Fence Guy

It took a little work and some patience to finally get a hold of Hugh, The Fence Guy, but we finally connected via telephone after multiple attempts and found out that his correct email. His email listed on Angie's list is outdated and does not work. His correct email is tfghugh@yahoo.com (the verizon email address listed no longer works). His phone answering system is unreliable (sometimes does not take messages because message box is too full). With persistence, we finally arranged a site walk and Hugh gave the best price quote of the 3 contractors I had providing bids. It took a month for the work to finally start because of a one-time illness that prevented Hugh from starting sooner, but we were in no hurry. Our patience was rewarded. Hugh showed up promptly on the first day of scheduled work with his crew. It took them 3.5 days to demolish the old fence, cut down the old posts, dig new post holes and set new metal posts into concrete, and then put up the redwood fence. They also moved one short stub of a fence with a gate from the front of the garage to the rear of the garage. I requested redwood fence boards that were one grade up from his standard grade and am very pleased with that choice. The wood boards look very and quot;redand quot; and premium in appearance. Hugh's workmanship was impeccable and the fence looks stunning with evidence of craftsmanship and pride put into the job. With metal posts, I don't have to worry about future rotting of the posts making the fence susceptible to high winds in the future. These posts feel very solid and sturdy. The only downside with the fence as constructed were the exposed metal posts which look out of place next to that beautiful redwood. I am thinking about having Hugh come back to build enclosures around each post to make it look more pleasing to the eye. I am extremely pleased with the work provided, the lowest cost proposal, friendliness of the contractor, and the finished product. I highly recommend Hugh The Fence Guy for anyone looking to build a wooden fence. I also appreciate the fact that his is a family owned and operated company - all the employees working on our job were members of his family, and that he did not rely on sub-contracted out laborers.

I should have known when I tried to get an estimate from Hugh and it took 2 phone calls and a week of not getting a call back, that Hugh was not the person to hire for this job. However, when we finally spoke he apologized that it took so long to get back to me but explained that something happened and they don't usually run their business this way. Since Hugh had so many positive reviews on Angies List, I asked him to come and give me an estimate. Hugh arrived for our appointment on time and again apologized that it took so long for him to call me back. We spoke, I showed him the problem with our gate and posts, he was very nice and professional and gave me an estimate. I had a really good feeling from him so I hired him to do the job and set up an appointment. Hugh and his son came out to do the job. They were on time, spent 3-4 hours completing the job and when they were finished, I inspected their work and was very happy with it. So, why the bad review? Because several months later, after the cement settled around the newly installed wooded posts, a large enough gap formed (like 2 inches) so my gate would no longer stay closed. I called Hugh beginning of December and left couple of messages explaining the new problem, reminded him that this is work that he did a few months ago and asked him to call me. I didn't say I was expecting him to fix the problem for free, I just asked him to call me. Absolutely no response. Again, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and chalked it up to the fact that it was the holidays and maybe he was super busy. I waited until the new year and tried calling again. This time, I wasn't even able to leave a message on his voice-mail. The three times I tried calling him, each time I got the message that his voice-mail box was full and I couldn't leave a message. So, I have no idea what happened. I don't even know if he's still in business. If he is, I would recommend that you hire someone else for any repairs. Hugh, although incredibly nice and someone who appeared to be very professional, is not at all reliable and apparently doesn't stand by his work or bother returning calls. I was incredibly disappointed and had to pay someone else to fix the job that he did because he couldn't be bothered to call me back!

Never returned initial phone call. There's no excuse for not returning a simple phone inquiry.

Hugh answered my email, provided a written estimate, and made the repairs all within 3 days. Now my gate looks like new.

I loved the work and I loved the price. The guy was terrific. Then I called him back after I had a horrible windstorm here in Pasadena, California and I wanted him to rebuild my gate which got broken in the windstorm. So I called him and he said that he was coming over, and then he didn't show up. Then I called again and he didn't return my calls. It was like two different companies. The first time around he was fabulous and the second time around, I'm getting no consideration from this company. I'm kind of torn about whether to give him a good or a bad recommendation. It's now past six months and I still haven't heard from him. He must be too embarrassed to call me. In general I would give him a good report but I'm a little skeptical because of the second time. For doing the fence I shared the cost with my neighbor and my portion was a little over $600. I tried to use him again but he didn't respond. When I'm ready to get more fencing, I will at least give him another try.

