Why we always quote in person, not over the phone

It's quicker, it feels easier and there are plenty of mobs who'll happily reel off a number while you're standing in your kitchen.

We don't do that. And it's worth explaining why, because it's not us being precious or dragging things out. It's the opposite. It's the thing that makes sure the number we give you is the number you actually end up paying.

We won't leave you hanging, though

Here's the bit people assume "in person" means. They think it means waiting around for days just to get a rough idea of what their fence might cost. Not with us.

When you first get in touch, with your address, your details and a quick sense of what you're after, we use a tool called Land Checker to pull real information about your property. Off the back of that, we'll send through a preliminary quote within 24 hours, so you've got something genuine to weigh up straight away. That's not a number we've plucked out of the air. It's built off actual data about your block.

It's just not the final number and we'll always tell you that up front. It gives you a real sense of what your project looks like and whether we're in the right ballpark for you, which is exactly what you want early on. But a tool can only see so much. To get from "real sense" to "the number you can bank on," somebody has to come and stand on your dirt.

A phone quote, on the other hand, is just a guess in a nice outfit

It’s worth being clear about the difference here, because a phone quote and a Land Checker quote are not the same animal.

A phone number has to assume everything. Flat ground. Easy access. Friendly soil. Nothing lurking underground. No surprises anywhere. There's no data behind it, just hope. And the trouble with hope is what happens the moment reality turns out a bit different. That's the moment a cheap phone quote quietly grows into an expensive one.

A preliminary quote off Land Checker is a smart starting point. A quote down the phone is a finished-sounding guess. There’s a big difference.

What we're actually clocking when we walk your boundary

So here's what we're looking at on the site visit and why each one can move that preliminary number around.

The slope

A bit of fall in the land changes everything, how the panels step down, whether you need any retaining at all. No tool sees a slope the way a person standing on it does.

Tree roots

A big established root can mean a post hole won't go where it's meant to, which shifts the layout and the labour. We'd much rather find that in your yard than halfway through the dig with the truck already booked.

Access

Can we get gear and materials to the fence line, or is the whole lot coming through a skinny side gate by hand, one armful at a time? That's a real difference in hours and hours are dollars.

Underground services

Water, gas, power, comms, they all live down there near boundaries. Knowing roughly where they run keeps everyone safe and stops a routine post hole turning into a very bad afternoon. This one alone is reason enough to put boots on the ground.

And the other side of the fence

We always check both sides before the formal quote, so we're not caught out on the day by something the neighbour's side throws up. It also means we can talk you through the good side properly while we're standing right there.

There's another reason we come out, too and it's not about the fence at all. You're about to have a team on your property for a good while. The site visit is as much about you meeting us face to face and deciding you're comfortable with that as it is about measuring anything.

Why this looks after you, not just us

Once we've actually seen all of that, the formal quote we hand you holds. We'll usually pop a couple of options in it as well, so you can see how different materials change the look, the longevity and the price and choose with your eyes open. No hidden variations, no fluff, just the real number for the work you decide on.

That's genuinely the whole point. Land Checker gets you a fast, honest starting point. The site visit turns it into a number you can trust, with no nasty surprises buried in the middle of the job. We'd much rather spend an hour getting it right than have you spend a fortune later fixing somebody's guess.

So if someone's keen to give you a final price for your fence without ever seeing it, have a quiet think about what they're assuming to land on that number and what happens to your wallet if any of it turns out to be wrong.

We give you a real preliminary number fast, we come and have a proper look, then we quote for real. It's the same reason the finished fences end up strong, straight and made to last. The care starts well before the first post goes in the ground. 

And if you'd like to start with a preliminary quote and book in a site visit, we're always here to help.