Set the scope before you set the budget
A fence price can move a long way depending on choices that are easy to make without noticing. Before the first company comes out, write down what the fence has to do, roughly where it runs, the height you have in mind, how many gates you want, and which parts you would trade away if the totals come in higher than you hoped. That short note turns a vague budget into a scope each bidder can price the same way.
The City of Erie's fence fee
The City of Erie's residential permit page lists a fence fee of $50 for a fence costing $0 to $2,000, and $50 plus $7 per $1,000 above $2,000 for a costlier fence, and advises consulting the zoning officer if you are unsure of your parcel's exact dimensions.
With that schedule in front of you, ask each bidder:
- Is the city's fee in your price, or will it be billed to me separately?
- Who fills in the application, and what fence cost will it show?
- Should I talk to the zoning officer about my parcel's dimensions before you draw the layout?
Footage and the number of turns
Footage can shape both the material order and the labor, so ask every company for the footage it measured and compare it with your own tape. Corners and ends count as well: each one can call for a heavier post and more layout time. If a route that skirts a garden bed or a tree adds several turns, ask for a second price on a straighter line.
Height and the face of the fence
Taller boards and panels use more material, and a taller fence can call for heavier posts or an extra rail. The face matters too: a closed privacy face takes more stock than spaced pickets, and a design that looks finished on both sides can take more again. If privacy matters along only one stretch, ask for the full-height style there and a lower or more open one elsewhere, priced as two lines.
Posts and the ground beneath them
The parts of a fence you will never see after the crew leaves can account for real money. Ask each company to put in writing the post material and size, the spacing, how the posts are anchored and what surrounds them in the ground. Digging is where an estimate meets the unknown. Ask what happens to the price if a hole turns up stone, a thick root, old concrete or construction debris: a set charge per hard hole, an hourly rate, or no change at all. Ask that the crew lead reach you before any such charge goes on the bill. If your yard slopes, ask how the panels will handle the grade and what will fill any space left beneath the lowest rail.
Gates as separate line items
A gate carries its own posts, frame, hinges and latch, plus the time to hang it so it swings true. A wide drive opening or a double gate may need sturdier posts and bracing than a walk-through gate. Ask for each gate on its own line with its width and named hardware, so you can see what a second gate, or a narrower one, would change.
Clearing the route
If an old fence, a hedge or a row of shrubs stands where the new fence will go, ask who removes it, whether the old posts come out whole or are cut at the ground, whether their concrete is dug out, and whether the debris and the soil from new holes leave with the crew.
Finish and upkeep
For wood, ask whether stain or sealer is in the price, when it would be applied, and who decides that the wood is ready for it. For vinyl and metal, ask what cleaning or touch-up the company suggests. Ask for the workmanship warranty and the material warranty as separate documents, and what each one excludes.
Drinking water in Erie
Erie Water Works, which serves the City of Erie along with Lawrence Park, Wesleyville, Harborcreek, Millcreek and portions of Summit and Greene Townships, says its water source is exclusively surface water from Lake Erie, treated at two filtration plants: the Chestnut Water Treatment Plant and the Richard S. Wasielewski Water Treatment Plant.
Registration and proof of coverage
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires every contractor who performs at least $5,000 of home improvements a year to register with the state Attorney General's Office.
Ask each company: "Are you registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office as a home improvement contractor, and what is the registration number?" Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation too, and write both answers on that company's bid. Questions about your own homeowner's policy go to your insurer.
Deposits, changes and the final payment
Ask how much is due at signing, what falls due when materials arrive or posts are set, and what is held until the end. Ask that any change made once work starts, such as a moved gate or a taller stretch, be written up and priced, and signed by you before the crew does it. Ask whether the last payment can wait until a final walk-through, when every gate latches and the yard is cleaned up, and pay by a method that leaves a record.
A budget sheet for comparing bids
Give each company a column on one sheet. Down the left side, list: footage, corners and ends, height and face, posts and anchoring, unexpected ground, each gate, removal and hauling, finish, the city's fee and who pays it, warranties, payment steps and the registration answer. Fill in each square from the bids. An empty square is a question for that company, and the totals are worth comparing once every column describes the same fence.