Fence Specialists

It went great. He came out and I had a dozen or so boards that needed to get repaired and he went through and actually found a few more that I hadn't caught. He did a good job.

The guy who came out was a total waste of time. First of all, he suddenly blew off our appointment and when he finally showed up, he was basically worthless. So, it was not a good experience. He only charged for the price of the big deal. It was not the problem. He had some lame excuse for why he did not show up for the initial appointment. I remember what it was and it was stupid. And then, when he got here, he really was not any help whatsoever. We would not use him again.

I purchased an Angie's List Big Deal for this service and they did a nice job. I used the deal about 60 days after purchasing it.

Fence Specialists built a custom fence for me in 2006. Several posts rotted out and part of the fence fell over in 2012. I contacted Brent to arrange repair and/or replacement. After repeated phone calls to Brent, at last the posts were replaced. Then, soon after that, more fence posts rotted. I again attempted to contact Brent. On the rare occasion that he took my calls, he promised to come out to assess the problem and to give me a repair quote. This little dance went on the rest of 2012. I would call. Brent would sometimes answer. When he did answer he would promise to come to my house to assess the repairs. He would NEVER show up. On April 8, 2013 I made my last attempt to have Fence Specialists repair the fence they had built. I called. Brent answered. He agreed to come to my house. He DID NOT show up. At that point I all but wrote off Brent and Fence Specialists. To string me along for at least six months of 2012, and then to fail once again to show up after my April 2013 phone call, is as far from acceptable business practice as I can imagine. This kind of behavior is callous, shabby, and unprofessional. I do not like filing negative reviews. I have waited a number of months to file this negative review, hoping that Fence Specialists would redeem itself. That has not happened, and I do not expect that it will ever happen. I repeat: Fence Specialists, as represented by Brent Downing, behaved callously, shabbily, and without professionalism. I will never use this company again. I strongly recommend against anyone hiring this company.

I like the fact that Fence Specialists returned my call when I first placed the call, they did come out and gave me an estimate. When they did book the job, they came out and got the work done in a very timely manner. we were held up to some extent by rains, they couldn't install the fence when it was bad weather. They did a very good job. I had neighbors who had kids that was toring the fence down on purpose and after they put the new fence up, the kids came out and took it down again but they back and repaired it, I thought that was great. I would recommend them to others.

It was tough to get a hold of them and get scheduled with them. But once they came in they did a very nice job. It was kind of unprofessional because they just showed up and did it without any schedule. I came home and it was done one day. I wouldn’t do business with them again. Their price was good for what they did.

Repair of fence was performed satisfactory

Purchased repair package online. Company contacted me and they were able to come and make repairs timely, and for a fair price.

We called several times and were promised they would be out soon but the work was not done for 2-1/2 months. When the work was done, it was satisfactory but he requested payment immediately although he didn't have an invoice with him. He said he would send an receipt but it was never received. We would have liked to see the invoice/receipt because the price seemed high for what needed to be done beyond the original package "deal" we purchased. I'm still not sure we received credit for prepaid deal.

Excellent. Brent made a separate trip to my house specifically to install the gate closing springs. He installed the springs himself in the rain! This wasn't included in the original work we had discussed, but something I added on after the fact. He was more than willing to accommodate my request. I can't say enough good things about him and his company.

I am satisfied with the fence, and Brent was very responsive to address any concerns that I had

I called Brent to obtain an estimate. The next day he drove across town to meet me at my home. He was punctual and professional. I had gotten a few books on fence building from the library, so I felt I had a good idea what type of fencing I wanted to have built. I had several detailed questions about the construction of the fence, and I had marked several pages in the books to discuss with Brent. Brent was very patient and knowledgeable, and he took the time to discuss the pros and cons of the different methods of fence construction. Together we agreed upon specifics for the fence construction. When I say specifics, I mean "SPECIFICS"! I had opinions on the type of screws to be used (stainless steel screws, not nails), gate hardware, types of hinges to be used, fence posts (we discussed cedar w/ Oz posts vs. pressure treated w/ or w//out cedar facing), fence post caps, and picket style. I have to imagine that most fence builders would have taken one look at my marked fence building books and list of questions and immediately turned to run the other way, but Brent was very receptive to my input. I liked him immediately, and once I received a written estimate, I scheduled the work to be performed. Brent and his crew (Kyle, his brother, and Mike, their mutual friend) arrived and began work on the agreed upon day. I made sure I was home to assist as needed (and supervise). Due to issues related to weather and our mutual desire to end early on Halloween, the construction took 4 days (really 3 1/2). I was around doing yard work and clearing vegetation in the fence line for most of the 4 days. Brent was receptive (and tolerant) to me asking questions and giving input throughout the process. Several times he paused construction to wait to get my wife's input on aesthetic issues. :) The metal hexagonal fencing was fairly time consuming to install (more so than Brent had anticipated), but Brent did not get frustrated (or at least not outwardly) and completed the job. Overall, he did EXCELLENT work, and I couln't be happier with the whole project and the finished product. Through several home improvement projects and one home addition, I have worked with several different subcontractors, but my most enjoyable experience was working with Brent and his crew. They were a pleasure to work with and have around the house. I did read the poor reviews posted recently by other Angie's List members. I can't speak specifically to their issues, but I would assume most of them came down to issues with communication. I gave Brent a B (not an A) in the 'responsiveness' category because it took him longer than he told me to provide me with the written estimate. I found that he was slow to respond to emails, but he would respond to voicemails and texts fairly promptly. I assumed (correctly) that he was busy, AND he did not have a 'smartphone'. In the grand scheme of things, these were minor issues. If I didn't get a prompt response form him, I just sent him another text or email, or another call. The more important issue to me was that he was reliable and good at his word (which he was) and built a quality fence. I will be certain to recommend Fence Specialists to anyone I know who is interested in having a fence installed.

