Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
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AfterFast, Reliable Fence Installation Across Kentfield
Fence installation in Kentfield runs $3,500 to $9,000 for a typical wood or privacy fence, with repair work starting around $400. Those numbers reflect what we see on the ground here, not a national average. Kentfield lots slope, the rain comes hard for months at a stretch, and the county permit process adds steps flatland towns don’t deal with. We’ve been doing this long enough to know what a Kentfield fence actually costs and what it takes to make it last. Call (877) 610-1318 and Tom or one of his sons will give you a straight answer.
Why Barrett & Sons Construction Is Kentfield’s Preferred Fence Installation Company
We’re owner-operated, founded in 1998 by Tom Barrett. Tom’s name, address, and license number are published and verifiable. Ask anyone on your street, or look up the license number yourself. When a Barrett & Sons crew shows up in Kentfield, it’s Tom’s sons and their teams, not strangers dispatched from a call center. We answer our own phone, 24 hours a day. No voicemail maze, no out-of-state call center.
Our reputation in Kentfield comes from doing the work the way the county requires it done: permits pulled, inspections signed, and every price change on paper before a single post goes in the ground. We write scope in writing, allowances in writing, change orders in writing. That matters more in Kentfield than almost anywhere else in Marin, because the hillside lots and WUI fire rules mean a fence job can get complicated fast. We carry that knowledge so you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Calls from Kentfield get answered by a live person, and scheduling is coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office. We’re in Kentfield regularly. When you call for a fence estimate, you’ll get a time we’ll actually show up, and we’ll shake your hand when we get there.
Our Fence Installation Services in Kentfield
Wood Fence
Wood fences are what most Kentfield homeowners ask for, and for good reason: they fit the mid-century and custom-home look that defines the streets above Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. But untreated wood posts wick moisture in Kentfield’s 55-inch annual rainfall and rot at grade in five years or less. We set pressure-treated posts in concrete, often above a French drain on hillside lines, so the fence stands through wet winters. A typical wood fence in Kentfield runs $3,500 to $9,000.
Privacy Fence
On sloped Kentfield lots, privacy fences do double duty. They screen the neighbor’s hillside view and they absorb runoff from uphill. If a privacy fence is set without accounting for hillside drainage, it dams water and erodes the slope underneath. That’s the number one failure mode we see on Kentfield hillsides. We scope drainage before we quote, so the fence protects your privacy without wrecking the grade. Expect $3,500 to $9,000 for a standard privacy fence.
Fence Repair
Most Kentfield fence repair calls involve rotted posts, leaning sections from slope movement, or gates that drag because the hillside shifted half an inch after a wet winter. Repair work in Kentfield typically runs $400 to $1,800, depending on how many posts need resetting and whether the drainage swale behind the fence needs attention while we’re in there. We won’t patch a post that’s failing at grade, because in this climate, a patched post is a fall waiting to happen.
Vinyl Fence
Vinyl makes sense for Kentfield homeowners who don’t want to deal with staining or moisture damage. It won’t rot in the wet season, and it’s easy to keep clean when the marine air leaves its mark. Vinyl fence installation in Kentfield runs about $3,500 to $9,000. The catch on hillside lots is post depth and drainage, same as wood, and we handle both.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Kentfield
We carry materials you can look up, not mystery brands off a van. On Kentfield fence jobs we work with proven manufacturers like Quikrete for concrete footings and Cambridge Pavers when a fence intersects a hardscape. If your fence line runs into a paver patio or a Belgard retaining wall, we’ll spec the intersection properly so you don’t end up with two materials fighting each other at the grade line. We stock parts locally, and because Kentfield is a regular stop for our crews, turnaround on materials is quick.
Common Fence Installation Problems We See in Kentfield Homes
- Rotted posts at grade. Fifty-plus inches of rain every winter means untreated or improperly set posts fail from the bottom up. By the time a fence leans, the post below the soil line is often gone entirely.
- Drainage swale conflicts. Virtually every fence line on a Kentfield hillside parcel intersects a Marin County-required drainage swale or retaining wall. Post holes often need an engineered setback, and sometimes a geotech review, before you can dig.
- WUI compliance surprises. Fences near hill-edge parcels fall under Marin County Fire’s Wildland-Urban Interface rules. Skipping that review can trigger a stop-work order and an expensive retrofit to fire-resistant detailing.
- Slope movement shifting gates. Kentfield’s clay soil expands and contracts with the wet season. Gates that swung true in September drag by February. We set posts with slope movement in mind from day one.
