Pricing a fence from the ground up
A finished fence shows you boards, panels or wire. The work behind its price begins below the soil and climbs from there. Each layer, from the bottom of the hole to the top of the post cap, is a place where one bid can include something another leaves out. Asking about the layers in that order can make two very different totals easier to explain.
Before the first hole: Missouri's notice rule
Missouri law requires an excavator to notify the state's underground facility notification center at least two working days, but not more than ten working days, before starting excavation; the statute defines excavation to include digging, augering and boring.
Ask each bidder who will place that notice for your job, when it will be placed, and how the timing fits the start date written on the proposal.
Holes and footings
Part of the labor in a fence goes into ground you will not see again. Hole depth, hole width and what fills the space around each post all affect labor and material. Concrete brings bags, mixing and curing time; gravel or tamped soil brings its own steps. Ask each company to write down the depth and setting method it priced, so the bids describe the same footing.
Digging conditions can be hard to predict. Roots, rock, buried rubble or a forgotten slab can slow an auger or send a crew to hand tools. Ask how the company prices a hole that strikes something, and whether it stops and calls you before adding a charge.
Posts and their spacing
Posts carry everything above them. Ask for the material and size of the line posts, how far apart they stand, and whether corner, end and gate posts are a heavier size. A route with many turns can call for more of those heavier posts than a straight run of the same length, so mark every corner on the drawing you hand out.
Rails and the frame
Between posts, rails hold the infill. Ask how many rails each section carries, what they are made of and how they fasten to the posts. On a sloped yard, ask whether the sections will step down the grade or rack to follow it, and how the gap that can open under the bottom rail will be handled.
Infill: the face of the fence
Here the material choice shows up, both in the price and in later upkeep:
- Wood boards or pickets: ask for species and grade, the spacing or overlap, and whether both faces look finished.
- Vinyl panels: ask how the panels lock to the posts and what the panel warranty leaves out.
- Aluminum or steel: ask what the coating is and how a scratch is touched up.
- Chain link: ask about the fabric height and gauge, and whether a coated wire or slats are included.
Gates, each a small build
A gate brings its own posts, frame, hinges, latch and fitting time. A drive gate or a double gate can need sturdier posts and bracing than a walk gate. Ask each company to list every gate separately with its width, hardware and swing.
Caps, trim and finish
At the top of the fence sit the extras: post caps, trim boards, a lattice band. Ask for each as its own line so you can see what it adds. For new wood, ask whether stain or sealer is in the price and who decides when the wood is ready for it.
Removal and spoil
If an old fence is coming out, ask whether old posts are pulled or cut off, whether old concrete collars are dug out, who fills the holes and whether hauling is included. Ask where the soil from new holes will go.
Paperwork in the price
Ask each bidder whether any city permit or application is part of its price, who prepares the drawing and who files it. Ask the city directly whether your fence needs a permit.
Cape Girardeau's drinking water supply
The City of Cape Girardeau says it completed a 15-year effort to switch solely to well water in April 2012; the Mississippi River had been the sole source of the city's drinking water until 1977. The city's 2025 Annual Water Quality Report lists only groundwater wells as its sources.
The city's main water plant is the Cape Rock Treatment Facility, with a capacity of 7.5 million gallons per day; its water passes through aeration, softening/iron removal, disinfection, pH adjustment and filtration. The 2.8 million gallon per day Ramsey Branch plant runs mainly in the summer months.
License and coverage on every bid
Ask each company: "What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?" Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation, and write both answers on that company's bid.
Payments and dates
Ask what is due at signing, what is due when the last gate is hung, and whether materials are ordered before or after a deposit. Ask for a written start window. Pay in a way that leaves a record.
A ground-up comparison sheet
List these layers down the left side of a page: notice before digging, holes and footings, posts, rails, infill, gates, caps and finish, removal and spoil, paperwork, warranty and payments. Give each bidder a column and fill it in from its proposal. A blank square is a question for that company. Compare totals once every column describes the same fence.