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Vinyl Fence Cost Calculator

Quickly determine how much your vinyl fence will approximately be using this vinyl fence cost calculator.

Clear
Posts1917 bays need 18 posts, plus 1 for the gate
Bays17sections between posts
Even post spacing5.8824 ftspread evenly instead of leaving a short last bay
Last bay if spaced exactly4 ftat 6 ft per bay
Rails342 per bay
Linear feet of rail200 ft
Post length to buy8 ft6 ft above ground plus 2 ft buried
Fence face area600 sq ftfor staining or painting
Fence length100 ft30.48 m
Material cost1,835posts, rails and pickets at the prices given
Cost per foot18.35

The method

posts = bays + 1; pickets = run ÷ (picket width + gap)

Posts outnumber bays by one

A 100-foot fence at 8-foot spacing needs 13 bays and 14 posts, because both ends need one. Forgetting the last post is the classic error, and it is also why every gate adds a post rather than replacing one.

Rather than leaving a stub bay at the end, divide the run by the number of bays and space the posts evenly. Thirteen bays over 100 feet gives 7 feet 8⅔ inches each — comfortably within the strength of a 2×4 rail and far better looking than twelve 8-foot bays and a 4-foot remnant.

Bury a third of the post’s exposed height. A 6-foot fence wants 2 feet in the ground, so buy 8-foot posts; in soft soil or high wind, go deeper.