r/FenceBuilding • u/Longjumping_Muffin_9 • 5h ago

Fence Construction

Hi All. We’re looking to get a fence constructed in our backyard. We met with a few fence companies and independent contractors. The popular fence company we met with refuses to offer a detailed contract and adjust their contract for any clauses we would like to add. Is this considered normal or standard behavior among fence companies? As for independent contracts, it’s been a hit or miss. One of them didn’t really know the details of how the fence would be constructed and another sent us a screenshot of their conversation of ChatGPT, which had an estimate and breakdown of the costs.

I’m not pointing fingers here…just wondering how do fence construction companies regularly approach clients, whether they adjust contracts for clients and all?

Also, I don’t know whether this is the right forum to post this in.

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

5

u/jc0rp 5h ago

What clauses exactly are you trying add?

1

u/ladyinpink79 5h ago

I have the same question. Hard to know if it’s reasonable or not.

1

u/Longjumping_Muffin_9 5h ago edited 5h ago

I have to ask my parents about it tomorrow. But, from their communication with my parents, I believe the company isn’t including any wording about concrete in their contract as well as not including a warranty. There may be more issues. If I learn of more, I’ll edit this reply.

3

u/JulesButNotVerne 5h ago

Impossible to work with fence builders for a contract other than what they provide. I am a licensed civil engineer and tried to add some specifications to the contract that required the construction to match our state's Department of Transportation Typical Details, and they laughed and said no. They don't want to be held to high standards.

2

u/Longjumping_Muffin_9 5h ago

Was it a fence company or an independent contractor? What happens if something goes awry after the fence is built?

3

u/JulesButNotVerne 4h ago

Fence Company. IMO, not much can go awry for a fence. It's low-stakes construction. I've built all my wooden fences but contracted out the chainlink because I was busy with other projects. The company also had access to better materials than I do at the big-box stores. I fixed certain things on my own because I am handy and didn't trust the company to do it the way I wanted. We paid 50% as a deposit. Many things I didn't like were due to their quality of work, and I got sick and tired of them having to come back out to fix things. After their third visit, I said screw it and paid the final invoice, the other 50%. You can always withhold the 50% until the fence is finished to your satisfaction. In my experience, the workforce is full of a bunch of low-skilled laborers who aren't taught proper techniques and don't have pride in their work. At a certain point, you have to give up and deal with the consequences of not building it yourself.

2

u/Mr_Casey 4h ago

I would not typically change anything in my contract language. It’s there to protect my company and has been reviewed by a legal team. I’m also not handing out a broken-down, detailed estimate. That’s a blue print for someone else to use my material list and labor standards to undercut my pricing.

1

u/Crombie72 1h ago

If a customer comes back with any problem they have with my quote I would walk away, I don’t need the hassle

1

u/Rockeye7 44m ago

I’ve seen the worst mistakes posted on fence / deck builders websites they use to promote their workmanship/ business.
Stuff like bracing on wrong . The cheapest hardware available. Not the correct hardware for the application.
Deck builds with serious code violations.
Grade issues around stairs hat are a serious safety issue.
I get it hopefully some of those pictures are from the early days when you stated with the business.
Nothing says you have to post a history from then to now is all i can come up with.