How Much Does a Fence Cost Per Linear Foot in the Valley?
Take this guide to every contractor you talk to. It shows what a rate per foot covers, what moves it and how to line up two quotes.
Written by the Aceves Home Remodeling team · · Last reviewed
A remodeling contractor based in Rio Grande City, working across the four Valley counties. The team is led by David Aceves, whose background is building custom homes, from the slab and the framing to the finish work.
Valley fence contractors price by the linear foot, the distance your fence runs along the ground. That rate buys posts, concrete, rails and pickets at one height in one material. Gates, tear out, caliche and travel are priced on their own lines, written within 48 hours.
Why do fence companies quote by the linear foot?
A fence is a line, not an area. You are buying the distance it covers along the ground. So the unit that matters is the linear foot, measured along your property line.
Height changes the face of the fence, not the length of your line. A 4 foot fence and a 6 foot fence can both run 150 feet. Each one carries its own rate per linear foot.
Posts drive most of the labor, and posts follow the line. We set them 8 feet on center, and tighter on runs that catch wind. Count the feet and you have counted most of the work.
Ask for the measured footage to be written on the estimate. A number you can check with a tape is a number you can trust. Every fence estimate we send carries that footage on its own line.
| Line item | Inside the rate per foot | Priced on its own line |
|---|---|---|
| Post holes, posts and concrete | Yes, at 8 feet on center | Extra posts on an exposed run |
| Rails and pickets, or chain link mesh | Yes, at one height | A change of height mid run |
| Corners, ends and angle posts | Partly | Bracing where the line turns |
| Gates and gate hardware | No | Each gate, by width and type |
| Tear out of the old fence | No | By the foot of old fence |
| Digging out old concrete footings | No | By the number of old posts |
| Caliche, rock or heavy roots | No | By the hole, once the auger finds it |
| Travel to your zone | No | One line, set by drive distance |
What moves the price per linear foot the most?
Five things set your rate. Material and height do most of the work. Gates and ground conditions finish it.
Material spreads the rate more than anything else. Chain link sits at the bottom of the scale. Cedar and vinyl sit in the middle, and ornamental iron sits at the top for a house fence.
Height pulls twice. Taller pickets need more board per foot. They also catch more wind, so posts go deeper or closer together.
The table below ranks each variable by how hard it pulls, not by dollars. Use it to read a quote you already have. A rate given without a height and a material is not a rate at all.
| Variable | Pull on the rate | Why it moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Material | High | Iron, vinyl, cedar and chain link sit at different levels |
| Height of the fence | High | More material per foot, and deeper posts against wind |
| Number and size of gates | High | A gate is framed, hung and hardware heavy |
| Caliche or rock in the line | Medium | The auger slows down, and hole time is labor |
| Tear out and haul off | Medium | Old posts and old footings come out by hand |
| Corners, ends and angles | Medium | Each one gets braced, not just set |
| Slope across the yard | Low to medium | Stepped or racked panels take longer to set |
| Total length of the run | Low | A long straight run spreads setup over more feet |
| Drive distance to your zone | Low | One travel line, measured from Rio Grande City |
Why does a gate cost more than the same length of fence?
A gate is the only part of your fence that moves. Anything that moves needs a frame, hinges and a latch. That is why a gate leaves the rate per foot and gets its own line.
Gate posts also carry weight that line posts never carry. Those holes go 30 inches deep instead of 24. The post takes more concrete, and the hole takes more time.
A double gate adds a second leaf and a drop rod. A driveway gate adds width, weight and sometimes an opener. Each of those items shows up separately on a clear estimate.
Decide your gates before you collect quotes. Adding one later means moving posts that are already set in concrete.
| Gate | Post and footing | Extra work | Cost against the same feet of fence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single walk gate, 3 to 4 feet | 30 inch holes, paired gate posts | Frame, three hinges, latch | Higher |
| Double gate, 8 to 12 feet | 30 inch holes, heavier posts | Two leaves, drop rod, center stop | Much higher |
| Driveway gate, 12 feet and up | Deeper footings, braced posts | Steel frame, heavy hinges | Highest |
| Ranch tube gate at a caliche road | Braced H on both sides | Hung to swing clear of ruts | Higher |
How does the ground under your fence change the price?
Starr County soil turns to caliche a foot or two down. Caliche holds a post well once the post is set. It also slows an auger to a crawl, and that time is labor.
Older yards add tree roots and buried irrigation lines. Both force hand digging around the hole. A contractor who walks your line will see them before quoting, not after.
An old fence is two jobs, not one. The panels come down, and the old concrete footings come out of the ground. A quote that skips the second job is only cheap on paper.
