In this post we will explore how much it costs to put up various perimeter wall or fencing options to suit your need and some of the products that are available to make it easier for you to do the same. Requirements for a walling or fencing option vary greatly based on the budget and the intended expectations on the use and the period for which the fencing is supposed to serve. The fence can either be temporary, such as the iron sheet fencing that is put up during construction or more permanent such as the masonry stone fencing commonly used to fence homes in estates. I will go through various fencing types, their typical structure and how much this would cost per metre and per a 50 by 100 sample plot in order to give you an idea of the total cost for your project.
1. Mabati/ Iron roofing sheet fencing
This type of fencing is usually done as a temporary type of fencing most commonly when building a new project. It is usually done using iron sheeting and bush poles. This is the most affordable type of fencing starting at 1500 per linear meter for box profile mabati. This translates to around 135,000 for a 50 by 100 plot. If you are using cheaper mabati, for example rejects, recycled or lighter gauges, it could start at 1200 per linear meter which translates to 108,000 for a 50 by 100 plot.
2. Treated post and barbed wire fencing
This method uses treated timber posts and barbed wired fencing commonly known as seng’eng’e ya ng’ombe in Kenya. This method requires just the procurement of posts and barbed wire, installation of posts in the ground through concreting and is the cheapest starting at 600 per linear meter which translates to 54,000 for a 50 by 100. This is the cheapest method of fencing and is usually used as a demarcation of newly acquired property.
3. Treated post, barbed wire and chain link
Where someone wishes to introduce an aspect of control from passers by and animals, especially when conducting agriculture, a chain link is installed on the fence described above. This increases the coast to 1250 per linear metre which translates to 112,000 for a 50 by 100 plot.
4. Masonry walling
This is one of the most common fencing methods and most desired. However, the cost for this project can range from 450K – 700K depending on the type of soils in the area, the slope of land and the level of finishing required on the fence. On the positive side, these fences offer security and privacy, are easy to maintain and can be finished at different levels. They require the procurement of masonry stones, sand, coarse aggregate and steel. When done well, they have a strip foundation, ground beam, reinforced columns at 3m lengths and a top beam after 9-10 courses of masonry. The cost per linear metre ranges from 5,000 – 15,000. The cost also depends on whether the job is given to a contractor or self managed. Gates (Nigerian gates) typically cost around 100,000 shillings.
5. Masonry walling with electric fence
To get the cost of a masonry fence that also has the electric security component added on, one will need to cop out an extra 80,000 to 100,000 on top of the walling costs. This would bring the 650,000 KES wall to 750,000 KES only.
6. Interlocking Hollow block fences and precast concrete
These are new walling materials that are suitable for fences due to their simple nature of building, without using mortar as in the traditional masonry construction. This saves on construction time hence labour and requires a reduced quantity of materials. The cost for this is much lower than typical masonry walling at around 550,000 KES for a50 by 100.
7. Live fencing
This is just an addition to the fencing types above; it is usually dependent on the cost of the seedlings that one wishes to use. For a 50 by 100m, one should apportion KES 30, 000 and a whole lot of patience.
Note that private contractors may charge you more to make a margin for their hard work.
I hope this piece has been useful. Should you need to get a fence installed, reach out to emailjenganami@gmail.com and we will link you up with service providers.
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