Pricing for Fence Installation in Kentfield, CA
Here’s what a fence job in Kentfield actually costs, based on what we’ve scoped on local properties:
| Service | Price Range in Kentfield |
|---|---|
| Wood Fence | $3,500 - $9,000 |
| Privacy Fence | $3,500 - $9,000 |
| Fence Repair | $400 - $1,800 |
What moves the price in Kentfield more than anything is hillside access. A fence line on a steep section of Kent Woodlands or near the College of Marin edge means equipment access is slower, post holes sometimes need geotech review, and the drainage work around the fence matters more. Those costs are real, and we put them on paper before we start. No allowance that isn’t on paper is a surprise waiting for a date. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free estimate. We also offer a permanent 10% Senior & Veteran discount, $40 off any repair over $200, a free second opinion on any written estimate, and no trip charge inside the county.
We Also Serve Cities Near Kentfield
Our crews cover Kentfield and the surrounding communities, including Larkspur, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, and Fairfax. If you’re in a neighboring town and wondering whether we make the drive, call and ask. We’ll give you a straight answer about scheduling and service area. Our Fence Installation team has worked across this part of Marin for years, and we know the county permitting process start to finish.
Serving Kentfield, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Kentfield area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Fence Installation in Kentfield
No, a like-for-like fence replacement using the same post holes generally does not require a new Marin County permit, but the moment you shift the fence line, change the height, or move posts toward a drainage swale or property line, the county wants a review. In Kentfield, where fence lines frequently intersect county-required drainage swales, even a “same hole” replacement can trigger a setback question. We check with Marin County before we dig so you don’t get a correction notice later. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll tell you what your specific fence line actually requires.
In Kentfield, the county usually requires fence post holes to be set outside the structural envelope of a drainage swale or retaining wall, which on most hillside parcels means a setback of roughly two to five feet depending on slope grade and soil type. Some properties need a geotech review before the county will sign off. This is the single most common reason fence jobs in Kentfield take longer and cost more than comparable work in flatland towns like Larkspur or Corte Madera. We scope the swale location before we quote, so the setback is on paper from day one. Call (877) 610-1318 for a free site walk.
Yes, if your fence sits near a hill-edge parcel or within a Wildland-Urban Interface zone, Marin County Fire enforces WUI compliance, which can require a noncombustible skirt or fire-resistant detailing along the downhill edge. Up on a Kent Woodlands slope, we fenced a 240-foot perimeter where the old redwood posts had rotted at grade from fifty-plus inches of annual rain. Our crew reset the line with pressure-treated posts set in concrete above a French drain, added a WUI-compliant noncombustible skirt along the fire-prone downhill edge, and pulled the county permit before breaking ground. The inspection sign-off was the only thing standing between us and a change order for the eroded swale. If your property is in the WUI zone, we’ll tell you before we quote, because the material cost is real and it’s not optional. Call (877) 610-1318 and we’ll check your parcel.
We set posts deeper than standard, pour concrete footings that extend above grade, and on hillside lines we add drainage gravel or a French drain behind the fence so water doesn’t sit against the post. Kentfield’s clay soil expands and contracts through the wet-dry cycle, and a post set to standard depth in this soil will heave and shift within a few seasons. Our approach accounts for that movement, and we back every job with the 90-Day Done Right Promise. If something’s not right, Tom comes back and makes it right. Call (877) 610-1318 for an exact quote.
Sometimes, but in Kentfield it’s rare that standing posts are actually sound. Posts that look fine above ground are often rotted below the soil line from years of 55-inch winters. Reusing them saves money upfront but usually means a fence that leans or collapses within a few years. We’ll assess the posts during the estimate walk-through. If we can honestly reuse them, we will. If we can’t, we’ll tell you why and show you what’s happening below grade. Call (877) 610-1318 to schedule that walk-through, no trip charge inside the county.
Schedule Your Free Fence Installation Estimate in Kentfield
If you’re in Kentfield and you want a fence that survives fifty inches of rain, county permitting, and hillside drainage, call Barrett & Sons Construction at (877) 610-1318. Tom or one of his sons will answer. We’ll walk your property, check the swale setbacks, check the WUI zone, and give you a written line-item quote before any work starts. Every price change comes in writing. Every permit gets pulled. Every job gets the 90-Day Done Right Promise. That’s how we’ve done it since 1998, and that’s how we’ll do it on your fence.
Written by Tom Barrett, Owner at Barrett & Sons Construction, serving Kentfield fence installation with the L.O.C.A.L. values: Local roots, On time, Community first, Accountable, Loyal.