Slope changes how the fence sits. Stepped panels stay level and leave a gap under each step. Racked panels follow the grade and take longer to set.
- Caliche or rock you have already hit while planting
- Tree roots within a few feet of the fence line
- Sprinkler lines, gas lines and old electrical runs
- Concrete footings left from a fence that is already gone
- Where water stands after a rain, which shows you the grade
- A slope steep enough to see from the back door
How do you compare two fence estimates fairly?
Two fence quotes rarely describe the same fence. One may assume 6 feet and the other 5. One may include tear out while the other leaves it out.
Put both on the same basis before you compare them. Ask every contractor the same questions in the same order. Then read the rate per foot again.
A written estimate should show footage, height, material and gate count. It should also say what leaves in the trailer. Verbal numbers cannot be compared, because they move.
- How many linear feet did you measure on the ground?
- What height and what material does this rate assume?
- How deep are the post holes, and does every post get concrete?
- How far apart are the posts, center to center?
- Is tear out, old footing removal and haul off included?
- How many gates are in this number, and what size is each one?
- Is travel inside the rate, or is it a separate line?
What does a cheap fence estimate usually leave out?
The lowest number on your counter is often the shortest list. That is not the same as the lowest price. The difference tends to surface as a change order, or as a lean at year three.
Most gaps are predictable, and you can ask about them in one phone call. The table below pairs each missing line with what it does to you later.
A short list does not make the low bid dishonest. It makes it incomplete. Ask for the missing lines in writing, and the two numbers usually move closer together.
| Missing line | How the quote reads | What happens later |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete at every post | A lower rate per foot | Posts packed in dirt lean within about three years |
| Old footings dug out | Tear out written as one word | New posts get set beside the old ones, off the line |
| Gate hardware named by type | One word: gate | A light latch on a heavy gate sags in one season |
| Galvanized parts near the coast | Standard hardware | Salt air rusts fasteners first in Brownsville and Port Isabel |
| Haul off of the old fence | Not mentioned | The debris waits in your driveway |
| Permit check for your city | Not mentioned | A height problem surfaces after the posts are set |
| Utility locate before digging | Not mentioned | One cut sprinkler line spends the savings |
Why is a ranch perimeter priced differently from a backyard fence?
A backyard fence is measured in hundreds of feet. A ranch perimeter is measured in thousands, or in miles. The arithmetic per foot changes with the scale.
Pipe and wire runs lower per foot than cedar. The cost moves into setup instead: braced corners, gates and access. A perimeter over half a mile can take two weeks.
Starr County is a market of owners rather than renters. About 72% of homes there are owner occupied. Many of those owners fence a house yard and a property line on the same address.
Ask for ranch work to be quoted in sections. Perimeter, cross fence, pens and gates each carry their own rate. That lets you build in the order your budget allows.
When do you get an exact number for your fence?
An exact number comes after a measure, never before one. David walks the line with you and writes the footage down. Guessing from a satellite photo is where change orders begin.
Your estimate arrives in writing within 48 hours of that visit. It lists footage, height, material, gates, tear out and haul off. Each one sits on its own line, so you can see what a change would do.
Nothing on this page is a quote. It is the frame that makes your quote readable. Take it with you to every contractor you talk to.
A remodeling contractor based in Rio Grande City, working across the four Valley counties. The team is led by David Aceves, whose background is building custom homes, from the slab and the framing to the finish work.
Last reviewed: · More about Aceves Home Remodeling
Questions we get02
Before you call
Does the price per linear foot drop on a longer fence run?
Part of it does. Setup and travel spread across more feet, so 400 feet reads better per foot than 60. Material and post spacing never change, so ask for the rate at both lengths.
Why do two fence quotes for the same yard land so far apart?
Usually because they describe two different fences. Check the height, the material, the post spacing, the gate count and whether tear out is included. Once both quotes assume the same fence, the gap is normally small.
Should a fence estimate list the measured footage?
Yes, because footage is the unit you are buying. You should be able to walk the line with a tape and land on the same number. If a contractor will not write it down, ask what else is missing.
Does a 5 foot fence cost much less per foot than a 6 foot fence?
Less, but not by as much as the height suggests. Post holes, concrete, gates and labor barely move, and only the picket and rail material shrinks. Most homeowners choose the height for privacy first, then read the rate.
Is the travel charge part of the rate per linear foot?
On our estimates travel is a separate line, set by the drive from Rio Grande City. Roma and La Grulla sit in the closest zone, and Brownsville and South Padre Island sit in the farthest. Keeping it separate keeps the fence rate honest.
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