Project guide

Fences

Plan posts, rails, pickets, gate openings, and post-hole concrete.

Fence material counts depend on run lengths, gates, and corners. YardSetup gives a transparent planning estimate that you can refine with a layout drawing.

What does this project take?

Sketch each straight run, gate, and corner before counting materials. Post spacing is applied to the solid spans on either side of gates; pickets or panels, rails, concrete, and gate hardware need separate decisions.

What to have before you calculate

  • A run-by-run sketch with gate width and position
  • Maximum span, fence height, panel or picket size, and rail choice
  • Chosen hole and post dimensions plus the concrete bag’s printed yield

Choose the next step for your question

Where do gates and corners fall?Mark every break in the line so short spans are counted.Plan posts and gates →What is the full fence count?Use runs, gates, spans, panels or pickets, rails, and fasteners.Build the fence order →How much concrete is in each hole?Use chosen hole geometry and the actual bag yield.Check concrete bags →What should I check before digging?Verify the boundary and local requirements; request utility marking.Review site checks →

Before you place the order

Confirm the boundary, permit and height rules, gate hardware, post and hole design, and which panel lengths can be cut. Contact your state 811 center before digging and wait for the required utility responses.

Field guidance: 811: before you dig. YardSetup quantities remain planning estimates; confirm the product and site design locally.

Your route through the project

  1. Measure each run and mark every corner and gate.
  2. Choose spacing, picket dimensions, and rails per bay.
  3. Check the layout and local requirements before ordering.

1. Measure the actual work

Mark every straight run, corner, end, and gate on a site sketch. For each gate, measure its width and distance from the run start. A single total length cannot reveal the short spans on either side of a gate.

2. Choose the materials

Choose pickets and rails or premade panels, then enter the actual face dimensions and allowable spacing. Post count depends on spans and gate positions. Concrete is estimated from hole geometry and bag yield; hardware for the gate remains a separate supplier decision.

3. Prepare the order

Walk the proposed line to identify slope changes, obstructions, and access. Compare the diagram with the physical post marks before buying. Confirm panel cutability, post length, gate hardware, frost depth, and boundary or permit requirements locally.

What can change the estimate?

The tool does not determine the legal property line or structural adequacy of a fence. It is a material planning aid; a field layout can reveal changes that a distance-only calculation cannot.

Use the project planner

Place multiple gates on each run and estimate posts, rails or panels, pickets, post-hole concrete, fasteners, and cost. It shows the input assumptions and produces a shopping list you can review with a supplier.

Open Fence Material Planner →

Focused checks

Post Hole Concrete & Bag EstimatorEstimate concrete around square posts in round holes, apply a waste allowance, and round to the actual bag yield.

Guides for this project

How to measure a fence with several runsCreate a layout that can support a realistic material estimate.How gates and corners change a fence material countUnderstand why one total length is not enough for a fence order.Estimate concrete for fence post holesUse hole geometry and bag yield to make an initial material list.

See a complete example

Worked example: a fence run with a gate walks through the measurements, calculations, and supplier checks.