Fencing - why so expensive? Or Why won't yard crashers come to Reno?

Totally thought this was about how Rapiers, Sabers, and Foils cost too much...

However, I thank you dearly for posting that info because I'm gonna have to put one in in the fall. Good to have that quote. Thanks BG!

I have dogs, and needed to repair my fence sort of quick... then them and the next door neighbors dogs became best friends, even though they bark at each other all day through the fence.

But you it seems are not in a time crunch. Fencing is easy, the lay out is the tricky part. Getting your posts set right. After that, it's a breeze. There is plenty of stuff out there to read. Even if it took Mr. Booty and you a few weeks, you can still get it done. Mr. could help you set posts in a weekend or two, and you could put up the rest. Obviously that might impact how "fancy" your fence could be, but this is regular DIY stuff.

But ya, like was said, contractors have a lot of overhead, and they have to make a living. But they would have it done in a couple of days too. You pay for time and knowledge.

Me too.  Fences are fine and all, but fencing is cool.

Had a driver at my last house ran into the front wooden fence and took out 2 posts in a 12 metre length of front fence (the driver then fled the scene so we didn't have anyone to send a bill too).  Similar story that the insurance company sent around a contractor who came back with $1500 or so to do the job, which for them was to only replace the 1 post (second one with a crack through it completely did not warrant replacement according to them).  We got a lot of pressure to sign them up for the job as it was only going to cost us the $500 excess on the insurance.

Had a 3 day weekend coming up so got the materials myself and redid the entire front fence for around $800.  Sent the contractor and insurance company a photo of the job and told them that I did not appreciate their quote and they were not needed and to stop the strong arm tactics in trying to get us to sign.

Unless it involves electrical work or plumbing or similar, it's generally much cheaper to do it yourself.  Take the time to budget in any tools required for the job though.

Have you got another quote?

And yes, you want screws.

Assuming that their nothing unusual about your project, the price for the shadow box fence sounds high. I would have assumed that the cost would be more like $3000-$3500. I work for a contractor and we recently did a very similar fence and knowing the cost of the materials, I don't see how the cost would get that high. That said, I'm not sure if their are any permits needed for fencing in your area.

As for having a handyman do the project, be careful with whether they are licensed or not. At least in California, any project over $500 has to be done by a licensed contractor. I am not sure about the laws in Nevada, or even if fences are included in that, but it is worth looking into. The other issue with using a handyman, who are usually unlicensed, is that you have no recourse if something goes wrong. While that is rare, the Contractors License Board is a powerful ally in recouping lost money.

As for nails vs screws, galvanized nails will work fine for this application. They are coated so as to not oxidize (or at least drastically slow the rate) and for a fence you shouldn't need the pull out strength of screws. While screws are marginally better, it will make the project considerably more expensive.

If you are planning on using cedar or redwood dog-eared fencing, there really isn't much need to stain or paint unless you are looking for a particular look. The boards are fine to be installed raw and will darken nicely over time.

Did you do that to keep the green grass from growing into your dirt/mud???  That is annoying when that happens isn't it?