--- title: "Why Two Fence Quotes Differ by Thousands" description: "Post depth, vinyl wall thickness, wood treatment grade, gate hardware and what a quote leaves out are why two fence quotes for one yard never match." url: "https://portillo-fences.com/blog/fence-quote-differences/" lang: "en" published: "2026-08-24" modified: "2026-08-24" tags: ["Fence Quotes","Fence Installation","Contracts"] image: "https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/featured.jpg" --- ![Why Two Fence Quotes Differ by Thousands](https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/featured.jpg) Fence & Gate Blog # Why Two Fence Quotes Differ by Thousands Post depth, vinyl wall thickness, wood treatment grade, gate hardware and what a quote leaves out are why two fence quotes for one yard never match. [Get a Free Estimate](https://portillo-fences.com/contact-us/) [(845) 282-3336](tel:+18452823336) August 24, 2026 - Fence Quotes - Fence Installation - Contracts Two fence quotes for the same yard can sit thousands of dollars apart because they are rarely quoting the same fence. Post depth, wall thickness, wood treatment grade, gate hardware and the items a quote leaves out each change the number, and none of them shows up in a per-foot price. Put the quotes side by side and compare the specifications line by line before you compare the totals. ![Two printed fence estimates and a yard sketch laid side by side on a table](https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/quotes-side-by-side.jpg) Compare post depth, product line, wall thickness and exclusions line by line before comparing totals. ## Key Takeaways Post depth follows the local frost line Barrette Outdoor Living's vinyl post instructions set hole depth at the local frost line plus 6 inches of gravel, and New York leaves the frost number to each town Vinyl wall thickness varies by product one distributor lists 5 by 5 inch posts at 0.135 inch standard wall and 0.170 inch heavy wall Wood posts need a ground-contact tag AWPA Use Category UC4A or higher for posts, UC3B or higher for above-ground pickets Aluminum comes in three grades QCE's residential pickets are 5/8 inch square at 0.050 inch wall, commercial 3/4 inch at 0.055, industrial 1 inch at 0.062 A written, signed contract is required over $500 New York General Business Law Article 36-A covers fences and gives you a three-business-day cancellation notice ## Post depth and how posts are set Posts are where a cheap quote can save money that you cannot see afterward. Barrette's instructions for its vinyl post and ranch rail line call for a hole depth equal to the local frost line plus 6 inches for gravel or filler, a hole 10 inches wide, 6 inches of gravel or filler in the bottom, then concrete mixed to the concrete manufacturer's directions. For wood posts, QUIKRETE's instructions say the hole should be three times the post width and one third to one half of the above-ground post length, plus 6 inches. It calls for a 6-inch compacted gravel base and fast-setting concrete filled to 3 to 4 inches below grade. New York does not publish one frost depth for Putnam, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Rockland Counties. The 2020 Residential Code of New York State, in Table R301.2(1), has each local jurisdiction fill in its own frost-line depth, and Section R403.1.4.1 requires footings to extend below that line. So, a quote that does not state a post depth is a quote you cannot compare. Ask each contractor for the depth in inches, and confirm the footing or post-hole depth with the building department for your town or village. Aluminum works the same way. Ask the contractor to name the product line and hand you its installation instructions and footing detail. QCE, for one, publishes post spacing of 72 1/2 inches on center for its residential and commercial lines. ## Material grade: vinyl, wood and aluminum **Vinyl.** Profile thickness differs from one product to the next. One vinyl distributor's specification page lists 4 by 4 inch posts at 0.140 inch wall, 5 by 5 inch posts at 0.135 inch standard wall, and 5 by 5 inch posts at 0.170 inch heavy wall. Pickets are listed at 0.060 inch, with a heavy-wall version at 0.090 inch. ASTM F964-13(2024) is the standard specification for rigid PVC exterior profiles used for [fencing](https://portillo-fences.com/fencing/) and [railing](https://portillo-fences.com/railings/), and it covers posts, rails, pickets and [gates](https://portillo-fences.com/gates/). No single wall thickness is universal, so ask for the exact product line, profile dimensions, wall thickness, ASTM designation and the written warranty for each vinyl quote. ![Cut ends of two vinyl fence posts showing different wall thicknesses](https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/vinyl-wall-thickness-samples.jpg) One distributor lists 5 by 5 inch posts at 0.135 inch standard wall and 0.170 inch heavy wall. **Wood.** The American Wood Protection Association sets use categories that appear on the treatment tag. Fence pickets above ground need UC3B or higher. Ground-contact posts and components need UC4A or higher. UC3B is for exterior above-ground exposure, and UC4A is for general ground contact or freshwater exposure. A post that carries only the above-ground tag is the wrong post for a hole in the ground. **Aluminum.** QCE's published grades step up together, so a quote that says only "aluminum" tells you very little: ## Aluminum Picket: 5/8 inch square, 0.050 inch wall Top rail: 1 1/8 inch by 0.062 inch Side rail: 1 inch by 0.080 inch Post: 2 inch square, 0.060 inch wall Tap a row to open it. ## Gate hardware and frame choices Gates are where two quotes for the same opening drift apart fastest. Fence and Deck Direct lists these distributor prices for individual aluminum gate parts: a D&D Lokk-Latch at $69.00, a D&D Magna Latch at $79.90, a Deluxe Lokk-Latch at $109.00, a D&D Multi Adjust Hinge at $69.90, a heavy-duty version at $109.00, and a 24-inch Deluxe Heavy Duty Drop Rod Kit at $39.90. Moving from a basic latch and hinge set to a lockable latch and heavy-duty hinges can legitimately raise a quote. ![A worker fitting a heavy-duty hinge to an aluminum gate post](https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/hanging-gate-on-adjustable-hinges.jpg) A D&D Multi Adjust Hinge is listed at $69.90, and the heavy-duty version at $109.00. Width changes the product, too. Ultra Aluminum's specification sheet gives maximum drive-gate widths of 12 feet for residential, 16 feet for commercial and 28 feet for industrial applications, and says its gate openers work with drive or walk gates. A wide drive or cantilever frame takes a different post package than a standard swing gate. Ask