Quick answer: most Metro Vancouver homeowners pay $55 to $95 per linear foot, installed, for a standard 6-foot powder-coated aluminum fence in 2026. A typical 150-foot yard, including posts, footings, and standard hardware, runs $8,250 to $14,250 all-in. Heavier, wind-rated profiles and sloped or rocky North Shore lots land at the top of that range; a simple flat-lot front-yard fence lands near the bottom.
Aluminum fence cost per foot in Vancouver, by project size (2026)
The table below is the installed price, material, labour, posts, standard footings and hardware, for a 6-foot fence on flat, reasonably accessible ground. Shorter fences cost more per foot than longer ones, because a gate, a corner post, and a delivery charge get spread across fewer linear feet.
| Fence length | Installed cost range | Approx. cost per foot |
|---|---|---|
| 50 ft | $2,750 – $4,750 | $55 – $95 |
| 100 ft | $5,500 – $9,500 | $55 – $95 |
| 150 ft | $8,250 – $14,250 | $55 – $95 |
| 200 ft | $11,000 – $19,000 | $55 – $95 |
These figures assume a standard 6-foot height on flat ground. A 4-foot front-yard aluminum fence, the most common height allowed without a permit in most Metro Vancouver municipalities, typically runs about 25 to 30% below these numbers, since it needs shorter posts, less material, and shallower footings. An 8-foot fence, where bylaws allow it, runs roughly 25 to 30% above them.
What actually drives an aluminum fence quote up or down
Two homeowners with the same length of fence line can get quotes thousands of dollars apart. Here’s where that gap usually comes from.
Height
Every additional foot of height means a deeper, wider post footing and more aluminum per section. Going from 4 ft to 6 ft typically adds close to 40% to the base price; going from 6 ft to 8 ft adds roughly another 25 to 30% on top of that, and an 8 ft aluminum fence starts to need a heavier picket profile to resist wind load.
Slope and terrain
Very little of the North Shore is flat. Aluminum actually handles slope better than most materials because panels can be racked, each section angled to follow the grade, without the visible stepped gaps you get with rigid vinyl panels. That said, racking still means every section is laid out individually rather than run in a straight repeating line, which adds 10 to 25% in labour. Shallow bedrock, common in the upper North Shore, can push individual post costs up by $120 to $300 each if holes need to be drilled and anchored instead of augered.
Coastal salt exposure
Aluminum itself doesn’t rust, but that doesn’t mean every part of an aluminum fence is immune to our coastline. On waterfront and near-waterfront properties, Deep Cove, the West Vancouver shoreline, and similar exposures, it’s worth specifying stainless steel fasteners rather than standard zinc-plated hardware. Expect roughly 8 to 15% added to the metalwork for that upgrade, and it’s cheap insurance against the one part of an aluminum fence that actually can corrode.
Gates
Gates are never legitimately priced per linear foot, each one is a small standalone project with its own frame, hinges, latch, and swing geometry. A single walk gate with hardware typically runs $400 to $1,600; a self-closing, self-latching gate built to pool-fence code sits at the higher end of that because of the certified hardware. A driveway gate is a different scale of project entirely, generally $3,500 to $9,000 for a manual swing gate before any automation.
Removing the old fence
Almost every replacement job includes taking out what’s there now. Bundled into a new install, that’s usually $1 to $3 per linear foot; hired as a standalone job it runs $3 to $8 per foot, because a crew that’s already on site with a truck is far cheaper than one making a dedicated trip.
Residential-grade vs. heavy-duty aluminum: what the gauge buys you
“Aluminum fence” isn’t one product, and this is where the big-box panel price and the installed contractor price stop being comparable at all. As a rough industry guide, aluminum fencing generally falls into three tiers:
- Entry-level / big-box panels: thinner-wall extrusions, often around 0.4 to 0.5 inch pickets, sold as bolt-together DIY kits. This is the tier you’ll see priced by the panel at a home improvement store. It’s a reasonable option for a short, flat, low-wind run, but it dents more easily and rarely racks cleanly on a slope.
- Standard contractor-grade: the tier most installed quotes in this guide are built on. Thicker-wall aluminum, typically in a 2 or 3-rail configuration, mechanically assembled and powder-coated, designed to be racked on grade rather than only run dead level.
- Heavy-duty / estate-grade: larger picket profiles and thicker walls, used where wind load matters most: long unbroken runs, pool enclosures that need to meet a specific code height and gap spacing, and exposed sites. This is the top end of the $55–$95 range, or above it on a fully custom spec.