Did not respond to my request - it has been a couple of weeks since I sent the request.

I highly recommend Hugh. He is great to work with from estimate until completion of the job. He helped me pick-out the right style of picket fencing for the job, and it looks great and was expertly installed. Hugh was very conscious of the upcoming weather, so he adjusted his installation schedule to handle painting first to make sure it was dry before the fence was installed. The job was done on time and for the price we agreed to. Finally, Hugh came back after the job was done because I wasn't happy with the lock on the gate (wasn't latching every time). Hugh installed a spring at not charge that ensures the gate locks every time and stays locked. I am very thankful I chose his company for the job. You will be too!

Impressed with their eagerness to help me in a rush project. I will use them in the future.

I haven't had quite a positive experience with them. Initially, the estimate process went pretty smooth, but thereafter, I realized that the guy that came out to give me the estimate did not mention that half of the order amount was needed to be put upfront as a deposit. He told me the deposit was about $200, when in fact, it was over $1000. I have had nothing but problems with them ever since. I have placed an order with them. At this point, it would be a lot longer to go through someone else, so hopefully, they will redeem themselves when the actual install comes up. We are already behind a couple of months. It took an extra month to order and get it in, and I got a call last week saying that a couple of the pieces were damaged and they would have to reorder those pieces. I don't even have an install date. It has been going on for three months. They were punctual only for the actual estimate. I probably would not use them again in the future.

i emailed them my request and they NEVER got in touch with me.

We had a little trouble reaching each other by phone, but eventually got it scheduled. I'm now waiting for estimates on a couple more things.

I received a prompt reply to my request for an initial estimate and a subsequent one for a different and less expensive fence. The installation was done on the agreed upon date with care and completeness. He discovered an encroachment on the property (done when the house next door was remodeled) which I really appreciated. He is an independent contractor, with a home office and a very pleasant wife to assist with billing, communication, etc. They even provided me with duplicate receipts when I misplaced my originals. The fence is good looking and stable and just what I wanted. This was a very pleasant and satisfying experience.

Hugh gave a fair estimate for the job, was always punctual and pleasant. Not only is he one of the nicest guys you'd want to meet, his skills are that of a true craftsman. He even had to mediate between a neighbor dispute over the gate being built. Would hire him in a second for any additional work we would need.

He came out once to give us an estimate and explain how he would work on our problem. It was easy to schedule the work for the following week. The work took about two hours and was totally unobtrusive. We have a long chain link fence in our back yard that leads into an overgrown, unused parkland. The fence had a 15 foot section of it that had fallen over amongst the trees, allowing coyotes to come into our yard and threaten our pets. We hired him to fix/replace the falling-over parts of the chain link fence and to install a gate that would allow people to come through but keep out the coyotes. He straightened up the chain link and maneuvered it around several large trees in a way that looked good. He installed the gate and laid some cement underneath so that coyotes could not dig under the gate. All the work looks very good along with the older part of the fence. The work cost exactly what his estimate had been, $400. We would have liked it to have been a little cheaper, but we went with him because he came off professionally. He was easygoing and professional in all our dealings with him. The fence and the work still look really great, and the work was done nine months ago. We would recommend him.

Hugh did the work for my grandmother and was absolutely "Wonderful", she stated that "he showed up for the estimate on time and gave a fantastic estimate. He showed up on time to complete the building and installation of a new gate. It is in line with fence on other side of the home and did a very professional job. Everything that was requested was done. He is a very professional and personable gentleman, he made the best gate that I've ever had built and I am very pleased to recommend him."

