Fence Questions, Answered

It depends on the material, the length, the number of gates and how difficult the ground is. As a starting point, our installed prices begin around $32 per foot for wood, $38 for vinyl and $48 for pool-safety aluminum.

Those are starting figures, not quotes. A flat back yard with clear access costs less per foot than a sloped lot with tree roots and a narrow gate to carry materials through. Use the cost estimator on this site for a ballpark, then book a free on-site visit for a real number.

No. The visit is free and there is no obligation to book.

We come out and measure in person, usually within 48 hours, because a price quoted off a satellite image is a price that changes once someone is standing in the yard. You get a written figure with the materials named on it.

Usually it is what is underground and what is not written down.

Post depth, concrete, post thickness and hardware grade all vary between quotes and none of them are visible once the job is finished. A cheaper quote may be using thinner posts, shallower footings, or leaving out removal of the old fence. Ask each company what depth they set posts to, what the posts are made of, and whether disposal is included — then compare.

Often yes, but it is decided by your town, not the state. Some municipalities require a permit for any fence, others only above a certain height or for pool enclosures.

We tell you at the estimate whether your town needs one and what it involves. We work across Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson County and deal with these offices regularly.

That is set by your municipality, and it varies — some allow the fence right on the line, others require a setback, and corner lots often have their own rules about sight lines.

If you have a survey, have it ready for the estimate. If you do not, and the boundary is not obvious, it is worth getting one before anyone puts a post in the ground. Moving a fence afterwards costs far more than knowing where the line is beforehand.

You are not always legally required to, but it is worth doing anyway.

A fence on or near a shared boundary is much easier when the neighbour has heard about it first, and some towns do require notice. It also avoids the common dispute where both parties believed the line was somewhere slightly different.

The convention is that the finished side — the side without the visible rails and posts — faces outward, toward the street and the neighbour.

Some municipalities put this in their ordinance and will fail an inspection over it. We build to whichever way your town requires and will tell you at the estimate.

Aluminum, comfortably. It does not rot, rust or need painting, and an ornamental aluminum fence will outlast everything else in this list.

Vinyl and composite come next and need no finishing. Pressure-treated wood and cedar look better to most people but need occasional staining to keep their colour, and the posts are the part that eventually fails. Chain link lasts a long time for the money but is not chosen for looks.

Wood costs less up front, looks warmer, and can be stained any colour you like — but it needs re-staining every few years and will grey if you let it.

Vinyl costs more at the start and never needs painting, staining or sealing. Over fifteen years vinyl usually works out cheaper. If you want the look of timber without the upkeep, composite is the middle ground.

There is more detail in our guide comparing the two.

Height, gaps and what happens at ground level.

For most dogs a solid privacy fence at six feet is enough. For a jumper, go higher and avoid horizontal rails on the inside face, which work as a ladder. For a digger, the fence needs to meet the ground properly — a gravel board or a buried edge stops them going under.

Small breeds are the opposite problem: the gaps matter more than the height. Picket spacing that looks tight to you may not be tight to a determined terrier. Tell us the breed at the estimate and we will size it accordingly.

Yes, and to code.

New Jersey has adopted requirements for residential pool barriers: a minimum height of 48 inches measured from the outside, no gap that a 4-inch sphere passes through, no more than 2 inches clearance at the ground, and gates that are self-closing and self-latching with the latch out of a child's reach.

Your town's construction office has the final word and some require more — 60 inches is common for above-ground pools. We build to your municipality's standard and to pass inspection.

Most residential jobs are finished in one to three days once we start, depending on the length of the run, the number of gates and the ground.

The part that varies is what comes before: material lead times and, where one is needed, the permit. We give you a realistic date at the estimate rather than an optimistic one.

Yes. Removal and disposal of the old fence is part of the job unless you would rather keep the materials.

If the existing posts are set in concrete, pulling those footings is usually the slowest part of the day — worth knowing when comparing a quote that does not mention removal at all.

Usually, and we will tell you honestly which one you need.

A fence rarely fails all at once. Most often it is a few posts that have shifted or rotted at the base, a gate that has dropped out of square, or a section a storm took out — none of which need the whole run replaced.

We repair fences we did not install, in every material we work in.

Yes. Posts can be set through most of the winter here; it is only sustained deep frost that stops work, and in northern New Jersey that is a handful of days a year rather than a season.

Winter is often the quieter time to book, and the ground being bare makes the work easier in some ways than doing it through a planted summer garden.

Yes. Angelo Fence Company is a registered New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor, registration #13VH12371500, and we carry insurance.

Ask any contractor for both before they start work on your property — the registration number can be checked with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.

No. Every job is done by our own crew, from the first measurement to the final walkthrough.

That is why the person who measures your property can tell you on the spot what will work on a slope or around a tree — they are the same person who will be building it.