New Orleans, LA
FENCING ESTIMATING.

## Fencing Estimating in New Orleans Moves at Its Own Pace New Orleans is not a standard fencing market. The combination of high water tables, expansive clay soils, salt-air corrosion from Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf, and strict historic district regulations means a fence job here carries more variables than one in a dryer, inland city. If your estimate template was built for flat ground and standard post depths, you are already underbidding. Estimate.Pro is built around the 25 trades that actually run service businesses, fencing included. You open a job, walk the site with your phone, and have a priced, sendable bid inside 8 minutes. --- ## What Makes New Orleans Fencing Different to Price **Soil and post depth.** Expansive clay and high water tables across Orleans and Jefferson parishes mean standard 2-foot post depths are rarely enough. Many installers go 30–36 inches with concrete footings and still account for heaving. That extra concrete and labor has to be in the estimate before you sign anything. **Wind load and storm rating.** Louisiana's coastal exposure category (ASCE 7 Exposure Category D along the lakefront and Industrial Canal corridors) affects panel sizing, post spacing, and hardware specs for any fence marketed as wind-resistant. If you are selling a fence to a homeowner who just came off a flood insurance claim, they will ask about wind ratings. Know your numbers. **Historic district requirements.** The Vieux Carré Commission and the Historic District Landmarks Commission regulate fence height, material, and finish in the French Quarter, Tremé, and several Garden District and Uptown corridors. Chain-link is outright banned on front elevations in many of these zones. Wood picket heights are capped. Ornamental iron is preferred. These restrictions narrow your material selections and raise your unit cost. An estimate that ignores them will get rejected at the permit counter. **Material corrosion.** Galvanized steel is baseline here; powder-coated aluminum and wrought iron require sealed welds and annual maintenance disclosures in many commercial bids. Price accordingly or absorb a warranty callback. --- ## How Estimate.Pro Handles the Variables **AR-assisted measurement.** On supported devices, Estimate.Pro uses ONNX-assisted live AR measurement to capture fence runs, gate openings, and grade changes in the field. Camera and photo measurements are flagged as estimates so you know the confidence level before you commit to a number. **Your material cost workspace.** You save your own material costs — local supplier pricing from Crescent City Fence Supply, ABC Supply on Earhart, or whoever you actually buy from. When material prices move after a hurricane-season import disruption, you update the workspace once and every future estimate reflects it. **Trade-specific line items.** Post depth, concrete volume, gate hardware, post caps, and storm bracing can all be broken out as separate line items. Nothing is hidden in a flat per-foot number that blows up your margin when the post depth changes. **Scope-of-work AI.** After your walkthrough, the AI drafts the written scope: materials specified, post spacing, footing depth, gate count, finish. You review, edit, and send. Clients in New Orleans's competitive renovation market expect a professional written proposal. This produces one without a second trip to the office. --- ## Pricing That Fits a Field Business Estimate.Pro has a free-forever tier. No credit card required to start. When you need more: - **Pro** — $39 per seat per month. Full estimating, AR measurement, saved cost workspace. - **Elite** — $79 per seat per month. Adds Stripe Connect invoicing (0% platform fee) and export workflows. - **Crew** — $399 per month flat for unlimited seats, built for shops running multiple crews across Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, and St. Bernard parishes. Stripe Connect on the Free tier carries a 3% platform fee. Pro and above pay 0%. --- ## Built for the Contractor Running Jobs, Not a Desk New Orleans fence contractors deal with access issues (narrow shotgun-lot side yards), frequent rain delays, and post-storm surge repair bids that need to go out fast while the work is still there. The 8-minute median from walkthrough to sendable bid is not a marketing number — it is the workflow. Measure on site, let the AI draft scope, confirm your line items, and send before you reach the truck. If your current process is a spreadsheet built in 2018 or a per-estimate fee to a third-party service, the math on switching is straightforward.