for separate prices on the frame, posts, hinges, latch, drop rod, operator, electrical work and installation, so each line can be compared. Our [gate installation](https://portillo-fences.com/gate-installation/) and [automatic gates](https://portillo-fences.com/automatic-gates/) pages cover what each system needs. ![A finished black aluminum walk gate with a latch set in an aluminum fence](https://portillo-fences.com/images/blog/fence-quote-differences/finished-aluminum-walk-gate.jpg) Ultra Aluminum lists maximum drive-gate widths of 12 feet residential, 16 feet commercial and 28 feet industrial. ## Items a quote may include, exclude or call an allowance The New York Attorney General's home-improvement guidance tells homeowners to know what permits are needed, check with the local building and codes office, get written estimates, and put the work, materials, timeline and payment schedule in writing. Nothing in it says a fence price must include or exclude permit fees, a survey, old-fence removal, grading, gate hardware or rock work, so each contractor decides. CostFigure's 2026 New York fence benchmark treats these as scope variables: a permit allowance, a survey where local rules or the property layout call for one, old-fence removal and haul-away, grading and slope work, gate hardware, and rock or difficult soil that adds labor time and concrete. Have each contractor mark every one of them as included, excluded or priced as an allowance. Then the totals mean the same thing. Utility markout belongs on that list. New York Code Rule 753-3.1 requires an excavator to notify the one-call system at least two and not more than ten working days before the planned start, excluding the day of the call, and it defines excavation to include fence-post digging and auguring. UDig NY states the contractor cannot start until the utility operators have responded. ## The written contract and your county's license New York General Business Law Article 36-A applies to residential home-improvement contracts over $500, and Section 770 names fences. Under Section 771 the contract and any change to it must be written and signed by all parties. It has to show: - the contractor's name, address, telephone number and license number if applicable - estimated start and substantial-completion dates, including material contingencies - a description of the work and materials, with make, model number or other identifying information - the agreed price - the mechanic's-lien notice and the notice on how advance payments are deposited - a dollar-and-cents progress-payment schedule, if progress payments are used - a three-business-day cancellation notice You must receive a signed copy before work begins. The state does not set one percentage or dollar cap on a deposit, but a county can. Rockland County's model contract limits the deposit to $1,000 or 15 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Three of the six counties license or register contractors on their own. Westchester requires a county home-improvement contractor license, and the license number must appear in every advertisement and on every contract. Putnam requires registration under County Code Chapter 135, and Section 135-18 puts the registration number on all documents and in all advertising. Rockland requires a license from its Office of Consumer Protection, and its model contract calls for a written contract when the final price exceeds $250. A license from one county does not carry into the next. **Quiz: Check yourself** 1. In Barrette's vinyl post instructions, hole depth is the local frost line plus how much gravel or filler? - 6 inches **(correct answer)** - 3 inches - 12 inches 2. Which AWPA use category does a ground-contact wood post need? - UC4A or higher **(correct answer)** - UC3B or higher - UC3A or higher 3. Home-improvement contracts over what amount must be written and signed under Article 36-A? - $500 **(correct answer)** - $250 - $1,000 4. What does Rockland County's model contract cap a deposit at? - $1,000 or 15 percent of the price, whichever is less **(correct answer)** - $500 or 15 percent of the price, whichever is less - $1,000 or 25 percent of the price, whichever is less ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Why is one vinyl quote higher than another?** A: Compare the product line, the wall thickness of the posts and rails, the post depth and the gate hardware first. Then ask for the written warranty on the exact product quoted, because wall thickness is one of the few differences you can read straight off a specification sheet. **Q: How deep should fence posts go in my town?** A: The depth is set by your town's frost line, and New York leaves that number to each municipality. Barrette's vinyl instructions add 6 inches of gravel below that line. Confirm the depth with your building department and put it in the quote in inches. **Q: Is there a limit on the deposit?** A: New York sets no single percentage or dollar cap, but it does require the contract to disclose how advance payments are protected. In Rockland County the model contract caps a deposit at $1,000 or 15 percent of the price, whichever is less. **Q: Who has to call before digging?** A: The contractor does. Under Code Rule 753-3.1, the notice goes to the one-call system two to ten working days before digging starts, and fence-post digging counts as excavation. **Q: Do I get a written contract for a small fence job?** A: Article 36-A applies to home-improvement contracts over $500, which covers most fence jobs. Expect a written, signed contract with the items listed above. A fence quote is a specification with a price attached. When two quotes are priced differently, the difference sits in the post depth, the profile thickness, the treatment tag, the hardware or the exclusions, and a contractor who writes those down lets you see which is which. At [Portillo Fences and Gates](https://portillo-fences.com/), we install and repair fencing across Putnam, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster and Rockland Counties, from [wood](https://portillo-fences.com/wood-fencing/) and [vinyl](https://portillo-fences.com/vinyl-fencing/) to [aluminum](https://portillo-fences.com/aluminum-fencing/) and [custom fencing](https://portillo-fences.com/custom-fencing/). We put the post depth, the product and the inclusions in writing before work starts. [Contact us](https://portillo-fences.com/contact-us/) for a free estimate, or call [(845) 282-3336](tel:+18452823336). ## Ready to talk through your project? Get a free estimate from a licensed, insured Hudson Valley fence and gate team. [Get a Free Estimate](https://portillo-fences.com/contact-us/)[Call (845) 282-3336](tel:+18452823336)