Find a trusted fencer in Melbourne

Paling fences, new estates and heritage streets

Melbourne’s older suburbs are still lined with timber paling fences, many on posts that have rotted at ground level after years in damp clay. Replacing like for like is common, but plenty of neighbours switch to Colorbond, which won’t rot and needs little upkeep. In the newer estates across the growth areas, Colorbond is the norm, and many estates have design guidelines that set the colour, the height or where side fences must stop short of the front. Check yours before ordering panels.

Front fences are different again. In streets under a Heritage Overlay, building or replacing a front fence often needs a planning permit, and the council may want a style that suits the house.

Clay, basalt, salt air and bushland

Posts are where a fence usually fails first. Reactive clay holds water in winter and shrinks in summer, which rots timber posts and can lean a whole run over, so ask about post depth and whether the posts are steel or treated timber. In the western and northern suburbs, basalt under the topsoil can mean a rock auger and a higher price per metre. Near Port Phillip Bay, from Altona round to Mentone and Frankston, ask for steel and fixings suited to salt air. And on bushland blocks around Warrandyte, Eltham or the Dandenongs, remember that a steel fence won’t burn, while timber palings that run into the house can carry fire right to the walls.

Permits, pools and dividing fence rules

Side and back fences up to 2 metres high generally don’t need a building permit in Victoria. Front fences over 1.5 metres (1.2 metres in brick or masonry) generally do. Building a new pool or spa barrier takes a building permit unless an exemption applies, and any pool or spa that can hold more than 30 cm of water has to be registered with the council, with its barrier inspected and certified every four years.

Above $10,000, a fencing contractor must be registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) in the gates and fences class. Look the name up on BPC Find a practitioner (builders); our Victorian licence checks page shows what a current registration looks like.

Under the Fences Act 1968, neighbours generally split the cost of a standard dividing fence. Start with a written fencing notice that sets out the fence, the boundary line and the cost, and if the two of you are stuck, free mediation is available through the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria.

Fence prices in Melbourne

Melbourne fencing costs sit close to Sydney’s. A 30 m Colorbond back fence typically comes to about $3,600 to $6,000 before your neighbour’s share, and a single pedestrian gate supplied and hung $400 to $900. Glass pool fencing runs roughly $350 to $800 per metre. See the fencing price guide for every style; it’s a guide, not a quote.

How we match your fencer

needatradie doesn’t spread your job across a pile of fencing companies. Give us the length, the material and your suburb, and we’ll send the job to one local fencer, already checked for insurance, ABN and reviews, plus BPC registration if the price calls for it. Learn about fencers, see Melbourne tradies for other jobs, or get a free quote.