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How much does fencing cost in Cheshire?
In Cheshire, a fencing price depends on the length, the height, the materials and whether the old fence is taken away. A Cheshire panel price is needs source; the figures below are example prices from Mole Valley District Council (Surrey), checked 14 Oct 2026, and are not a Cheshire price.
Last reviewed:What does a fencing price in Cheshire include?
In Cheshire, a fencing price is the cost of a particular run of fence, not of "a fence" in the abstract. The usual pieces are the panels or boards, the posts, the concrete or gravel they stand in, any gravel boards, the gates, labour, and taking the old fence away. A quote that names only a panel can look far lower than a quote that includes posts, disposal and a gate. Neither number is wrong until you know which lines are in it.
QuoteZila is starting in Cheshire, with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach among the first towns. A council schedule from another county is a useful public figure. It is not the price a fencing contractor will charge for a back garden in Nantwich or a side boundary in Crewe. Use it to see what a published schedule looks like. Then collect written quotes for your own run.
The one panel figure we can date
Example prices from Mole Valley District Council (Surrey), checked 14 Oct 2026. The handy person schedule lists £204.82 to supply all materials and replace a fence panel and post, or to extend an existing panel fence by one panel and post, up to 1800mm wide [S1]. Each additional panel and post fitted on the same visit is £117.02 [S1]. The page says all of those prices include VAT at 20% [S1]. These figures are not a Cheshire price.
That schedule is a Surrey council handy-person rate. It is one job: a single panel width, with a post, materials included. It is not a price per metre for a closeboard fence, and it is not a price for a whole garden. A Cheshire panel price stays needs source. The table keeps the Surrey examples in their place and marks everything else needs source.
| Job | Dated public figure | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| One panel and post, up to 1800mm wide, supply and fit | Example price from Mole Valley District Council (Surrey), checked 14 Oct 2026: £204.82 including VAT [S1]. Not a Cheshire price. | A Cheshire contractor quote, or a price for a long run |
| Each extra panel and post on the same visit | Example price from Mole Valley District Council (Surrey), checked 14 Oct 2026: £117.02 including VAT [S1]. Not a Cheshire price. | A rate you can multiply out for a whole boundary without asking |
| A whole garden boundary in Cheshire | needs source | Something this page can print |
| Closeboard, picket or horizontal slats, per metre | needs source | The same job as a panel-and-post visit |
| A gate, supplied and hung | needs source | Included unless the quote says so |
| Taking the old fence, posts and concrete away | needs source | Included unless the quote says so |
| Concrete posts, gravel boards or a slope | needs source | A reason to assume the panel rate still applies |
| Repainting panels, or building a new fence as a whole | needs source | A figure we could date from two public sources |
If a contractor in Sandbach quotes a different panel price, that does not mean the council figure was wrong. It means you are looking at a different seller, a different county and often a different specification. Compare contractor with contractor.
Why the rest is needs source
Published articles sometimes give a price to repaint a panel, or a round sum for a new fence. Where we could not pair that number with a second dated public UK source, it stays off this page. A single sample of quotes, especially an old one, is not enough to put in front of someone who is about to hire.
So this guide says needs source for:
- the supply-only price of a panel in a Cheshire merchant's yard
- closeboard, featheredge, picket and hit-and-miss fencing by the metre
- concrete posts, concrete gravel boards and slotted concrete systems
- a pedestrian gate or a pair of driveway gates
- digging out old posts and removing waste
- a day rate for a fencing crew
- any difference between Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach
The honest comparison is three written quotes for the same measured run, with the same height and the same waste line. Citizens Advice suggests written quotes from at least three traders, and says a price much lower than the others can mean the work is not the same work [S5].
Height, permission and the party wall
The Planning Portal says you will not need to apply for planning permission to put up a new fence, or to alter or take down an existing one, if several conditions are met. On height: next to a highway used by vehicles, or the footpath of such a highway, it should not exceed one metre from ground level; elsewhere it should not exceed two metres; and if an existing fence is already taller, the work should not increase that height [S2].
Other conditions on the same page: no part of the site is a listed building or within the curtilage of a listed building; the fence does not form a boundary with a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage; and the right to put up fences has not been removed by an article four direction or a planning condition [S2]. In a conservation area you might need permission to take a fence down [S2]. Hedges are not fences, and a planning condition or a covenant can still restrict planting [S2].
