section gives 57 rails. Standard 5.5-inch pickets with a two-percent cull allowance round to 335, and two 50-pound concrete bags for each of 22 posts gives 44 bags.
Those quantities are a planning breakdown, not a price. Verify end posts, corners, gate construction, spacing, overlap, cull, post depth, and concrete assumptions before ordering. To see this takeoff inside a complete filled-in estimate — priced line items, exclusions, terms, a signature line — see the fence estimate example. To run the takeoff on your own footage, use the fence material calculator — same formulas, quantities only.
Common mistakes on fence estimates
- Treating the gate like another section. A gate adds posts, framing, hardware, alignment work, and the part of the fence the customer will operate every day. Give it its own scope and price.
- Leaving demolition and haul-away vague. Say whether the old fence, posts, concrete, and debris are coming out — and who is paying for disposal.
- Assuming every post hole is clean soil. Rock, roots, buried concrete, and difficult access can turn one hole into an hour. Name the normal-soil assumption and use a written change order for concealed conditions.
- Staying silent on the property line and utilities. State who confirms the fence line and that required utility locating happens before digging. An estimate should not quietly make the installer responsible for information the owner must provide.
- Ordering from perfect-run math. Corners, gates, grade changes, cuts, overlap, and cull affect the order. Treat calculator output as a checkable starting point, not a substitute for the final layout.
What to review before sending
- Property line and utility-locate responsibility
- Demo, haul-away, gates, hardware, and staining
- Post depth, frost requirements, and soil assumptions
- Material grade, cull allowance, and warranty
- Your spoken or manually entered price
FAQ
How many posts do I need for 150 linear feet of fence?
At eight-foot spacing, 150 linear feet rounds up to 19 sections and needs 20 posts for a straight run. One gate adds two gate posts, bringing this example to 22 posts. Spacing, corners, gates, wind exposure, and the actual layout can change that count, so review the takeoff against the site before ordering.
Should I price gates separately on a fence estimate?
Yes. Give each gate its own line or make it explicit in the scope because a gate adds posts, framing, hinges, a latch, and installation time. Voice Estimate can suggest one unpriced gate hardware kit from the gate count you spoke, but the price must come from your stated rate or lump sum.
How much concrete do I need per fence post?
The worked example uses two 50-pound bags per post, so 22 posts produce a planning quantity of 44 bags. That is an editable calculator assumption, not a universal rule. Post size and depth, soil, frost requirements, wind exposure, and the concrete product can change the quantity; verify the assumption for the actual job before ordering.