How much temporary fence do I need, and how many panels is that?

Getting the footage right before you call makes every quote comparable and usually makes the job cheaper. It takes five minutes, and out here it matters more than it does in a built-out neighbourhood, because the numbers are bigger.

Step one: measure the perimeter

Walk it with a measuring wheel, count paces and multiply, or measure the lot on a satellite map, which works particularly well on the large rectangular parcels common around Queen Creek and San Tan Valley.

Add about ten percent for corners, gate returns, and places the line jogs around a utility pedestal, an irrigation structure, or a stand of trees left from the previous use of the land.

Step two: subtract what already qualifies, if anything

In an established neighbourhood this is where most of the saving comes from: block wall on two or three sides, and you only fence the open sides.

Out here, frequently there is nothing to subtract. New-build lots often have no perimeter wall, converted agricultural parcels have field fence that does not qualify for anything, and the neighbouring houses may not exist yet. That is why a Queen Creek quote for the same project is often larger than a Chandler or Gilbert one, and it is worth knowing before you compare numbers.

Step three: fence the work area, not the property line

The second saving, and the one people miss. You rarely need to enclose the whole parcel.

• Construction: fence the work area and the material storage, not five acres of untouched ground.
• Pool build: a barrier around the pool and its deck can satisfy the barrier requirement if it is continuous and compliant. On a large lot that can halve the footage. See new-build pool barrier.
• Events: control the runs that need control, not the whole venue.

Step four: convert to panels

Standard freestanding panels are 12 feet.

Panels = footage ÷ 12, rounded up, plus one or two

For in-ground chain link, priced per linear foot, you just need the footage: $1.50–$3.00 per linear foot per month.

Step five: the gate, and the access road

Gates are $50–$150 each, and out here gate sizing deserves more thought than it gets, because the access is often a long dirt drive with no room to swing wide.

• Size for the largest vehicle that will come down it: concrete truck, lowboy, water truck.
• Place it where a truck can actually line up, allowing for the approach.
• Add a pedestrian gate where crews come and go, so the big one is not opened twenty times a day.
• On a pool barrier, the gate is a code item: self-closing, self-latching, opening away from the pool, latch high.

Step six: pick the product

The screen adjustment

Screen costs $0.50–$1.00 per linear foot per month, and it changes what the line needs underneath. On the open ground out here a screened fence has nothing upwind to shelter it, and a monsoon microburst will move an under-ballasted line a long way. See blown over.

Put the number in

The fence cost calculator takes footage, type, duration, screen, and gates and gives the published range. For events, the barricade calculator prices units and days.

What to send

Footage, dates, what it is for, the gate requirement, and how a truck reaches the site including the access road. A satellite screenshot with the line drawn on it is better than any description. Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Gold Canyon, Apache Junction, and Florence.