The short answer
Fencing a UK garden typically costs around £60 to £130 per metre for a standard 1.8m timber fence supplied and fitted, so a small garden of about 15 metres of boundary often comes to roughly £1,000 to £2,000, a medium garden of 25 to 35 metres to around £2,000 to £4,000, and a large garden to more again. The total depends on how many sides you are fencing, the panel type, whether you use concrete or timber posts, ground conditions and access. Composite fencing costs considerably more per metre than basic overlap timber. Measuring your actual boundary run, rather than the perimeter, is the key to a realistic budget.
Fencing a whole garden is a bigger project than swapping a panel, and the cost is driven as much by the length of boundary and choice of materials as by labour. A little measuring up front makes the budget far more reliable.
Cost to fence a garden
- Per metre (1.8m timber, fitted)~£60–£130
- Small garden (~15m run)~£1,000–£2,000
- Medium garden (~25–35m)~£2,000–£4,000
- Large garden runMore again
- Composite premiumOften 2–3x timber per metre
How to estimate your own garden
The most accurate budget starts with measuring, not guessing. To work out your run:
- Measure the boundaries you are fencing in metres — you may only be doing one, two or three sides, not the whole perimeter.
- Divide by panel width (about 1.8m) to get the number of bays, and add one post per bay plus one.
- Multiply by a per-metre rate for your chosen fence type to get a ballpark supplied-and-fitted figure.
- Add for gravel boards if you want them, and for any gates.
- Allow for waste removal of the old fence — a skip or grab charge.
This bottom-up approach is far more reliable than a single headline price, because it accounts for the posts and groundwork that a panel-only estimate ignores.
Typical totals by garden size and fence type
Bringing size and material together gives an indicative picture. These are supplied-and-fitted ranges for guidance:
| Garden / run | Overlap timber | Closeboard | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (~15m) | ~£1,000–£1,600 | ~£1,500–£2,400 | ~£3,000–£5,000+ |
| Medium (~30m) | ~£2,000–£3,200 | ~£3,000–£4,800 | ~£6,000–£10,000+ |
| Large (~45m) | ~£3,000–£4,800 | ~£4,500–£7,000 | ~£9,000–£15,000+ |
Indicative supplied-and-fitted ranges for guidance only. Actual cost depends on posts, gravel boards, ground, access and region.
What pushes the total up or down
Two gardens of the same length can cost very differently. The main factors:
- Panel type: overlap is the lowest-cost, closeboard and tongue-and-groove cost more, composite costs the most but lasts longest.
- Post material: concrete posts add to the up-front cost but resist rot and lower future replacement labour.
- Gravel boards: concrete gravel boards protect panel bottoms from rot and add a per-bay cost.
- Ground and slopes: clay, stony ground, tree roots and sloping boundaries all add labour.
- Access: carrying materials and spoil through the house or a narrow side return increases the labour bill.
- Waste removal: tearing out and tipping an old fence is a real cost, especially with concreted-in posts to break out.
Choosing concrete posts with timber panels is a common way to balance up-front cost against long life on a whole-garden job.
Gates, slopes and other extras to budget for
A whole-garden quote often includes more than plain panel runs, and these extras are where a budget can quietly overrun if they are not allowed for:
- Gates: a garden or side gate is a separate cost from the panels, needing heavier gateposts, the gate itself, hinges, a latch and sometimes a lock. A timber side gate is usually a modest extra; a wider double or driveway gate costs considerably more.
- Sloping ground: a boundary that falls across its length means the fence is either stepped (panels set at descending levels) or raked (panels angled to follow the slope). Both take more setting-out time than a level run and may need bespoke gravel boards to close the gaps.
- Corners and returns: each corner needs a heavier post and careful setting-out, adding a little to the labour.
- Trellis or toppers: adding trellis above the panels for height or planting is an extra material and fitting cost, and may affect overall height limits.
- Existing structures: fencing up to a shed, garage or wall often needs cutting and fitting around obstacles, which is fiddlier than an open run.
Listing these extras up front, rather than discovering them mid-job, keeps the budget honest and the quotes comparable. A run with two gates and a sloping side will always cost more than its plain length suggests.
Sensible ways to manage the cost
On a whole-garden project the numbers are large enough that a few decisions make a real difference:
- Prioritise the worst boundary: if budget is tight, replace the failing side now and phase the rest.
- Pick the right panel for the spot: a lower-cost panel on a hidden side and a smarter one where it is seen can trim the total.
- Invest in posts and gravel boards: spending on concrete posts and gravel boards now reduces future replacement labour, which is the most expensive part.
- Do the strip-out and clearance: removing the old fence and clearing access is unskilled work that lowers the labour cost.
- Get itemised quotes: insist on quotes that separate panels, posts, gravel boards, labour and waste, so you can compare on the same basis.
- Confirm boundary ownership: check which fences are yours to replace before committing — neighbours may share the cost on a party boundary.
The most reliable budget for fencing a garden is built bottom-up from the measured run, the chosen materials and an honest allowance for posts, labour and waste — not anchored to a single per-panel figure that leaves the groundwork to be added later.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out how many fence panels my garden needs?
Measure the length of each boundary you are fencing in metres and divide by about 1.8m, the width of a standard panel, to get the number of bays. Round up for part-bays. Remember you need one more post than panels per run, plus gravel boards if you want them and posts for any gates, so count those into the budget too.
Is it lower-cost to fence a garden in one go or in stages?
Doing it all at once is usually more efficient per metre, because the fitters share their call-out, setup and travel across the whole job rather than returning repeatedly. Phasing makes sense if budget is the constraint — replace the worst boundary first — but expect a slightly higher per-metre cost each time you bring a team back for a smaller section.
Do I have to fence the whole perimeter?
No. You only fence the boundaries you are responsible for and choose to replace, which is often one, two or three sides rather than the full perimeter. Neighbouring fences may belong to the adjoining property, and a shared party boundary may be a joint cost, so confirm ownership before pricing the job.
Sources & further reading
- Checkatrade — fencing cost guide
- MyJobQuote — cost of fencing a garden
- HouseholdQuotes — garden fencing cost
Figures on this page are typical UK ranges drawn from published sources and depend on your specific garden. They are guidance, not a quotation.