The questions we get asked most.

Timber paling runs $154 to $198 a metre and Colorbond $198 to $275, including GST, at the standard 1.8 metre height. So a 20 metre run lands somewhere between $3,080 and $3,960 in timber, or $3,960 to $5,500 in Colorbond.

Small jobs carry a $275 minimum including GST, because a three metre fence still means turning up with the same gear.

That’s a starting point, not a quote. Pulling out an old fence, a sloping block or tight access all move the number. Use the estimator to get a range in about thirty seconds, then we come out and give you a real price.

Materials, labour, and setting the posts properly. Pulling out an old fence and taking it away is separate: $38.50 a metre including GST, on top, so you only pay for removal when there’s actually a fence to remove.

Anything that isn’t included, we tell you before you sign anything. No surprises on invoice day.

Yes, and it covers materials so we can get started. The balance is due when the job’s finished and you’re happy with it. We’ll confirm this one with you directly before you commit to anything — ring us and you’ll get a straight answer rather than a hedge.

Rock means harder digging and sometimes different footings. A slope means the fence gets stepped or raked, which takes more posts and more cutting.

Neither is a problem, we just need to see it. That’s what the free site visit is for, and it’s the reason we won’t quote a final price off a photo.

Yes. We come out, look at the job properly, and give you a written price. If you go ahead, the visit is credited to the work. If you don’t, you owe us nothing and you keep the quote.

The material costs more and it comes as a system, so there’s less waste and less on-site cutting. You’re also buying a fence that doesn’t need painting or oiling and won’t warp. Over ten years it usually works out cheaper, even though it costs more today.

Usually, yes. In Queensland dividing fences are covered by the Neighbourhood Disputes (Dividing Fences and Trees) Act 2011, and adjoining owners are each liable for half the cost of the fencing work needed to have what the law calls a sufficient dividing fence.

For most residential blocks, sufficient means a fence between 0.5 and 1.8 metres high, built from one of the materials the Act lists. Timber palings and Colorbond both qualify.

The important bit: your neighbour’s half only ever covers a sufficient fence. If you want something fancier or higher, you pay the difference.

This is general information to help you get started, not legal advice. The Queensland Government and QCAT both publish guidance on dividing fences, and it’s worth a read before you serve anything.

There’s a formal process, and a text saying the fence is falling over doesn’t count.

You serve your neighbour a written Notice to Contribute, with at least one quote attached. Two is better. The notice sets out what fence you’re proposing, where it goes, what it costs and how it’s split.

They’ve then got a month to respond. If you can’t agree, either of you can take it to QCAT.

The form is free from the Queensland Government website. We’re happy to give you a written quote to attach, that part’s easy.

It happens more than you’d think, and it’s why the formal process exists. Serve the notice, keep a record that you served it, and let the clock run.

We’ll give you a quote that’s clearly for a standard, sufficient fence, which is the thing that makes the split straightforward. If it ends up at QCAT, a sensible quote for a standard fence is exactly what they want to see.

Talk it out before anyone serves anything. If they want timber and you want Colorbond, one of you is paying the difference between the two.

We can quote both so you’re comparing real numbers rather than arguing about a guess.

A dividing fence on the boundary belongs to both of you, regardless of who organised it or who paid what. Same goes for maintenance down the track.

There’s no law about it. The convention is that the smooth side faces your neighbour, but if you’re splitting the cost it’s worth agreeing before we start rather than after.

With Colorbond it doesn’t come up, since both sides look the same. That’s one of the reasons people pick it for a shared boundary.

If neither of you caused it, it’s shared the same way as any other dividing fence. Worth checking both home insurance policies before you organise anything, because storm damage is often covered and that changes who’s paying.

Timber looks warmer, costs less up front, and you can paint or stain it whatever you like. It needs oiling every couple of years, and boards can cup or warp over time. It’s the traditional look and it suits older homes.

Colorbond costs more to start, doesn’t need painting, won’t warp or rot, and looks identical on both sides. It handles weather better and it’s usually the quieter of the two for wind.

Rule of thumb: if you want the look and don’t mind maintaining it, go timber. If you want to put it up and forget about it, go Colorbond.

Some movement is normal. Timber is a natural product and it responds to weather.

What stops it becoming a problem is decent timber, proper spacing, and oiling it every year or two. A fence that’s never been treated will look tired much faster than one that gets a coat every couple of summers.

It can, if something hits it hard enough. A football won’t do it, a reversing car will.

Individual panels can be replaced without pulling the whole fence apart, which is one of the advantages.

Common where a block slopes. If one side sits higher than the other, you often need a retaining wall to hold the ground before a fence goes on top.

We build both, so it’s one job and one crew rather than coordinating two trades. Worth mentioning when you enquire, because it changes the price and the timeline.

Timber is warmer underfoot, costs less, and can be sanded and re-oiled when it starts to look tired. It needs that maintenance to stay looking good.

Composite costs more up front, doesn’t splinter, doesn’t need oiling, and holds its colour. It gets hotter in full sun, which matters if you’re barefoot in January.

If the deck’s shaded and you’ll maintain it, timber is lovely. If it’s in full sun and you want to forget about it, composite.

Most fencing jobs are one to three days on site once we start. Decks and pergolas vary more depending on size.

The bit that takes longer is usually getting materials in and lining up a start date. We’ll give you a real timeframe when we quote, not an optimistic one.

Not for the whole job. We’ll want you there for the site visit so we can walk it together, and at the end so you can look at it before you pay.

In between, as long as we can get access, you can go to work.

Yes. Removal and disposal is $38.50 a metre including GST, on top of the new fence rate.

Tell us it’s there when you enquire and it’s in the quote from the start, priced as its own line so you can see exactly what the old fence is costing you.

For a standard dividing fence up to 1.8 metres, usually not.

You may need approval for something higher, for a fence on a corner block where sight lines matter, if you’re in a heritage area, or if there’s a covenant on your estate. Pool fencing is separate and has much stricter rules of its own.

If you’re not sure, tell us where you are and what you’re after and we’ll tell you what we know. Anything genuinely uncertain, your council will confirm in a phone call.

We stop, and we come back. Digging post holes in mud gives you a fence that moves later, which is worse than waiting two days.

If weather pushes the job, we’ll tell you the same day rather than leaving you wondering.

Tell us anything you know about before we dig, especially irrigation, and we’ll work around it. We do the standard checks for services, but you’ll know things about your own yard that no plan shows.

Usually. If we’re replacing a section rather than the whole run, send us a photo when you enquire and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’ll match or whether it’ll look like a patch.