Fencing software for per-metre quotes, jobs and GST invoicing

Fencing businesses in Australia run on the linear metre, and on the deposit. You measure a boundary, price the run by fence type and height, add gates, posts, footings and removal, and then you have to outlay real money on Colorbond, posts and concrete before a single panel goes up. Quote on a paper pad and key it into Xero later, chase deposits by text, and store before-and-after photos in your camera roll, and the admin quietly eats your evenings. Many contractors pay $35/month for Xero, $45 to $49/month for ServiceM8 or Tradify, and still don't know their true margin per metre until the accountant untangles it months later.

OneBookPlus gives you one app for your whole fencing business. Build an itemised quote on your phone at the boundary with a per-linear-metre rate and separate lines for gates, posts, hard-dig footings, demolition and rubbish removal, with GST calculated automatically. When the customer accepts the quote link, request a deposit so your materials order is covered, and the job drops straight into your schedule. Run the fence, snap before, during and after photos onto the job, log your supplier and Bunnings receipts, then convert the job to a GST-compliant invoice with the deposit already credited, sent before you leave site. No more double-entry, no more chasing money from your own ute.

Quoting by the metre

Set up your fence types once, Colorbond, timber paling, pool barrier, chain wire, post-and-rail, security, each with a per-linear-metre rate and a height variant. On the site measure you enter the run in metres and the line totals instantly, then add the extras: a single or double gate, additional posts for a sloping block, concrete footings, removal of an existing fence, and tip fees. The customer gets a clean, professional quote with your ABN and a one-tap accept, so you win the job at the boundary instead of going home to write it up. If you are still setting your rates, the tradie quote calculator and the hourly rate calculator are a sensible place to start, and the quoting feature overview shows what the customer sees when the quote lands.

Pricing a run that is neither flat nor straight

A per-metre rate assumes the easy version of a job: level ground, clear access, soil you can auger. Real boundaries are rarely that. A sloping block means stepping or raking the panels, and stepping adds posts, plinths and time that a flat rate quietly absorbs if you let it. Corners and ends need their own posts. A narrow side access means barrowing sheets and concrete by hand instead of backing the ute in. Old footings, tree roots, rock and services in the trench all turn a straightforward hole into a half-hour. The fix is not a bigger per-metre rate across the board, which loses you the easy jobs, it is quoting the run at your rate and putting the site conditions on their own lines: extra posts for the fall, hand-barrow access, hard dig, removal and tip fees. In OneBookPlus each of those is a visible line on the quote, so the customer can see why their boundary costs more than the neighbour's, and you keep a record of what you allowed for when the ground turns out worse than it looked.

Deposits, materials and margin

Because fencing ties up materials cash before the install, the deposit is central to the workflow. Request a fixed amount or a percentage on quote acceptance; the customer pays online and it's recorded against the job and credited on the final invoice. Log every Colorbond sheet, post, rail, bag of concrete, gate and tip fee against the job with a receipt photo, so OneBookPlus shows your real cost, and therefore your real margin per metre. Price your next quote on what the job cost you, not a hopeful guess, and use the markup and margin calculator to check what a change in the sheet price does to your metre rate. When a balance runs past its due date, spell out your terms rather than arguing about them: the payment terms glossary entry and the late payment interest calculator cover what you can reasonably state on an invoice.

Repairs, gates and the work that fills the gaps

Fencing revenue is lumpy. New installs come in runs, then the phone goes quiet, and the quiet weeks are where a lot of contractors lose the year. The work that fills them is already in your customer list: a gate that has dropped and needs rehanging, a panel replaced after a storm, a section of paling rotted at the plinth, a pool gate that no longer self-closes and needs the hardware replaced before an inspection. Those jobs are small, quick, and usually go to whoever the owner can find fastest. Because every past install sits on the customer record with its photos and the fence type you used, a repair call takes a minute to price instead of a site visit, and you already know the profile, colour and post spacing. Storms and the start of pool season both generate a predictable spike in this work, so it is worth sending a short seasonal reminder to past customers rather than waiting for the phone. The same booking page that takes new quote requests takes after-hours repair requests too, which is where most storm work starts.

Photos, records and compliance

Fencing sits on boundaries, so documentation protects you. Snap before, during and after photos onto the job record, proof of the original condition, evidence the footings went in properly, and a portfolio shot for the next quote. Where a job is regulated, a swimming-pool safety barrier under AS 1926.1, a retaining wall above a set height, or work tied to a building permit, store your licence, certificate or permit references on the job so everything is in one place. OneBookPlus keeps the business record straight; pool-barrier certification, dividing-fence law and permit approvals still sit with certifiers, councils and your state's rules, so confirm your obligations there. And always call Dial Before You Dig (1100 / byda.com.au) before boring post holes near services.

Getting started

Sign up free, no credit card, no lock-in. Select your business type and OneBookPlus pre-configures fencing service categories and invoice templates that carry your ABN. Set up your fence types and per-metre rates as quote templates, import your customer list via CSV from ServiceM8, Tradify or a spreadsheet, and connect your bank account through the secure bank-feed flow. You can send your first per-metre quote the day you sign up. If your work overlaps with retaining, paving and garden structures, the landscaping page covers those workflows, and the OneBookPlus versus ServiceM8 comparison sets the two tools side by side if that is what you are switching from.