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Import Fence Templates

Import ready-made Dirt Face fence templates. Templates and their components are copied into your account so you can start quoting faster.

Published · 8 min read

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Overview

Import Fence Templates copies ready-made fence templates from the Dirt Face master library into your My Fences account. Each template includes layout rules, heights, colors, and component roles already wired for quoting.

When you import a template, every component that template uses is also copied into My Components. The result is a working template you can select on estimates, plus a catalog of parts linked to that template.

Those imported parts use placeholder costs and generic part numbers until you update them with your real vendor pricing and SKUs. Plan to customize components before you send customer-facing quotes.

Where in the app: Sidebar → Fence → My Components → Catalog tools → Import Fence Templates
Open: Import Fence Templates

When to use this tool

Use Import Fence Templates when you want a fast starting point: common fence types (vinyl, chain link, ornamental, wood, and others) with structure and takeoff logic already built.

Skip it when you already have a parts list from your vendors and do not want a large batch of generic components added to My Components. In that case, populate My Components with your own data first, then build templates that reference only your parts. See Related for the usual alternative path.

Step 1: Open Import Fence Templates

  1. Go to Fence → My Components. Open My Components
  2. Click Catalog tools on the toolbar.
  3. Choose Import Fence Templates. Open Import Fence Templates

You can also open Import Fence Templates directly from onboarding or when adding a fence type during quoting.

Step 2: Select templates

The import screen lists fence templates grouped by fence type. Each entry is a Dirt Face master template.

  1. Expand the fence types you install (for example vinyl privacy, chain link, ornamental).
  2. Review template names and descriptions.
  3. Select one or more templates per type. You can import multiple templates in one run.
  4. Click Import selected templates.

Tip: Start with the fence types you quote most often. You can run import again later for additional types.

If no templates appear, the master library may be empty for your account. Contact support or check back after Dirt Face publishes new templates.

Step 3: Run the import

After you confirm, Dirt Face copies the selected templates into My Fences and imports all linked components into My Components. A progress screen runs while templates and parts are created.

When import finishes:

  • New templates appear under My Fences
  • New components appear under My Components, organized by fence type and category

Step 4: Customize imported components

Imported components are a scaffold, not your live pricing. Update costs and part numbers before you send customer-facing quotes.

Recommended: customize on a fence quote

One of the fastest ways to adopt imported parts is to run a fence quote with the template and edit components on the Materials step (proposal materials page). You see only the parts for that fence template, in the context of a real job.

  1. Create or open a fence estimate that uses an imported template. Open Estimates
  2. Walk through the quote steps until you reach Materials (proposal materials).
  3. On the material list, update unit cost and part number for the components you need to change. Edited rows are marked so you can see what changed.
  4. Click Save for Future in the footer.
  5. Review the list of changes (cost, part number, and vendor when applicable). Confirm to save.

Confirmed changes are written to My Components in your catalog. Future quotes that use those parts pick up the updated costs and SKUs.

Tip: Run a draft quote for each imported template you plan to use. Update the parts that template actually pulls, then save for future. You do not need to fix every imported part in My Components first.

Warning: Save for Future updates your catalog permanently. Continue saves changes for this quote only. Use Save for Future when the cost or part number should apply to later jobs.

Alternative: edit in My Components

You can also edit parts directly in the catalog:

FieldWhy update it
CostPlaceholder costs flow into quotes until you replace them
Part number / SKUMatch your distributor or internal numbering
VendorTie parts to the suppliers you actually order from
DescriptionClarify names your crew and customers will recognize

Where in the app: Sidebar → Fence → My Components
Open: My Components

Step 5: Activate templates and verify

Imported templates may need review before they appear on new estimates.

  1. Open My Fences and open each imported template.
  2. Confirm component mappings still match the parts you updated (via quote Materials or My Components).
  3. Activate the template when ready.
  4. Create another draft estimate if needed and confirm proposal totals look correct.

Troubleshooting

IssueWhat to try
Template missing after importRefresh My Fences; confirm import completed without errors
Duplicate parts in My ComponentsYou may have imported overlapping templates; merge or deactivate duplicates
Costs still wrong on quotesUse Save for Future on the quote Materials step, or edit the part in My Components
Too many unwanted partsAvoid importing extra templates; remove unused components or rebuild templates with your own catalog

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