Is $60 a foot fair for a pressure-treated fence in Ottawa?

For a pressure-treated wood fence, about $30 to $65 per linear foot installed is the range in published Ontario installer pricing. The figure you were quoted sits at the upper end of that published range, so it is not outside it, but it is worth understanding what should be included at that price before you agree to it.

Several things in the quote affect where a price lands within that spread. The height of the fence matters. The number of gates is priced separately, and a pedestrian gate adds roughly $500 to $1,500 on top of the fence line; a driveway gate adds more. If there is an old fence to pull out, removal and disposal runs roughly $5 to $15 per linear foot, and posts set in concrete cost more to pull. The condition of the ground, the total length of the run, and the style of the fence (privacy board, shadowbox, picket) all appear in a fair quote.

A written quote at this price should spell out the height and style, the total linear footage, the number and size of gates as separate line items, whether removal of an existing fence is included, how the posts are set and how deep the holes go. Ask for the warranty in writing; a verbal promise is harder to act on later.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, a written direct agreement gives you 10 days to cancel after you receive it, and a supplier cannot charge more than 10 per cent above a written estimate. The Construction Act requires you to hold back 10 per cent of the price as work is supplied; ask a lawyer about when it is safe to release that amount on a larger job.

A second written quote from another installer is the clearest way to judge whether the figure you were quoted reflects what this particular job involves, and the Ottawa Construction Network directory has local installers you can reach through the request form on this page.

Before anything else, confirm with the installer exactly what the per-foot price includes and excludes in writing, because two quotes at the same number can cover very different scopes.