The Cheapest Quote Won. Then the Questions Started.

You've got three fence quotes on the kitchen bench. Same fence, as far as you can tell. One of them is a good chunk cheaper than the other two. It's been a long week, the number is right there in bold at the bottom, and the decision feels easy.

I get it. I'd be tempted too. A fence is a big spend, and when one price is lower, picking it feels like the smart, responsible thing to do for your family.

But here's what I see happen again and again. The questions don't start when the homeowner picks the quote. They start a few weeks later. The posts look thinner than the neighbour's. The gate drags on the path. There's an "extra" on the final invoice for taking the old fence away. That's when people pull the quotes back out and actually read them, line by line, for the first time.

And by then, the fence is already in the ground.

The bottom line is the only easy number to compare

The total is the one figure every quote has in common, so that's where everyone's eyes go. Everything else is buried in wording that's hard to line up.

Two quotes can both say "1.8m Colorbond fence, 25 metres" and be two completely different jobs. One includes pulling out the old fence and taking it away. One has posts set deep in concrete. One allows for the slope in your yard. The other quote might do none of that, and you'd never know from the price on the bottom.

That's what comparing apples with apples really means: making sure you're comparing the same job, not just the same headline.

Where the gap usually hides

In my experience, a much cheaper quote rarely gets there by being more efficient. It usually gets there by leaving something out. The usual suspects:

• Removal of the old fence. Included, or an extra later? Is the rubbish actually taken away, or left in a pile on the nature strip?
• Posts and footings. Are the posts set in concrete? How deep? This is the part you never see again, and it's the part that decides whether your fence is still straight in ten years.
• Materials. Post size, rails, sheet profile, timber grade, sleeper type. "Colorbond" or "treated pine" on a quote can cover a wide range of quality.
• Gates. Are hinges, latch and stops supplied, fitted and adjusted, or is the gate "supply only"?
• Your site. Slope, stepping, rock, tree roots, retaining under the fence line. If a quote doesn't mention your yard's quirks, ask how they've allowed for them.
• Underground services. Has anyone checked what's under the fence line before they dig?
• Licence, insurance and warranty. Is the contractor QBCC licensed (you can check on the QBCC website)? Are they insured? What's the warranty, and is it in writing?
• Who actually does the work. Their own crew, or whoever's free that week?

The worst time to start comparing

Here's the hard part. Once the deposit's paid and the posts are in, you don't have many good options left. Fixing a fence that was done cheaply often costs more than the difference you saved in the first place. So most people just live with it, and walk past it every day.

I don't say that to scare anyone. I say it because the comparing you'd do after the job is exactly the comparing you can do before it, for free, with a cup of tea and three quotes on the bench.

How to compare quotes properly, before you sign

1. Put the quotes side by side and go down the list above. Tick what each one actually includes.
2. Ask every contractor the same question: "What's not included in this price?"
3. If one quote is much cheaper, ask them why. A good contractor will give you a straight answer.
4. Get anything they tell you in writing. If it was said on site but isn't on the quote, it isn't in the price.
5. Then look at the bottom line. Now you're comparing apples with apples.

How we quote

We'd rather you compare us properly than pick us blindly. On every Synergy job, posts are set in concrete, offcuts and rubbish are taken away, and gate hinges, latches and stops are fitted and adjusted. If something on your site will affect the price, we tell you at the quote, not on the invoice.

Put our quote next to anyone else's and go through it line by line. If you've still got questions, ring us. Whether you choose us or not, we'd like you to make the decision once, and be happy with it for years.

The cheapest quote and the cheapest fence aren't always the same thing. Find out which is which before the posts go in, not after.

Want a quote you can compare properly? Call us on 07 2141 7748, get a price online or let's have a chat.