A fence price, read in the order the work happens
It is tempting to judge a fence bid by its bottom line. Another way is to follow the job through time: what has to be settled on paper before anyone digs, what happens on the days the crew is in your yard, and what is left after it drives away. Each stage can carry labor and material, and each one can be a place where two bids can quietly part ways.
Stage one: paperwork
Harrisonburg requires a building permit for any new construction, alterations, additions, demolitions, accessory buildings, tents, swimming pools and other construction that improves or upgrades property in the city; separate trade permits are required for all electrical, plumbing and mechanical work.
Rather than guess where your fence falls in that list, ask. Put the question to the city and to each bidder: does this fence call for a building permit, and who will apply for it? Ask whether the application fee, any drawing it needs and the time spent on it are inside the bid or added on top.
Where permits are handled
Most Harrisonburg permits are handled by the Department of Community Development at 409 S Main St, 2nd Floor; applications can be submitted and paid online through the city's permit portal, by email, or in person (540-432-7700).
The city's design criteria
Harrisonburg's Building Inspections Division lists local design criteria of a 24-inch frost depth, a 115 mph ultimate wind speed and seismic category B, and says the city enforces the 2021 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.
Questions about the design itself
Ask each bidder, in writing, how its design will account for the city's criteria, and which parts of the building code it believes apply to a fence like yours. Ask the Building Inspections Division the same question if a bidder is unsure. Keep both answers with the bids so you can tell whether the companies have priced the same kind of post and footing.
Stage two: layout and digging
Staking the line
Before the first hole, someone measures the run, marks each corner, end and opening, and checks the stakes against your boundary. Ask who does that, whether a survey is part of the bid, and who you should call if the stakes look wrong.
Holes and footings
Digging can be where a bid's labor hides. Roots, stumps, rubble or an old slab can slow an auger or leave a crew digging by hand. Ask each company how it prices a hole that strikes something, whether it calls you before adding a charge, and where the spoil from the holes goes. Ask, too, who requests a utility locate before digging.
Ground that slopes
Where the yard rises or falls, ask how the bid handles it: sections held level that drop in steps at each post, or a frame that leans with the hill. Ask how the space that can open beneath the lowest rail will be dealt with, and whether that work is priced.
Stage three: framing and infill
Posts and rails
Ask for the post material and size, how far apart line posts stand, how each post is set, and whether corner, end and gate posts are heavier. Ask how many rails each section carries and what fastens them. These choices can change both the hours and the material on a bid.
What fills the frame
- Wood boards. Ask how many boards a section takes in the pattern you chose, whether both faces look finished, and what species and grade are priced.
- Pickets with gaps. Ask about picket width and the spacing between them.
- Vinyl. Ask what the panels and rails are made of, how thick the rails are, and how panels lock to the posts.
- Metal. Ask whether the sections are aluminum or steel, what the finish is, and what touch-up comes with it.
- Chain link. Ask about the fabric's height and gauge, and whether a coated wire or privacy slats are in the number.
Decorative extras such as caps or a lattice band are worth asking about one by one, so you can see what each adds.
Stage four: gates
A gate can be a small build inside the larger one, with its own posts, frame, hardware and hanging time. Ask each bidder to price every opening separately: its width, whether it is a single leaf or a pair, the hinge and latch it gets, what that hardware is made of, which way it swings, and how it is braced to stay square. A wide opening for a vehicle is worth asking about by itself.
Stage five: removal, finish and cleanup
If an old fence is coming down, ask whether its posts are pulled or cut off, whether old concrete collars come out, who fills the holes and whether hauling and disposal are in the price. For new wood, ask whether stain or sealer is part of the bid and who decides when the wood is ready for it. Ask what leaves the yard at the end: offcuts, packaging and soil.
The license and coverage line
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. Call your own insurer with any question about your policy during the work.
The final walk-through
When the crew says it is done, walk the line together. Swing every gate, try each latch, look down the run for posts that lean, and check the layout against the stakes and the bid. Ask before you sign whether the contract lets you hold the last payment until anything on that list is put right.
Lining the bids up
Write the stages above down the side of a page: paperwork, design answers, layout and digging, framing and infill, gates, removal, finish and cleanup, then warranty and payment steps. Give each company a column. A blank square is a question for that company, not a saving.