Best Wood Fence? Best Deal? Quality vs. Price?
February 11, 2011
A well-built and properly maintained wood fence can last over 50 years here in Southern California! I've seen it with my own eyes. It doesn't matter if it's an expensive, elegant design or a simple design economy fence.
All of the details of the actual, physical construction determine how long the fence will remain standing strongly and properly. This includes treatment with stain at some point after the build is done. Proper Maintenance (or not) also determines just how long that wood fence will last.
Is it worth it to attempt to obtain a "better deal" for your new wood fence? Is it worth it to be burdened with the premature expense and inconvenience of repairs and/or a rebuild? Or do you prefer the "Set It and Forget It" approach (notwithstanding proper maintenance) that a true, quality build provides?
I've been called to more than one wood fence job site for this reason and others:
1) General contractor tried to "jack the price" on the customer mid-job! OMG, I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted by this! A General should know better! General got kicked off the job and I was contacted and chosen to complete the project, as well as build two subsequent wood fence and gates projects for that customer! It was a simple project without any extraordinary or unforeseen challenges or obstacles, at least for me.
2) General contractor's crew couldn't get it right! Another OMG moment! Well-to-do family in a fancy neighborhood; General was just finishing a very elegant and extensive addition and remodel project for the house, including of course the wood fencing and other related outdoor wood projects. Wood fence and gates were improperly built! They looked nice and pretty but there were a few big boo-boos in the design and construction details. Inadequate framing, concrete post foundations already well covered with topsoil, fancy custom ordered pedestrian gate hinges already showing weakness, crew couldn't figure out how to install fancy custom ordered gate latches (but I did), indoor use nails already starting to rust (barely a month old with only one rain), and their relationship deteriorated into a less than harmonious one. I was contacted and chosen to fix some of these problems, nothing too extreme or too fancy or too challenging, at least for me.
3) 5 year old fence broke off at the ground and blew over in the wind! Yet another one of those moments! Nice customer recently purchased home in nice neighborhood. Here was a pretty wood fence that had a major design flaw; and this I've discovered to even be a popular design in rather upscale neighborhoods! OMG! What's the builder thinking? "Build it and run"? Every concrete post foundation was well-covered with dirt, every post bottom just above the concrete had rot and termites as a result, popular lattice top tongue & groove style had all flat horizontal rails (no upright horizontal rails to prevent sagging between the posts), posts and rails were dado grooved for fast construction but weak strength, a brick was used in the middle of every section on the ground to prevent sagging (but to allow termites and rot); I guess they must hurry for that customer check no matter what! I rebuilt the fallen sections, elevated the concrete foundations, schooled the customer about termite killer wood preservative for the post bottoms, and recommended that he keep the dirt off the wood.
4) One so-called builder didn't even want to bid the project! That's what the homeowner told me. Wasn't too much of a challenge, rather refreshing actually to engineer and then build something different than a normal fence! 9.5 foot tall wood fence inadequately secured atop concrete block retaining wall, weighted down by a truly massive hedge of thorny bougainvillea, finally gave and fell over. The massive hedge had to be saved since it made such a nice and cozy atmosphere for the owner's patio. Cut off all of the bent, hollow steel pipes holding up the old fence. Removed the old fence. Tapped that reinforced concrete block wall the right way, with the right kind of steel uprights, and enough of them! Then built the new 9.5 foot tall replacement wood fence correctly upon those. This build was so strong that the reinforced concrete block wall became the weak link!
I'm also very entertained by beginners as well as so-called experienced professionals copying my website text, even including my honest customer testimonials, putting them on their websites and pretending their hard work generated it all. OMG, can't even author and put up an honest website! Who ARE these people, claiming to be professional builders? I'd be too scared to let them try and build my project!
If you believe your fence project is too much of a challenge because of special circumstances, well you just found your solution! I have contractors pretending to be customers as they approached me for solutions to unusual wood fence circumstances. They regularly contact me pretending to offer work or pretending to be a customer, when they don't even know how to spec., price and bid the job! I wonder how they would design and build it? Leave it up to their lame crew? This regularly happens, I am not even exaggerating!
Even if you want a "cheap fence since you'll sell and be gone in a few years", is it right to leave your buyer with a problem fence that doesn't have to be? And what if circumstances change and you decide to stay in your home longer? Perhaps keep it as a rental? Isn't it a wiser choice to spend just a little bit more, relatively speaking, to get perhaps double, triple or even quadruple the lifespan of a "cheap fence" rather than save a few bucks right now? Why not save up for that difference while considering the long term benefits both in hassle and inconvenience, and savings by preventing a premature repair or complete rebuild? A month or two or three, vs. a decade or two or three? I'll be just as happy and excited to build your project beautifully and strongly if you call me today or in four months from now!
I am not a fence snob! I also build economy fences. My bid won't be the lowest, but the quality will probably be the highest and therefore the best!
310-717-2000 is my direct cell. Call me so I can build it right!
Let Me Help You Build It Right!
Get My Full, Undivided Attention on Your Project With a LIVE 1-on-1 Phone Consultation with Me!
Step 1
Sign up for a Dwolla account, like PayPal but much better!
Set up Your Dwolla account and put enough money in it to
cover the time block that you want.
Here's the link! https://www.dwolla.com/
Step 2
Email me a couple of photos and/or drawings if possible, send them to me at Stefan@WoodFenceExpert.com
Step 3
Purchase a Time Block for your LIVE 1-on-1 Phone Consultation with me.
15 (Fifteen) Minutes: $20.00
30 (Thirty) Minutes: $40.00
60 (Sixty) Minutes: $80.00
After you've got your Dwolla account you can pay here:
https://www.dwolla.com/hub/woodfenceexpert
Step 4
Call me on my cell at 310-717-2000 to schedule our LIVE consultation.
Please remember I'm in Los Angeles, so I'm in the Pacific time zone.
I'll need up to a day maybe two, to verify your payment and
review your photos and/or drawings.
Step 5
I will call you at our scheduled time with your photos and/or drawings right in front of me. Please have a pen and paper ready so we can go fast and not waste your money. It also may be best to be at your laptop or computer with a high-speed connection.
Note 1:
If we don't use all of your time block on the call, I will note and track the unused portion for you to have on account with me for a future 1-on-1 consultation with me!
Note 2:
I'm in construction, I'm not an accountant. Please don't ask me to transfer an unused, left-over slice of your time block to somebody else. Pizza? Sure I'll take a left-over slice. But let's not pass around slices of time blocks.
Note 3:
You early birds got it for free (You know who you are!). No problem, I love to build them right; I also love to help other people build them right too! But now this is part of my job so I've got to charge you like everybody else.
Note 4:
I promise to do my very best with you!
_________________________________________________________________
A well-built and properly maintained wood fence can last over 50 years here in Southern California! I've seen it with my own eyes. It doesn't matter if it's an expensive, elegant design or a simple design economy fence.
All of the details of the actual, physical construction determine how long the fence will remain standing strongly and properly. This includes treatment with stain at some point after the build is done. Proper Maintenance (or not) also determines just how long that wood fence will last.
Is it worth it to attempt to obtain a "better deal" for your new wood fence? Is it worth it to be burdened with the premature expense and inconvenience of repairs and/or a rebuild? Or do you prefer the "Set It and Forget It" approach (notwithstanding proper maintenance) that a true, quality build provides?
I've been called to more than one wood fence job site for this reason and others:
1) General contractor tried to "jack the price" on the customer mid-job! OMG, I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted by this! A General should know better! General got kicked off the job and I was contacted and chosen to complete the project, as well as build two subsequent wood fence and gates projects for that customer! It was a simple project without any extraordinary or unforeseen challenges or obstacles, at least for me.
2) General contractor's crew couldn't get it right! Another OMG moment! Well-to-do family in a fancy neighborhood; General was just finishing a very elegant and extensive addition and remodel project for the house, including of course the wood fencing and other related outdoor wood projects. Wood fence and gates were improperly built! They looked nice and pretty but there were a few big boo-boos in the design and construction details. Inadequate framing, concrete post foundations already well covered with topsoil, fancy custom ordered pedestrian gate hinges already showing weakness, crew couldn't figure out how to install fancy custom ordered gate latches (but I did), indoor use nails already starting to rust (barely a month old with only one rain), and their relationship deteriorated into a less than harmonious one. I was contacted and chosen to fix some of these problems, nothing too extreme or too fancy or too challenging, at least for me.
3) 5 year old fence broke off at the ground and blew over in the wind! Yet another one of those moments! Nice customer recently purchased home in nice neighborhood. Here was a pretty wood fence that had a major design flaw; and this I've discovered to even be a popular design in rather upscale neighborhoods! OMG! What's the builder thinking? "Build it and run"? Every concrete post foundation was well-covered with dirt, every post bottom just above the concrete had rot and termites as a result, popular lattice top tongue & groove style had all flat horizontal rails (no upright horizontal rails to prevent sagging between the posts), posts and rails were dado grooved for fast construction but weak strength, a brick was used in the middle of every section on the ground to prevent sagging (but to allow termites and rot); I guess they must hurry for that customer check no matter what! I rebuilt the fallen sections, elevated the concrete foundations, schooled the customer about termite killer wood preservative for the post bottoms, and recommended that he keep the dirt off the wood.
4) One so-called builder didn't even want to bid the project! That's what the homeowner told me. Wasn't too much of a challenge, rather refreshing actually to engineer and then build something different than a normal fence! 9.5 foot tall wood fence inadequately secured atop concrete block retaining wall, weighted down by a truly massive hedge of thorny bougainvillea, finally gave and fell over. The massive hedge had to be saved since it made such a nice and cozy atmosphere for the owner's patio. Cut off all of the bent, hollow steel pipes holding up the old fence. Removed the old fence. Tapped that reinforced concrete block wall the right way, with the right kind of steel uprights, and enough of them! Then built the new 9.5 foot tall replacement wood fence correctly upon those. This build was so strong that the reinforced concrete block wall became the weak link!
I'm also very entertained by beginners as well as so-called experienced professionals copying my website text, even including my honest customer testimonials, putting them on their websites and pretending their hard work generated it all. OMG, can't even author and put up an honest website! Who ARE these people, claiming to be professional builders? I'd be too scared to let them try and build my project!
If you believe your fence project is too much of a challenge because of special circumstances, well you just found your solution! I have contractors pretending to be customers as they approached me for solutions to unusual wood fence circumstances. They regularly contact me pretending to offer work or pretending to be a customer, when they don't even know how to spec., price and bid the job! I wonder how they would design and build it? Leave it up to their lame crew? This regularly happens, I am not even exaggerating!
Even if you want a "cheap fence since you'll sell and be gone in a few years", is it right to leave your buyer with a problem fence that doesn't have to be? And what if circumstances change and you decide to stay in your home longer? Perhaps keep it as a rental? Isn't it a wiser choice to spend just a little bit more, relatively speaking, to get perhaps double, triple or even quadruple the lifespan of a "cheap fence" rather than save a few bucks right now? Why not save up for that difference while considering the long term benefits both in hassle and inconvenience, and savings by preventing a premature repair or complete rebuild? A month or two or three, vs. a decade or two or three? I'll be just as happy and excited to build your project beautifully and strongly if you call me today or in four months from now!
I am not a fence snob! I also build economy fences. My bid won't be the lowest, but the quality will probably be the highest and therefore the best!
310-717-2000 is my direct cell. Call me so I can build it right!
Let Me Help You Build It Right!
Get My Full, Undivided Attention on Your Project With a LIVE 1-on-1 Phone Consultation with Me!
Step 1
Sign up for a Dwolla account, like PayPal but much better!
Set up Your Dwolla account and put enough money in it to
cover the time block that you want.
Here's the link! https://www.dwolla.com/
Step 2
Email me a couple of photos and/or drawings if possible, send them to me at Stefan@WoodFenceExpert.com
Step 3
Purchase a Time Block for your LIVE 1-on-1 Phone Consultation with me.
15 (Fifteen) Minutes: $20.00
30 (Thirty) Minutes: $40.00
60 (Sixty) Minutes: $80.00
After you've got your Dwolla account you can pay here:
https://www.dwolla.com/hub/woodfenceexpert
Step 4
Call me on my cell at 310-717-2000 to schedule our LIVE consultation.
Please remember I'm in Los Angeles, so I'm in the Pacific time zone.
I'll need up to a day maybe two, to verify your payment and
review your photos and/or drawings.
Step 5
I will call you at our scheduled time with your photos and/or drawings right in front of me. Please have a pen and paper ready so we can go fast and not waste your money. It also may be best to be at your laptop or computer with a high-speed connection.
Note 1:
If we don't use all of your time block on the call, I will note and track the unused portion for you to have on account with me for a future 1-on-1 consultation with me!
Note 2:
I'm in construction, I'm not an accountant. Please don't ask me to transfer an unused, left-over slice of your time block to somebody else. Pizza? Sure I'll take a left-over slice. But let's not pass around slices of time blocks.
Note 3:
You early birds got it for free (You know who you are!). No problem, I love to build them right; I also love to help other people build them right too! But now this is part of my job so I've got to charge you like everybody else.
Note 4:
I promise to do my very best with you!
_________________________________________________________________
Posted by WoodFenceExpert.com at 7/23/2011 1:33 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Best wood fence wellbuilt wood fence properly maintained wood fence wood fence and gates project wood fencing gate hinges 5 year old wood fence fence broke off fence blew over termites in the wood fence wood fence rotting lattice top wood fence wood fence atop concrete wall wood fence on concrete wall strong wood fence challenging wood fence project cheap fence cheap wood fence economy fence economy wood fence not a fence snob highest quality wood fence
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Best wood fence wellbuilt wood fence properly maintained wood fence wood fence and gates project wood fencing gate hinges 5 year old wood fence fence broke off fence blew over termites in the wood fence wood fence rotting lattice top wood fence wood fence atop concrete wall wood fence on concrete wall strong wood fence challenging wood fence project cheap fence cheap wood fence economy fence economy wood fence not a fence snob highest quality wood fence
I am the most beautiful and glamorous!
Oh, may I have your autograph?
And would you like one of my custom wood fences autographed by me?
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It's my pleasure to tell you that your article has fascinated me. You are doing a great job. Keep the spirit high. And yes I dig your site blog.woodfenceexpert.com
Thank you!
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Good post! Thank you.
Thank you!
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What can you give a girl on her birthday?
If you are the girl this question would be better asked in private!
If you are the man, you should know what to do!
Oh wait! Get her a new wood fence built by me!
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Bought a new TV!
Wonderful but I've missed the relevance here.
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Your site is interesting, adding the site to my favorites.
Thank you!
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I'm very interested in this subject and I myself do a lot of research as well. Either way it was a well thought out and nice read so I figured I would leave you a comment. Feel free to check out my website sometime and let me know what you think.
Thank you! I'll do that.
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Informative and entertaining.
Thank you! Does this make me a star?
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I am glad that the blog is constantly evolving. This post just adds popularity.
Thanks! There is too much to write about and never enough time.
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Great insight, great article, and thanks for sharing it.
How to subscribe on your blog ???
Thank you! Oh heck I'm not sure, I'm too busy out there building most of the time.
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It is instructive. But I would not have been able to.
That's why you have me build it!
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This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.
Thank you! Several of my competitors love it too for the very same reason!
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Good job, author! Good job!
Tomorrow I will open my new blog about the cinema movies. Nice to meet you!
Thank you! Good luck with your new BLOG!
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