If a quote looks unusually low compared to everything else you’ve received, the gauge is the first thing to ask about, not the finish colour.
Aluminum vs. other fencing materials: cost and lifetime
Aluminum sits in the middle of the fencing market: pricier than wood, vinyl, or chain link up front, but it doesn’t rot, warp, or need refinishing the way those materials eventually do. Steel and wrought iron cost more again, mainly for added strength and custom fabrication rather than corrosion resistance, since a properly galvanized steel fence resists rust nearly as well.
| Material | Installed cost per foot | Corrosion | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl / PVC | $45 – $80 | Doesn’t corrode; can crack in a hard freeze | Flat lots, low-maintenance privacy |
| Aluminum (powder-coated) | $55 – $95 | Won’t rust; fasteners can corrode if not stainless | Pool enclosures, front yards, sloped lots, long runs on a budget |
| Steel / ornamental iron | $80 – $150 | Rusts if the coating is breached — galvanizing underneath matters more than the paint | Security fencing, wide driveway gates |
| Custom wrought iron | $120 – $250+ | Same as steel; specification decides the outcome | Feature entries, non-standard heights and shapes |
Looked at over 20 years rather than at the sticker price, the gap narrows considerably. Modelled on a 150-foot residential fence with mid-range installed cost plus typical upkeep:
| Material | Install (mid-range) | 20-year maintenance | Replacement inside 20 yrs? | Rough 20-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated wood | $6,400 | $3,000 – $5,000 | Yes, usually once | $14,000 – $18,000 |
| Vinyl / PVC | $9,400 | $500 – $1,500 | No | $9,900 – $11,000 |
| Aluminum | $11,300 | $500 – $1,500 | No | $11,800 – $12,800 |
| Steel / ornamental iron | $17,300 | $1,500 – $3,500 | No | $18,800 – $20,800 |
Aluminum lands just above vinyl over 20 years and well below wood, mainly because there’s almost nothing to maintain, no annual staining, no repainting, no posts rotting out at grade. The higher day-one price buys you a fence you can largely stop thinking about.
Two real cost examples
A 100-foot front yard, 4-foot aluminum picket fence
A common curb-appeal project: level ground, lane or driveway access, one pedestrian gate, standard contractor-grade aluminum. Base cost at 6 ft would be roughly $5,500–$9,500 for 100 ft; the 4-ft height factor (×0.72) brings that to about $3,950–$6,850, plus $700–$1,600 for a gate with hardware. Realistic all-in: roughly $4,650 to $8,450.
A 55-foot pool enclosure
Pool fencing has to meet a specific code height and picket-gap spacing, and the gate must be self-closing and self-latching — requirements that add a bit of hardware cost but not much extra labour. At $55–$95 per foot for 55 ft of 4-to-4.5-ft aluminum picket, that’s roughly $3,025–$5,225, plus $700–$1,600 for a compliant self-closing gate. Realistic all-in: roughly $3,725 to $6,825. Confirm the exact height and gap requirement with your municipality before ordering material — pool fencing rules are enforced and specifications differ by city.
How to get an aluminum fence quote you can actually compare
Get more than one quote, then compare these details rather than just the bottom line:
- Wall thickness / gauge of the aluminum: ask directly, not just “is it aluminum.” This is the single biggest driver of long-term durability and the easiest thing for a lowball quote to quietly downgrade.
- Post spacing and footing depth: wider spacing means fewer posts and a lower price, but also more flex in wind and on a racked slope.
- Fastener material: stainless versus standard hardware matters more here than on almost any other material, precisely because the aluminum itself won’t be the point of failure; the fasteners will.
- Whether removal and disposal of your old fence is include: or billed separately afterward.
- What happens if a post hole hits rock: a quote that doesn’t answer this isn’t really a fixed price on North Shore terrain.
Where we fit in
North Shore Iron Works designs, fabricates and installs aluminum, steel, and wrought iron fencing, plus custom railings and gates for homeowners across North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver, and Coquitlam.
Because we build to the site rather than ordering stock panels, we’re usually the right call when a fence line is sloped, runs into rock, or needs to meet a specific pool-code height. See our Aluminum Fences page for finishes and profiles, or our residential fence installation page for the full range of materials we work in.
Price ranges in this guide are consistent with our full 2026 Vancouver fence cost guide and reflect published Metro Vancouver market data cross-checked against North Shore site conditions. They are a budgeting range, not a quote for your specific property.
