Houlihan Fence

After a few years, the fence started rotting. Contacted him over a couple year period and he only offer to sell me a new fence! Did not stand behind the XCEL fence he sold me. He told me he had similar issue with another customer. I still have a rotten fence today and will need to replace it.

Great. This is the second time I have hired Houlihan Fence. Last tone was for a privacy fence for our old house, now we have moved and needed another fence. This time the neighbors had an issue with our dogs and we needed a fence fast, he was fast and ready to go and because of the friendliness and service he provided for us last time, I didn't even call any one else. I knew he could help me and he did. I will never use or recommend any other fence company. I hear he does decks too. That's next on our List.

There was a safety issue at my daughter's house with their existing 3 foot high chain length fence. A neighbor's dog jumped the fence and got into a fight with my daughter's dog that happened to be in its own fenced back yard minding its own business. Not only that, but my daughter has a newborn baby. The fence was falling apart in places, sunken in others, rusting and just plain old and worn out. It needed to be replaced and preferably with a privacy fence. I offered to find a fencing company and cover the cost. I found Houlihan, Inc. through Angie's List, checked them out through the Better Business Buread, and contacted them via email on Saturday, Aug. 20. I also answered their questionnaire. Mr. Houlihan contacted me back immediately that same day and I agreed to meet with him on site on Sunday so he could measure and take a look at what needed to be done. I signed the contract on Monday and that same day Mr. Houlihan got the required permit. A two-man crew started work on Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, digging post holes to put up a 6-ft privacy fence made of treated lumber. To my surprise, they completed the project by Wednesday evening. My daughter and son-in-law are so happy with their new fence and now feel they can safely let their dog out in their back yard again, or sit out there with the baby without the threat of a dog on the loose jumping the fence. Mr. Houlihan and his staff were extremely responsive to our needs, and very understanding of the safety issue enough to address it immediately! Not many companies would do that. The workers were professional as well and went diligently about their business to get it done in 2 days. In a nutshell... I inquired about a fence on Saturday... and by Wednesday night... it was done. Impressive!!! I'd use Houlihan, Inc again in a heartbeat.

I submitted, by email, a very detailed drawing of the project to this contractor along with measurements and photographs, which would have consisted of installing some ornamental wrought iron across the front of a property, replacing some short chain link with taller chain link, continuing the taller chain link to fence off the alley and install a double drive gate. I received a prompt phone call to my email and was told that he would come and look at the job site. I was told the owner came by the property by as he did not ring at the door as requested, I cannot confirm this. I received, as another reviewer had mentioned he had received, a very short email giving me a total price for the project. I wrote back asking for all the typical things which should be covered in any bid such as Description of all materials Does the bid include the removal & disposal of the old chain link where necessary Did the contractor carry general liability and workman's comp insurance and would a copy be provided. Would sub-contractors be used and did they carry the same insurance and would they provide a copy. Who would be responsible for pulling permits. Would a final release and waiver of lien at the end of the work be provided from the company and subcontractors and suppliers What is the warranty on materials and labour. What is the payment schedule. Lead time for scheduling The reply was that he would be happy to spend an hour generating this type of detail if I put down a deposit first and that there was a large demand to be taken care of. The owner is a very personable, pleasant man over the phone, who responded promptly to emails. However when contemplating a contract for such work, the details I requested were not unreasonable but should be expected prior to making such an important decision on which contractor to choose.

I contacted them through their website, and they (wife) got back to me that same day with questions about the project. We corresponded through email and phone calls regarding the project and what it entailed. They (husband & wife) offered me choices and pricing before they even came out to see the yard. I also got estimates from one other fencing company who came out and talked with me about all my options. (They were great, too.) I went on vacation and told them when I'd be back. While we were on vacation, we decided on the type of fence and the company we wanted to work with. We chose to work with Houlihan because it's a family-run, small business with pricing similar to the bigger fencing company I talked to. They called me a couple days after I got back and were able to start the next day! (Our backyard utilities are all in the air, so they didn't have to wait on the utility marking company.) And their plan was to have it done in one day. They sent 2-3 people in to do the job the first day - digging holes, setting poles in concrete, etc. The team left shortly after 2pm, left all their stuff (& a bit of a mess), plus their trailer in my driveway. The fence was not completed. But the owner came back by 5pm, cleaned everything up, and took the trailer. If I worked full-time, I wouldn't have known about the mess. The crew came back the next day, and the fence was finished that day. The owner came back to inspect everything and noticed a problem with the gate latch and a few minor things that we hadn't noticed. He had a plan to have it fixed the following business day, and it was done early in the day. We love our new fence. It keeps our small dog safely inside our yard. The owner was great! While he over-promised on timing, he's friendly and very thorough. I am confident that the work was done thoughtfully at high standards. I would use him and his company again.

On Monday I called and spoke to a woman who identified herself as the wife of the owner - she said she would get me a preliminary quote by Tuesday and have her husband (Ben) call me back asap. I never heard back from her, then Ben called on Friday afternoon and said he was on his way?a full 5 days later, no prior call to set up appt, and it was in the middle of a freezing rain storm. I had already seen 2 other companies and had pretty much made up my mind, but decided to give him a chance. He came out and "blustered" about - didn't take any measurements. Told me why the competitors product was lousy and his was great (mind you, they at least gave me brochures showing what they were providing, he just gave me a vague description - he wasn't even clear on what WE wanted.) He finally came in the house, rolled his eyes a bit and made a big show of computing in his head, and said he'd charge $2500 - I almost fell over - almost $1000 more than the other 2 companies! He saw I was shocked, asked why. When I told him his price was kind of high, he came down to $1900 - $600 less immediately!! Then he said he was going to schedule the job for next week. I told him I'd like a quote in writing and would talk to him about it then. He said he'd call me and get me quote over the weekend. It's Monday - haven't seen or heard from him. Will definitely NOT be using them.

