F&J built privacy fences in our new subdivision. His work was on schedule, however he did need some prompting to ensure the work was finished on time. The fence was built satisfactorily, which we expected for the price we paid. The wood used was okay, a number of post were already splitting prior to them being set. The following issues came up during the build.
First, we discussed with Ferdinand that he would build a square gate, and if we purchased an insert, he said he would install it for free. Of course, when we arrived home after work one day, we found a gate with the common curve at the top without the insert installed. We confronted, Ferdinand mentioned that he was not around when the gate was built and it would cost money to replace. We could have still installed the insert, however, due to the cross brace at the back of the gate, it would be off centre.
Once the fence was completely built, we had to deal with the following.
First, there was a about a 1” gap between one board and a post, large enough to put my hand through. My phone calls and emails went unanswered for approximately 2 weeks before I had to mention that I was going to escalate the issue. Only then did he call me back saying he was too busy with other work which is why he couldn’t return my messages. He then gave excuses that the gap was due to wood shrinkage. I explained to him that wood shouldn’t shrink by 25% after a week of installation. After another week he finally fixed it.
Second, he had installed decorative curves at the top of the fence for a nicer finish. Two of these curves were terribly cut. They were jagged and uneven. Again it took about 2-3 weeks of phone calls, emails before it was fixed. I actually talked to one of the workers on my own to get it fixed.
Lastly, about 2 weeks after the fence was completely done, he decided to have all the post caps changed from wood to a plastic cap. There was no consultation with me, he took it up on himself to enter the yard and change them. When confronted, he said he thought it looked nicer. I had to tell him that if he enters my backyard again without permission, it would be trespassing.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,200.00