Real starting prices for wood, vinyl, aluminum, and chain link — per linear foot, installed, in Southern NH — plus the variables that move the final number and what suspiciously low quotes usually mean.
Fence pricing in New Hampshire depends on material, style, color, terrain, gates, and what's underneath the ground — so there's no single flat rate. The figures below are real starting prices for installed fencing in Southern NH (Nashua, Manchester, Bedford, Hudson, Merrimack, and surrounding towns). Treat every number as a floor: where your project actually lands depends on the variables we break down further down the page. The only exact figure is the written estimate we hand you after walking the property.
Installed Starting Prices by Material
Wood Fences
- Pressure-treated pine privacy: starting around $18 per linear foot installed
- Cedar privacy (dog-ear or board-on-board): starting around $22 per linear foot installed
- Cedar horizontal slat (modern style): starting around $28 per linear foot installed
- Split-rail (2 or 3 rail): starting around $12 per linear foot installed
- Classic picket fence: starting around $18 per linear foot installed
Vinyl Fences
- Vinyl privacy in white: starting around $28 per linear foot installed — tan, gray, and woodgrain colors add to that
- Vinyl semi-privacy: starting around $26 per linear foot installed
- Vinyl picket: starting around $24 per linear foot installed
- Vinyl 3-rail ranch: starting around $16 per linear foot installed
Aluminum Fences
- Standard ornamental aluminum (4 ft): starting around $24 per linear foot installed
- Pool-code aluminum (4.5–5 ft): starting around $28 per linear foot installed
- Heavy commercial-grade aluminum: starting around $40 per linear foot installed
Chain Link Fences
- Galvanized chain link (4 ft): starting around $14 per linear foot installed
- Galvanized chain link (6 ft): starting around $18 per linear foot installed
- Black vinyl-coated chain link: starting around $18 per linear foot installed
Gates
Gates are priced separately because they involve additional hardware, framing, and time:
- Standard walk gate (3–4 ft): starting around $250, depending on material
- Double drive gate (10–12 ft): starting around $600, depending on material and hardware
- Self-closing pool gate hardware: starts around $100 added to the base gate cost
What Drives Cost Up
- Material, style, and color: a horizontal slat or board-on-board design uses more material and labor than a basic dog-ear, and colored or woodgrain vinyl costs more than standard white
- Wet or muddy ground: poorly draining or muddy soil needs extra crushed stone and aggregate at every post for drainage and stability — added material and labor at each hole
- Rocky soil or ledge: requires drilling, alternative post systems, or extra equipment, which adds to the per-foot cost in the affected areas
- Steep slopes: stepping or raking fence sections takes more time and adds to the cost where the grade changes
- Old fence removal: removing and disposing of an existing fence adds a per-foot cost on top of the new install
- Gates and access points: every gate adds hardware, framing, and labor beyond the per-foot fence price
- Long fence lines with limited access: materials have to be carried further
- Material costs: lumber and vinyl prices remain above pre-2020 levels, which affects all wood and vinyl pricing
What a Suspiciously Low Quote Usually Means
If you get a quote well below the starting prices above, one of the following is usually true: posts are being set shallow instead of below the frost line, below-standard lumber is being used (wrong retention level for in-ground use), materials are lower quality than quoted, the contractor has no insurance (your liability if something goes wrong), or something is being left out of the scope that you'll discover after the job.
A fence that heaves after two winters or rots at the posts in five years is more expensive than the premium you would have paid for a proper install.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
- Know your linear footage: walk the fence line with a measuring wheel or use Google Earth's measurement tool for an estimate
- Know what's under the ground: call Dig Safe (811) before anyone digs — it's free and required by law in NH
- Ask specifically about post depth in your written estimate
- Ask what brand and grade of material is being used
- Get it in writing: your quote should specify linear footage, material, post depth, and total price — not just a total number
Written estimate. Price that doesn't change.
We give every customer a written estimate that specifies every detail before any work begins. The number we quote is the number you pay.
Get Your Free Estimate