Ben was very good to work with and his crew was very skilled. I was amazed at how fast the fence went up. I would definitely recommend Houlihan to anyone.

We chose them for the job because they said they could do the work the quickest. We did have scheduling issues with the fence, but they did work with us. We worked closely with Ben Houlihan and he was good. The work turned out well.

Everything went wonderful. They are fantastic. They kept me informed and up to date on the work. He contacted me on a continual basis to let me know how everything went. They were very professional and responsive. I would highly recommend them to others.

We worked closely with the owner, Ben Houlihan. He has a great personality. The work was completed right and it looked great. Everything turned out well.

A lot of places did not want to complete the work we needed done, but Houlihan Fence was accommodating and completed the work for us. We worked closely with Mr. Houlihan. The work took a little longer than expected because we were trying to re-use materials. Some of them did not work and we had to order new ones, holding up the process just a bit. Everything ended up working out fine.

The work turned out fine. They had a reasonable price. They had installed fences around pools and I figured if they could do that type of work, they could do a great job at standard fence installations.

I admit that this is going to be a strange review. Our neighbors hired Houlihan Fence Company to build a fence around their property, which was to tie directly into a fence that we own, that runs just inside our property line. This was a problem, since they didn't tell Houlihan that they are suing us for ownership of our property. (They believe that since they mowed the one foot strip, they have a right to have the land for free.) A permanent fence attaching to our fence would have strengthened our neighbor's claim for adverse possession of the land. This could have been an ugly situation. The Houlihan Fence builders were patient and friendly as my husband worked with the neighbor find a solution that would permit the fence to be built without permanently attaching to our fence. This was a high heat, high humidity day and I think most workers would have been cranky about the delay. Not these guys. The Houlihan Fence employees were friendly, professional and polite. They treated my husband respectfully and they deviated from the original plan when asked to. They were nice to me and to our children. Our neighbors are very happy with the fence and the work was done efficiently and quickly. I think their response to the situation was above average. Because of them, a tense situation was made more manageable. I appreciate their extreme professionalism. I highly recommend this company based on an excellent job and true professionalism.

The price was reasonable. I liked the price and the fencing that I chose. I liked the company and the representative that came out. They will be doing the job soon. Their responsiveness is not good.

Our fence is still up and we have never had any problems. I was happy with them and I would use them again. Their prices were competitive. They came out and spoke to me before they installed the fence. They were able to accommodate all our needs.

They were very cooperative and came up with a unique solution to my problem. They added some iron bars at the bottom of the fence that actually made the fence look even better. They had to go out to other dealers to get the product. They did the work in a week.

They were here when they said they would be here. I have a stream running through my backyard and they had to get special permits. They handled and took care of everything. They did custom work and even build special fencing through the trees and allowing the stream to still flow through the backyard. We had an abandoned pipeline underneath the ground. They sealed it for it so that it passed inspection then continued the work. I could not have asked for better. They even came in under budget. They are incredible! I have a lot of houses and I wish that I could take them to each one to so they could build fences! Ben, the owner, is welcome at my home any time. These guys are top notch!

It turned out very good. We were very happy with them. They came and gave us an estimate, took the old fence down, and put a new one up. They were very excellent and I would recommend them.

Overall, had very professional and positive experience

I received an estimate for a picket fence, plus some additional work on my 6' privacy fence. Houlihan's estimate was almost 200% of the next nearest estimate I received out of 5 estimates total. I had the work performed by another fencing company.

It was a great. They did the work quickly and really well. The fence looks great. I would use them again.

I called and left a detailed message on what I needed to have installed which was vinyl fencing. After 10 days of not getting the courtesy of a phone call back I called Ben again. This time Ben answered and he explained that they don’t install vinyl fencing and he recommend that I go to Home Depot. So if you’re looking for vinyl fencing look elsewhere.

Ben Houlihan has been at this for a long time and his experience shows. He was extremely responsive, courteous and very great to work with from the first phone call forward. He is the estimator these days but (I gather) carefully selects his crews. He was quick to set up an appointment to view the yard and provided an estimate immediately, which was lower than several comparable estimates. Ben used a 2-man crew for the job and they, too, were highly professional, courteous and finished the job the same day with plenty of time to spare. Their posts were set razor straight in concrete, the city inspector was set-up for a piering inspection (whose timing didn't miss a beat) & they carefully trimmed a tree that was partially obstructing the fence path. If I sound impressed, I was. It was a great contractor experience and I'd easily recommend Ben and Houlihan Fence.

One of the easiest contractors to work with. The work was installed w/in 2 weeks of me calling & was by far the least inexpensive of all fence contractors that I rec'd estimates for. No problems at all.

Ben was prompt and got the job done in two days. It was incredible. During installation, however, my Japanese maple tree was destroyed. I told Ben about it, and within a week he replaced it with a new one. I am extremely happy and would recommend this company to anyone.