A front boundary in Sandbach that faces the pavement is the case to pause on. If that pavement is the footpath of a highway used by vehicles, the one-metre limit is the one to check with the council before you ask for a tall panel. A back garden run in Nantwich, away from the road, is the two-metre case, still subject to the listed-building and article four points. This page cannot tell you which case your boundary is. Your council can.
Building regulations are a separate question. The Planning Portal says fences, walls and gates do not require building regulations approval, although the structure must be structurally sound and maintained [S3]. The same page says a garden wall that counts as a party fence wall can bring in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and that this does not include wooden fences [S3].
GOV.UK's party wall guidance says a party wall can be a wall on the lands of two owners that does not form part of a building, such as a garden wall, but not including timber fences [S4]. Replacing a timber panel fence is not, on that wording, party wall work. A brick garden wall is a different job. If you are rebuilding a wall, read the guidance and, where the Act applies, use a party wall notice rather than a handshake. The Act is separate from planning permission and from building regulations approval [S4].
What moves a fencing price
- Length. A short repair and a full boundary are different jobs. Give the measurement in metres, or in panel widths if that is all you know, and say which.
- Height. The planning limits above are legal limits, not a price list. A taller fence uses more material. Whether that needs permission is a question for the council [S2].
- Materials. Overlap panels, closeboard, metal, composite and concrete-post systems are not interchangeable. If the quote does not name the material, you cannot compare it.
- The ground. A level lawn is easier than a slope, tree roots or a bed of old concrete. Say what is there.
- Access. A side gate in Crewe that a panel will not pass through means the contractor carries materials further, or cuts them. Say so.
- Gates. A gate is its own line. Ask for the width, the ironmongery and whether it matches the fence.
- Waste. Old panels, posts and concrete bases are heavy. Ask who takes them and where they go.
- VAT. A business must register when taxable turnover goes over £90,000 [S6]. Ask whether the total includes VAT.
What to have ready before you ask
Fencing contractors price the run they can picture. Give each one the same pack:
- The length, even if it is paced out rather than taped. Say that it is approximate.
- The height you want, and whether the fence is next to a road or footpath [S2].
- Replacement or new. If something is already there, say what it is and whether you want it taken away.
- Photos from both ends and from the neighbour's side if you can take them without climbing. Please do not climb on a failing fence to get the picture.
- Slopes, trees, manhole covers, and anything the posts cannot move.
- Who you have spoken to. If the boundary is shared, say whether your neighbour has agreed the work. This page does not decide ownership.
- Your postcode. A crew based in Cheshire still has to reach the garden.
The same pack, sent to each contractor, is what makes the quotes comparable.
How to compare fencing quotes
| What a written quote should say | Why it matters | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| The run, in your words, with length and height | Confirms they priced your boundary | Ask them to repeat it in writing |
| Fixed total, or a rate with the quantity | A quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S5] | Ask which one you have |
| Panels or boards, posts and how posts are set | The specification is the price | Ask for the materials to be named |
| Gates, including width and furniture | Often a separate cost | Ask for a separate line |
| Taking the old fence away | A common extra | Ask for it to be included or priced |
| Who supplies the materials | You cannot compare a labour-only price with a supply-and-fit price | Ask which you have been given |
| Whether VAT is included | Registration starts over £90,000 of taxable turnover [S6] | Ask for a total including VAT |
| How long the price stays valid | Extras should be agreed before they are done [S5] | Ask for a date |
Citizens Advice says to be wary of a trader who will not put a quote in writing, and of a price far below the others [S5]. For a deposit, the same guidance says to aim to keep any unavoidable deposit to no more than 25%, and to get a receipt [S5].
Questions to ask before you accept
- Is that a fixed price for this measured run?
- What materials are included, and who buys them?
- How are the posts set, and how deep?
- Is a gravel board included?
- Are gates included, and at what width?
- Is the old fence taken away, and is that in the price?
- What happens if you hit roots or old concrete?
- What insurance do you hold? Citizens Advice suggests asking to see the policies and checking they will not run out before the work finishes [S5].
Red flags on price
- No written price. Citizens Advice treats a refusal to write the quote down as a warning [S5].
- A single panel price presented as the whole boundary. The Mole Valley figure is for one panel and post [S1]. A long run is needs source until it is quoted as a long run.
- Waste left in the garden when you thought it was included.
