Picket Fence Cost

How Much Does a Picket Fence Cost?

Materials: $3-$30+ Per Foot

With Professional Installation: $10-$75 Per Foot

Wood Fence

Vinyl Fence

Garden Gate

Landscape Design

Handyman

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Pickets are the upright boards on a wooden or vinyl fence. A traditional picket-style fence is typically used as decorative residential fencing, with vertical wood or vinyl pickets 3'-4' tall, spaced an even distance apart and connected by horizontal bars. The top of a picket fence is often spiked, but can also be a smooth rail, a row of rounded pickets or an arched or scalloped line created by varying the height of the pickets. Backyard America and Lifetime Vinyl Fencing illustrate various picket fencing styles.

Typical costs:

Materials to build a 3'-4' wooden fence in a picket style can cost $3 -$30 or more a linear foot, depending on type of wood, height of the fence and the complexity of the design; with a gate or other options total costs can be $400 -$1,800 for 100' and $1,000 -$5,000 for 300' of fencing with do-it-yourself installation. For example, AskTheBuilder.com estimates it costs about $325 for do-it-yourself materials for a 48' fence built from individual wood pickets, and Hammerzone.com reports building a 4' tall picket fence 70' long for about $300 with 25 hours of labor.
With professional installation, a wooden picket fence can cost $10 -$75 a foot, depending on local rates, the complexity of the installation (building on a slope costs more) and the style and height of the fence, or $1,000 -$8,000 for 100' and $3,000 -$24,000 for 300'.
Materials for a 3'-4' tall vinyl picket fence typically cost $9 -$20 a foot, or about $1,000 -$2,500 for 100' and $2,800 -$6,200 for 300', depending on style, height, materials and location.
With installation, expect to pay $15 -$25 or more a foot for a vinyl picket fence, or $1,600 -$3,000 for 100' and $4,600 -$8,000 for 300', depending on local rates, the number of fence posts installed and the complexity of the installation (ease of access, whether the land is flat or sloped, etc.).

What should be included:

Fence posts are typically spaced 6'-8' apart. Installation is often done in two stages, with the post holes dug first and the fence posts set in concrete (or sometimes gravel). A few days later, after the concrete has hardened, the rest of the fence is constructed, either with preassembled panels or by nailing into place individual pickets and rails. Better Homes & Gardens explains how to build a simple wood picket fence and gate.
Before installing any type of fence, call 811 to have utility companies come out and mark any underground utility lines; or contact local utility companies directly. Also check local zoning, building and neighborhood codes; many dictate the height and type of fencing allowed, and property line set-backs required.

Additional costs:

For do-it-yourself installation of fence posts, a manual post hole digger or auger typically costs $15 -$110; buying a small power auger can cost $60 -$600 or more depending on size and materials; and a one-day rental of a powered post hole auger can cost $50 -$95, depending on location and type of auger.

Shopping for a picket fence:

Picket fence materials are available from most home improvement centers like Home Depot or Lowe's, or online retailers like Amazon.
Find local contractors through the American Fence Association, the Chain Link Fence Manufacturers Institute or the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association.
Get several estimates; verify that the company is properly bonded and insured; ask for and check references; and search for any complaints with the Better Business Bureau.