The short answer
Building your own fence is usually lower-cost than hiring a fitter, because you save the labour — often £25 to £60 per panel or a day rate of £150 to £250 per fitter. On a straightforward run with manageable ground, a competent DIYer can cut a meaningful slice off the total. But the saving is smaller than it first looks once you count tool hire (post-hole digger, wacker plate), postcrete, waste disposal and your own time, and it shrinks further on hard ground, slopes or where old concreted posts must be dug out. DIY makes most sense for a simple, level, accessible run; awkward or large jobs often justify paying for skilled fitting.
Doing it yourself is the classic way to save on fencing, and on the right job it genuinely does. But the honest answer depends on the ground, the access and how much your own time is worth.
DIY vs fitted fence
- Labour saved per panel~£25–£60
- Fitter day rate saved~£150–£250
- Postcrete (per bag)~£6–£10
- Tool hire (plate/digger, day)~£30–£60 each
- Best forSimple, level, accessible runs
What you save and what you still pay
The saving from DIY is the labour, not the materials — you still buy the same panels, posts and concrete. So the question is whether the labour saved outweighs the tools, time and risk:
- Saved: the fitter's labour, which on a full run is a large share of the total.
- Still paid: panels, posts, gravel boards, postcrete, fixings — the same materials a fitter would buy, sometimes at a slightly higher retail price than a trade account.
- Added: tool hire for a post-hole digger and a vibrating plate, plus skip or tip charges for the old fence.
- Your time: a run that takes a two-person team a day or two will take a DIYer longer, and it is physical work.
On a simple job the labour saving clearly wins. On a hard or awkward job, the saving narrows and the risk of a poor result rises.
A rough DIY cost comparison
The table gives an indicative sense of where the money goes on DIY versus fitted for the same run. Figures are for guidance only:
| Item | DIY | Fitted |
|---|---|---|
| Panels + posts + gravel boards | Full retail cost | Trade/retail cost |
| Labour | Your own time | ~£25–£60 per panel |
| Tool hire | ~£30–£60/day each | Included in fitter's price |
| Postcrete + fixings | You buy | Included |
| Waste disposal | Skip/tip charge | Often included or itemised |
Indicative comparison for guidance only. Real savings depend on ground, access and how you value your own time.
The skills and tools the job actually needs
Building a fence that stays up and looks straight is more demanding than it appears. The core skills and kit:
- Setting posts plumb and in line: the make-or-break skill. Posts that lean or wander spoil the whole run.
- Digging footings: roughly 600mm deep, deeper for tall or exposed fences — hard work by hand, easier with a hired post-hole digger.
- Working with postcrete: mixing or pouring, then bracing posts level while it cures.
- Compaction and levels: getting gravel boards and panels true, and handling slopes by stepping or raking.
- Removing the old fence: breaking out old concreted footings is the heaviest part — many DIYers underestimate it.
- Handling heavy panels: composite and tongue-and-groove panels are awkward and often need two people.
None of this is beyond a capable DIYer, but a poor result — a leaning post, a panel that pops out in the first storm — can cost more to put right than the labour you saved.
Hidden costs DIY budgets often miss
The saving from doing it yourself is real, but it shrinks once the costs people forget to count are added in:
- Tool hire: a post-hole digger, a breaker for old concrete footings, or a powered auger are day-rate hires that eat into the labour saving on a one-off job.
- Waste disposal: the old fence, broken posts and concrete are heavy, and a skip or tip-run charge is a cost a fitter would otherwise absorb.
- Wastage and mistakes: a mis-cut panel, a post set out of line that has to be reset, or extra postcrete all add to the materials bill.
- Your time: a run that takes a professional team a day or two can take a DIYer several weekends, which is a real if unpriced cost.
- Delivery: bulky panels and posts often carry a delivery charge unless you can collect them yourself.
Counting these in gives a fairer comparison. For a short, simple, accessible run the DIY saving usually survives all of them; for a large or awkward job the tool hire, disposal and time can erode the gap to the point where a fitter's quote looks better value.
When DIY pays and when it doesn't
The honest verdict depends on the job in front of you:
- DIY pays when: the run is short to medium, the ground is level and diggable, access is easy, the posts can be set without breaking out old concrete, and you are comfortable with physical, precise work.
- DIY is borderline when: the run is long, the ground is clay or stony, there are slopes, or several old concreted posts need removing — the time and effort climb steeply.
- Paying a fitter pays when: the job is large, the ground is hard, access is tight, you want it done in a day or two, or the fence is on a tricky boundary where a clean professional finish matters.
A middle path works well for many people: do the unskilled parts yourself — strip out the old fence, clear access, arrange waste disposal — and pay a fitter for the skilled setting of posts and panels. That captures much of the labour saving while keeping the parts that decide whether the fence stands straight for years in experienced hands. For a simple, level, accessible run, full DIY is genuinely the lower-cost route; for anything awkward, the saving often does not justify the risk of getting it wrong.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I save building a fence myself?
The saving is the fitter's labour — often £25 to £60 per panel, or a day rate of £150 to £250 per fitter — so on a full run it can be a meaningful slice of the total. Against that, count tool hire, postcrete, waste disposal and your own time. On easy, level ground the saving is clear; on hard or awkward sites it narrows considerably.
What tools do I need to put up a fence?
At minimum a spade and post-hole digger (or a hired powered auger), a spirit level, a string line for keeping the run straight, a saw, a drill or driver, and something to compact the ground. A vibrating plate helps if you are also laying a gravel-board base. Hiring the digger and plate for a day or two is usually more affordable than buying them for a one-off job.
Is a DIY fence as good as a professionally fitted one?
It can be, if the posts are set plumb, in line and to the right depth, and the panels are fitted true. The common DIY failures are leaning posts, footings that are too shallow, and underestimating the work of removing old concreted posts. A careful DIYer on a simple run gets a fine result; a rushed job on hard ground can cost more to put right than the labour saved.
Sources & further reading
- Checkatrade — fencing cost guide
- MyJobQuote — cost of fencing
- HouseholdQuotes — fence installation 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.