- A height that ignores the road. If the fence faces a highway, check the one-metre point with the council before you accept a two-metre design [S2].
- Cash only, or a large sum before any materials arrive. Citizens Advice warns against both, and suggests keeping a deposit to no more than 25% if you cannot avoid one [S5].
Official and public sources
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Panel-and-post schedule: Mole Valley District Council, read on 14 October 2026 as a Surrey handy-person list [S1].
- Planning permission: the Planning Portal page on fences, gates and garden walls [S2].
- Building regulations: the Planning Portal note that fences do not need building regulations approval [S3].
- Party walls: GOV.UK guidance on the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, which excludes timber fences from the garden-wall example [S4].
- Quotes and deposits: Citizens Advice [S5].
- VAT: GOV.UK on when to register [S6].
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Where this applies. The height rules summarised here are the Planning Portal's account for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can differ. If the house is outside England, ask the local planning authority before you rely on the one-metre and two-metre lines. For a Cheshire boundary, ask Cheshire East or Cheshire West and Chester, depending on which side of the county the house is in, if you are unsure whether permission is needed.
Get fencing quotes
Describe the run and the town. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
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See the fencing contractors page for what the work covers, or all services.
Questions about fencing prices
How much does a fence panel cost in Cheshire?
A private fencing contractor's panel price in Cheshire is needs source. Example prices from Mole Valley District Council (Surrey), checked 14 Oct 2026: £204.82 to supply and fit one panel and post up to 1800mm wide, and £117.02 for each extra panel and post on the same visit. Those figures are not a Cheshire price.
How much is a new garden fence?
A price for a whole boundary in Cheshire is needs source. Length, height, slopes, gates and waste removal all change the total, and we do not have two dated public sources for a per-metre or whole-garden figure. Measure the run, say whether the old fence comes out, and compare written quotes that list the same panels, posts and gates.
Do I need planning permission for a fence?
Often you do not, if the fence stays within the height limits and the site is not restricted. The Planning Portal says a new fence next to a highway used by vehicles, or the footpath of such a highway, should not exceed one metre, and a fence elsewhere should not exceed two metres. Listed buildings, an article four direction or a planning condition can change that. Ask your council about your own boundary.
Do fences need building regulations approval?
The Planning Portal says fences, walls and gates do not require building regulations approval, and that they must still be structurally sound and maintained. A timber fence is also outside the party wall definition GOV.UK gives for a garden wall. Ask the contractor how the posts will be set, and agree that in the quote.
Who pays for a boundary fence?
That is needs source as a general rule, because deeds differ and many say nothing useful. This page does not tell you which side is yours. Read your title documents, talk to your neighbour before work starts, and ask each contractor to price only the run you are actually asking them to do.
Should I pay a deposit for fencing?
Citizens Advice suggests avoiding large upfront payments, offering to buy materials yourself instead of paying a deposit, and keeping any unavoidable deposit to no more than 25%. Get a receipt. Ask whether the price includes taking the old fence away, because that line is often missing and a missing line is not the same as a low price.
Can I get fencing quotes through QuoteZila?
Yes. Give the length, the height and your Cheshire postcode, and say whether this is a replacement or a new run. Up to five matched local businesses can send quotes. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses. How many replies you get depends on how many fencing contractors have joined near you.
Related guides
- Fencing contractors: how to find and compare local fencing contractors
- Landscapers: when the fence is part of a larger garden job
- Gardeners: for hedges and garden upkeep that is not a new fence
- Locksmith cost: another Cheshire cost guide
- Roof repair cost: another guide to reading a trade price
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Fence Panels in Cheshire: What to Ask. What to ask when one fence panel in Cheshire needs replacing. This guide prints no pound figure. A whole boundary is a different quote from a single bay.
- Carpet Calculator: Working Out What You Need. A step-by-step way to work out how much carpet, underlay and gripper a room needs, and why roll width, joins and pile direction move the quote. No price shown.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and jobs-for-tradesmen copy.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila terms and matching notes.
- S1: Handy person schedule of rates, Mole Valley District Council. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/community/handy-person-schedule-of-rates/
- S2: Planning permission: fences, gates and garden walls, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/fences-gates-and-garden-walls/planning-permission/
- S3: Building regulations: fences, gates and garden walls, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/fences-gates-and-garden-walls/building-regulations-general-information/
- S4: Party Wall etc Act 1996 guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance
- S5: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S6: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-14. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat