I plan to add a fence to my backyard, and am thinking to go to Home Depot to get them to install the fence as well as purchasing the fence from there.
If I get Home Depot to install the fence, are the installer or contractor? What values does a fence contractor add to the work?
Normally how do people go about adding a fence to their backyard? I had already contacted the town to get a permit, but how do I find (or decide on) a contractor and where to buy the fence.
Thanks
Unless you have issues like needing a retaining wall as well as a fence, anyone who sells and installs fencing can do the job - no special "contractor " skills required. If you are the slightest bit handy, have basic carpentry skills and have the proper equipment, it's a job you can do yourself with a spouse or friend
If you like the fencing styles offered by HD and the price is right, no reason not to use their services. If you want something a bit more creative, you might want to look in your yellow pages for fencing companies that do custom work.
Be sure you know where your property line is located before installation - if any question, get a survey or the placement could come back to haunt you down the road.
pam - gardengal
I have a suspicion an independent company would install more affordably. For window installation at least, we once had Home Depot come out & make their sales-pitch & estimate for a single window. It was pricy, but believing HD was cheap we just might've gone with it if the windows hadn't been such clunky pieces of shit. So we went to an independent contractor & got a better choice of windows & to our lucky suprise the installation was less than half HD's estimate. I don't know if all HD installation work is so wildly overpriced, as this was the only time I got an estimate from them, but it taught me never to ask them again.
-paghat the ratgirl
Ask around. Have 4 or 5 contractors provide you with estimates. It is better to get local contractors that are familiar with your local codes and laws. Ask about time frames, dates, cost, clean up, guarantee, references, insurance, bonding, etc. Home Depot will subcontact the job out. (For a wooden fence, I'd make the fence and install it myself.)
I would definitely get three bids. You might find that HD is not the cheapest, the fastest, the best, or has the best terms. Also, there are some issues to consider when you have places like HD install things like fences. My mother had a kitchen install by Lowe's. They subcontract things to independent contractors. They might have several on a list and THEY choose who will do the job. You will probably have to pay HD IN FULL before the job starts. If you have a problem like my mother did with her kitchen, you are pretty much shit out of luck. The contractor is working for HD, not you. You paid IN FULL prior to the start of the job. There is very little leverage you can use to get problems resolved. If you do decide to have HD install the fence, make sure you pay by credit card. That will give you a little more leverage as you can contest the transaction under the term of your credit card agreement.
If you hire a contractor, they will be working directly for YOU. You get to pick who does the work. You can arrange to pay part of the fee in advance and the balance on satisfactory completion of the job. If there is a problem, the contactor will be more inclined to fix it if you haven't yet made the final payment. It is more likely that your fence will get installed in a timely manner if the contractor is waiting on his check. Otherwise, he/she could start it and then spend a few hours here and there on the job, juggling dozens of jobs simultaneously - after all, you already paid. What should be a two day project could stretch into several weeks. If you think I'm kidding, I'm not. I had a contractor take six weeks to satisfactorily complete a paint job on my great room!
Installing a fence isn't rocket science, but it does take some basic skills. You might be able to do it yourself with a friend, but if you have never done any home improvment project that require use of power tools, I wouldn't recommend that you start with the installation of a fence. If you want to get an idea of what's involved, go to the library or buy a book on the subject. You can find such books for a few dollars on the rack at HD.
You certainly can build your own fence, but if you have to ask, it makes me wonder if you know what's involved. It's not as simple as propping-up some panels, and nailing them together. How tall is the fence? How deep is the frost line in your area? Do you know how deep you need to bury the posts? Are you prepared to dig those holes? Is there any slope to the land between the ends of the fence? Do you know how to handle that? Do you even know how to spot it? Six inches over sixty feet isn't always obvious if it's a straight slope, but it can be a major issue when you install a fence.
Get some estimates from some contractors. Ask them questions about how they intend to do the work, and what obstacles they see. Besides getting prices, that'll also give you some insight into what it'll take for you to do the job yourself.
find a neighbor with a great looking fence like one you would like and ask them who did it, would they recommend them. I have angie's list in my neck of the woods to find highly recommended companies for work. I have been happy with who I found so far.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
If there are underground utilities, you may also want to get the locations blue-staked. Olin
Thank you for the response
It helps to know that it is okay to get HD to do the installation, I had concerns when a friend mentioned a contractor. As snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com pointed out, I obviously had no idea on how to set up a fence. I have no plan to do it myself. Thank you for the suggestions, I will check with a few contractors to get some insight of the work and hopefully get a better approach.
anna
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