We called Hugh based on the comments on Angie's list, and we were not disappointed! He and Michelle were responsive and communicated well throughout the process. He came by on a Saturday (on our schedule) and gave us an estimate for 2 different options of fencing, informing us in advance us that the fence that we wanted would probably be a bit more expensive than a standard privacy fence (due to material cost). Hugh provided us an estimate for the two options and then worked with us to identify ways to get exactly the fence we wanted at only a minimal additional cost. We were dealing with a neighbor who was disputing the property line. Hugh rescheduled with us when we had to get a last-minute survey and again (on our schedule) worked with us to complete the work in 48 hours over a weekend, in the rain. In fact, during the job, the difficult neighbors interrupted the work, requesting to see the survey marker. Hugh dug it up and measured it for them, with a great attitude. During the course of the job, he actually won them over, with them ultimately asking for his information for some work at their house. He and Neil were friendly, courteous, easygoing and a pleasure to have around the house. We are following up the fence work with some gate repair. We will certainly use Hugh again. I am sure we will have the opportunity....due to an odd lot shape, we share fences with 6 neighbors!

Hugh was very punctual-- was the first to respond and provide an estimate for wooden (Redwood) fence. Showed up on time for the estimate and for the job. Cleaned up well after himself.

Hugh came out, viewed my situation, made suggestions on how best to remedy it as well as listen to my ideas of what I wanted. It was somewhat of an emergency situation, as my old fence separating my back neighbor's yard from mine, had blown over from excessive winds. He and his son came out 2 days after I took his bid for the job and finished in 1 1/2 days. Hugh was professional in every way, from being early on the job, materials used, installation and removal of old fence. Also, his bid for the job was the least of 3 bids I received, for the same materials. I would definitely call him again for another fencing job, should it be needed.

I did not have him do the fencing, as another repair needed to come first. However, I certainly expect that "A Fence Guy" would do a perfectly fine job.

Hugh was great to work with. He quoted me the best price out of three fencing contractors and the job came out great. He placed the fence perfectly to avoid chopping the trunk of our neighbor's encroaching bougainvillea, which we do like. He also did a great job following the slope of our lot and compensated to give us a level run across the main visible portion. Hugh seems to run a pretty small operation, but he really knows what he's doing. Do not hesitate to call him.

It went just as promised from start promptly at 8:30AM as promised and done within an hour.

Hugh and his company were superbly on-the-spot with returning phone calls, showing up on time, providing a timely estimate, and arranging for the work to be done. His bid was considerably lower than other providers in our area, but given the high marks in most of his other reports I wasn't worried about shoddy work. He came out and did the job on a national holiday when most others would be sleeping in. In installing the new gate and fence, he had to come up with some creative solutions to problems of poorly levelled ground, obstructing trees, etc. He was respectful, friendly, and professional — everything you hope for in using a local small business.

Really great! Hugh showed up for the estimate on time, as promised. He listened to our crazy patchwork of needs and helped us come up with a good solution. We already had some fencing, a lot was missing, some was damaged, etc. With a new dog though, we wanted a secure situation. He worked with us and--this is just my opinion--went out of the way to do things like patch the crumbling cinder block wall, add new wrought iron to an existing fence to make it taller, find redwood lattice-work that is as strong as a fence for part of our yard, things like that. Also the redwood looks nice, and when we felt that one of the gates came too close to hitting a window when opened (problem with the house, not the fence), he was happy to find a solution. We would definitely recommend the fence guy!

we called for an estimate and Hugh came out and measured. later that same day he called back with an estimate. We made an appointment for installation for a few days later and he showed up early on the appointment day. Finished job on that day. We are very happy with Hugh 'A Fence Guy'

I have two large dogs (both are pit/lab mixes, 80 - 90 lbs), so I needed a fence that they wouldn't jump over or dig under and would hold up to their abuse. Hugh gave me a fair estimate, maybe a little higher than expected, but worth it given the quality of the job. Once I agreed to proceed, I was given a date and time for the job to start. Hugh showed up on time that day and in fact was on site working before 8 am every day. I was told the job would take 4 - 5 days and it was completed on day 4, just as promised. First two days Hugh worked alone, second two days he was assisted by his son. Both were very professional, kept to the job and worked very efficiently. Site was cleaned up as expected after the work was complete. Hugh's lines on the fence are true and right on the money -- everything is as straight and level as can be. Final result definitely has improved the overall look of my house.