A southerly came through Corrimal one weekend and put a tired old paling fence flat on the ground between two houses. The bloke who rang me assumed the whole bill was his, because it was his side that copped the wind. His neighbour reckoned the same in reverse. Neither of them was right, and sorting that out saved him a few hundred dollars before I'd even quoted the job.
Fencing looks like the simplest thing a chippy does. Posts, rails, palings, done. But the price swings on more than you'd think, and if it sits on a shared boundary there's a whole other conversation about who pays for what. Here's the lot.
What a new fence runs per metre
Ballpark figures for the Illawarra in 2026, supplied and installed, standard 1.8-metre height:
- Colorbond tends to sit around $90 to $160 a metre. Quick to put up, no painting, and it handles the weather well, which is why so many of the newer estates down Shellharbour and Nowra way run it.
- Treated pine paling, the classic backyard fence, lands somewhere around $110 to $200 a metre depending on whether it's lapped, capped, and how good you want it to look from both sides.
- Hardwood palings or a lapped-and-capped feature fence push up to $220 to $380 a metre once you're into merbau or a proper dressed job.
Those assume flat, clear ground and easy access. The minute the line runs up a slope, there's an old fence to pull out first, or the truck can't get near it, that per-metre rate climbs.
What actually drives the number
A few things move a fence price more than the material does:
- Pulling out the old one. Demolishing a rotten fence, digging out the old posts, often set in concrete, and carting the mess off all happens before a single new post goes in. On a long run that's a day on its own.
- Slope and step-downs. A fence up a hill has to step down in sections, and every step is more setting out and more cutting. Half the blocks against the escarpment have a fall on them.
- Height and gates. Going over 1.8 metres, or adding a wide gate for the trailer, adds materials and labour. A good gate that doesn't drop and drag in two years is worth paying for.
- Retaining. If the fence is also holding back a garden bed or a change in level, that's a different job again, sometimes with engineering behind it.
- Access. Barrowing mixed concrete and timber down a narrow side passage takes a lot longer than backing the ute up to the line.
The neighbour bit, because it matters
Here's what caught my Corrimal customer out. A fence sitting on the boundary between two properties is a dividing fence, and under NSW law the cost of a reasonable one is usually shared 50/50 between the two owners, storm damage or not. You can't just build a flash fence and send half the bill next door without talking to them first, and they can't refuse to chip in for a sensible replacement either. There's a proper process: you serve a fencing notice, agree on the type and cost, and go from there. If you can't agree, it goes to a Community Justice Centre or the local court, though it rarely needs to.
I'm a carpenter, not a lawyer, so get the detail from the source. NSW Fair Trading has a clear rundown on fences and the Dividing Fences Act, and it's worth a read before you commit. Most fences don't need council approval at standard height, but if you're going tall or you're on heritage or a corner block, check the NSW Planning Portal first. Sort the neighbour and the paperwork, then the build's the easy part.
Which fence lasts out here
Salt air and the southerlies are hard on everything near the coast, and a fence copes with it or it doesn't. Timber greys off and needs oiling or painting to keep its looks, and the posts are the weak point, so they want to be H4-treated for in-ground work or they rot from the bottom up while the palings still look fine. Colorbond skips the painting entirely and handles the salt, though a stray cricket ball dents it and it doesn't have the warmth of timber.
Whatever you go with, the fixings matter as much as the fence. We run coated or galvanised gear rated for the coast, because standard screws streak rust down a new fence within a season down here. A fence built properly, with the posts set right and the timber treated for the job, outlasts a cheap one twice over.
If you've got a boundary that needs doing, a gate that's dropped, or a fence the last storm finished off, that's bread-and-butter fencing work for us right across the Illawarra. Have a squiz at some of the jobs we've done, then get in touch or call Dave on 0414 007 351 and I'll come out, measure the run, and work out a real number with you, boundary chat and all.
Want a hand with this at your place? Get a free quote or call 0414 007 351.
