Article summary
A step-by-step look at the fence installation process so you know exactly what's involved.
- Category:
- local
- Read time:
- 8 min
- Published:
- 17 July 2025
- Written by:
- My Homes Fencing Expert
Quick answer: a typical residential fence install runs over one to three days — a site visit and quote first, then marking the boundary and line, removing any old fence, digging and concreting the posts, and finally fixing rails, palings or panels and hanging gates. There's usually a wait between setting posts and adding the rest so the concrete can cure. Knowing the steps helps you prep the site and avoid surprises.
Fencing isn't complicated, but a good install follows a clear order for a reason. Here's what actually happens from quote to finished fence.
The Site Visit and Quote
Everything starts with someone standing on your property. A quoter needs to measure the actual run, look at ground conditions, check how materials will get to the fence line, note the fall along the boundary, and see whether there is an old fence with concrete footings to remove.
Those are the variables that a phone estimate cannot see, and they are also the ones most likely to move a price. A number given over the phone is a guess that will be revised, and it is almost always revised upward once someone sees the site.
What you should receive is a written, itemised quote — not a single figure. Gates should appear separately, demolition and disposal should be explicitly in or out, and the specification should be stated: post size, post spacing, timber grades. That is what lets you compare quotes and what protects both parties later.
Before the Crew Arrives: Your Part
There is genuine work you can do that speeds the job and reduces the cost. Clear the fence line — plants and shrubs cut back, garden beds pulled away, and anything stored against the old fence moved. Crews charge for time, and time spent shifting your firewood stack is time not spent fencing.
Confirm the boundary. On a shared boundary this is also the moment to have the Fencing Act conversation settled and, ideally, in writing, so that nobody is renegotiating the cost split while a crew stands waiting.
Then the practical logistics: make sure there is access on the day, park cars where they will not block the run, tell the crew about anything buried you know about, and let your neighbours know work is happening. That last one costs nothing and prevents most of the friction fencing projects generate.
Setting Out: Line and Post Positions
The first thing that happens on site is not digging. A string line goes up along the intended fence line, and post positions are marked off it at the spacing the design requires. This is the stage that decides whether the finished fence looks straight, and it is worth a crew taking their time over.
Post spacing is calculated rather than eyeballed — it has to divide the run sensibly, land correctly at corners and gate openings, and stay within the spacing the fence height and wind exposure require. Stretching spacing to save a hole is a common corner-cut and shows up later as sagging rails.
Gate positions are confirmed at this point too, including which way the gate will swing and whether the ground allows it. Deciding that on the day the gate is hung, rather than before the posts go in, is how you end up with a gate that catches on the path.
Demolition and Disposal
If there is an old fence, it comes out first, and it is heavier and slower work than it looks. Palings and rails go quickly. The old post footings are the real job — concrete has to be dug out, and on a long boundary that is a serious amount of material to break loose and remove.
Expect the site to look worse before it looks better. There will be a period where you have no fence at all, which matters if you have a dog, so say so in advance and the crew can sequence the work to keep a section standing or arrange temporary containment.
Disposal is charged by weight and old fences are heavy. Steel and aluminium components can be recycled and concrete can go to hardfill rather than general waste, but treated timber has to go to landfill — it cannot be burned under any circumstances.
The Posts — Where the Fence Is Built
This is the stage that determines everything. Holes are dug to the depth the fence height and ground demand, and wide enough that the concrete has real bearing against the surrounding soil. Drainage material goes in the base so water has somewhere to go instead of standing against the timber.
Each post is then set to two references at once: plumb in both directions, and aligned to the string line so the face runs true. Concrete goes in and gets crowned at the top so it sheds water away from the post rather than dishing and holding a puddle against it.
Watch for this if you are home. A crew that checks plumb on every post, crowns every collar, and keeps a string line running is doing the job properly. Posts dropped in and concrete tipped around them will produce a fence that looks fine this month and leans in three years.
The Cure Wait Is Not Slacking
There is often a gap between the posts going in and the crew coming back, and it puzzles homeowners who see a yard full of bare posts and no one working. Concrete needs time to gain strength, and loading a post with rails, cladding and a heavy gate before it has cured is how posts get pulled out of position.
Larger crews manage this by sequencing across several jobs, which is why your fence may be one of two or three a team is running. It is not neglect, it is the only way to respect a cure time without leaving people standing idle.
The wait is also a good moment for you to check the setting out. Bare posts show the line and the gate positions more clearly than a finished fence does, and raising a concern now is dramatically easier than after the cladding is on.
Rails, Cladding, Gates and Handover
With the posts solid, the rest moves fast. Rails go on, then palings, slats or panels, with alignment and levels checked as the crew works so the finished line stays consistent. This is the visibly satisfying stage and usually the quickest.
Gates come last and deserve the most attention. A gate should be hung, then adjusted — swinging freely, latching cleanly without needing a lift or a shove, and with consistent gaps at the hinge side, latch side and underneath. If it needs persuading on day one, it will only get worse.
Most standard residential fences are one to three days of actual work, though calendar time stretches with the cure wait and with Auckland weather, since heavy rain makes digging and concreting impractical. At the end, expect the site cleaned, offcuts and old material removed, and a walk along the finished fence with someone who can answer questions. If it is new timber you plan to coat, it will need to weather and dry before it takes a finish. My Homes Fencing Expert works this way as standard — call 022 315 8987 or book a free, no-obligation site quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
One to three days of actual work for most standard residential fences. Calendar time is longer, because the concrete around the posts needs to cure before rails and cladding are added, and Auckland rain makes digging and concreting impractical.
Clear the fence line of plants and anything stored against the old fence, confirm the boundary, settle any Fencing Act cost-sharing in writing, make sure there's access and cars aren't blocking the run, flag anything buried you know about, and tell the neighbours.
Concrete needs time to gain strength before the posts take load. Adding rails, cladding and a heavy gate too early pulls posts out of position — it's one of the most common causes of a fence that leans later. It isn't neglect, it's the cure time.
Usually for part of it, once the old fence is out and before the new posts are set. Say so in advance if you have a dog — the crew can often sequence the work to keep a section standing or help arrange temporary containment.
Look for three things: a string line running the length so the faces align, plumb checked on every post in both directions, and the concrete collar crowned to shed water away rather than dished. Posts dropped in with concrete tipped around them look fine now and lean in three years.
Not always — check explicitly. It's slower and heavier work than it looks, with the old concrete footings being the real job, and disposal is charged by weight. Treated timber must go to landfill and can never be burned.
No — new timber needs to weather and dry before it will take a finish properly. Coating too early seals moisture in and the finish won't bond. Ask your installer what to allow for the timber they've supplied.
Ready to start your fencing project?
Get a free, no-obligation quote anywhere in Auckland.
Get a Free QuoteRelated fencing services
