I called 5 fence contractors for estimates. I heard back from 4 of them; 3 of them actually showed up. Des Moines Steel Fence was professional, on time, and reasonable, however didn't return calls and was slightly more expensive. American provided an estimate that was significantly lower (almost $1,500.00) than all the others, however, I could never get ahold of the estimator, nor get anyone to schedule the work. Mark with Central Iowa Fencing showed up on time, was professional, and gave a reasonable estimate that was in the middle as far as pricing. I went with Mark for a few reasons. First and foremost, he always answered his phone, and followed through with what he said he was going to do. Believe it or not, this is difficult when dealing with contractors. I know - we just bought a home in Ankeny - and have had a tough time getting contractors to basically and quot;care.and quot; It's almost as though they don't need the business. I'll pay a little more for people I can count on. Second, Mark had suggestions as far as style. No one else suggested anything, and we weren't entirely sure what to go with. He provided sample pics and had ideas for us. We ultimately went with a different style at the last minute, and he was good with this. Didn't effect anything; he adjusted and gave us what we wanted. Mark also assured us that he doesn't contract out his work - he has a crew that comes out to do the work - and he's with them. This was accurate; he was at my home both days and oversaw the work. The one other solid estimate I got advised they would dig post holes and pour concrete. The concrete would set over the week, and they'd be out the next week to put the fence up. I asked about steel posts and there was a premium charge for those. Mark had them for the same price. Said the cost of QuikCrete vs the steel posts offset one another. The other company also charged to haul away the dirt for the fence posts - I'd never heard of that. Because of the steel post option, he was able to get a 340 ft fence up in two days. I adjusted the fence on the day they came out to do the install. I had them increase the height halfway through for more privacy and install a 3rd gate. This wasn't a problem at all. Overall, the price was approximately $15 per foot - which I found to be pretty standard for the contractors that actually provided an estimate; plus a premium charge for the gates. Mine was more expensive because of the shadowbox style - which has more boards than strict privacy. Mark was able to schedule work 2 weeks out, where most of the other larger companies were already 1-2 months out. When the work was finished, the length was slightly shorter than what I was originally quoted for; so the cost was less than what he had estimated. I'd recommend Central Iowa Fencing and also use them in the future. Pricing seems expensive, but get several estimates - it seems consistent. I considered a and quot;Band quot; for pricing, but I think the extra cost was worth not dealing with contractors who don't return calls. If you had the time and manpower, you could do the fence yourself for significantly less. Not something I was willing to attempt.