Overall, we were extremely satisfied with the services performed, the manner in which they were performed and the quality of work. Brent showed up when he said he would to start the job. During the course of installing the fence, we ran into some decisions that needed to be made -- namely, the fence gate on one side of the pool needed to be set into the deck. Brent took the time to explain to us the different ways to install it and honestly told us what the best way was. It caused us to have to order gate posts with welded settings on the bottom and delayed our completion, but it was the right thing to do. In fact, he could have just taken the easy way out and inserted the posts into a sleeve that was just bolted into the deck, but it would have not looked right or withstood the course of time. We really appreciated his "partnership" with us in our project and his honesty. He gives meaning to the catch phrase of "let's build something together."

This is a very small company that does quality work, and they try to address issues as they come up. However, you may need to be patient, especially when they're swamped or should the weather turns bad for a few days. Hard workers each and every one of them, and again, a quality job can be expected once the project is finally completed.

They did my fence a couple years ago but stopped halfway and it took almost 2 weeks to get them to finish it. I gave their name to my neighbor who recently also needed a pool fence. I called Brent and explained deer had bent 2 sections. he promised to fix them when he did my neighbors. Came home after three weeks on the road to find my neighbors fence done and mine not repaired. Called him for an explanation and no return call. Sorry I ever met this pathetic individual. Just a follow up to Brent's response. The fact is that until I posted a complaint on Angie's he never called back after I left him an initial message complaining that the repairs weren't done. then I was bombarded with messages. When he called I was away on business so yes I texted him and told him I found another company that would respond on a timely basis. This company doesn't deserve any of my time.

We explained that we were serious about getting a fence installed this fall.When he came to give me an estimate for a fence, vinyl enclosing the backyard he just looked at my backyard and gave me a ball park figure. He didn't even bring a tape measure and give me an accurate estimate. He did not break it down as to matierials.He was dressed very messy and dirty, didn't offer to take off his shoes in the house. He also didn't even give me business card. I felt like it was a total waste of my time to have him come out.

We were in a hurry to have the fence put up before school was out. The start date was delayed until June and though it was said they could build any gates we want, the gates ended up being special ordered from PA. These were the last thing to be installed in August. We thought the whole process would be done in a matter of weeks, not months. There were some issues regarding post placement that I would have liked to have resolved, and the bottom of the gates were uneven. We needed some follow up work done (for pay, new rail, etc) and were not able to get in touch with anyone. Their website was down and emails bounced back. We also tried calling and the messge said "mailbox full". I tried calling one more time and the call rang and rang then got disconnected. Of course we thought the business was "no more". After writing a report on Angie's list the owner Brent showed up at our door.

See previous section, sorry forgot I needed to split it apart.

They came out however ran out of supplies to complete the work, so he did half the work and said he would come back and never did. I have talked to him on several occasions however he will not set an actual date to come out so we have been waiting since April/ May.

Our daughter, a single working Mom, wanted a fence installed in her backyard, and needed estimates from qualified installers. So, we consulted Angie's List, and selected Fence Specialist to provide her/our first estimate. Brent arrived promptly, provided needed information regarding product choices and installation details, and answered all questions. My husband and daughter subsequently spoke with him by phone, and all of us had the same comfort level that 'the job would be done right'....so we hired Fence Specialist. Our instincts were correct!! From scheduling through clean-up...the job was done professionally, courteously, and expertly. The fencing experience with Fence Specialist was totally satisfying, and our daughter is thrilled with her new fence!

Timing was difficult that day, but maintained continuous communication to assure an agreeable time and completed the work efficiently and completely. Took approximately 40-50 mintues total.

I never thought about having someone come to fix my gates. The Good Deal offer came at a good time and I was very pleased with the service plus the "good deal".

He did a quality job. The gate now opens and shuts freely... as good as new. The new replacement boards fit in perfectly (which he hand sawed down to the perfect sizes). My wife and I were very impressed with the quality of his work. The reason I gave him a C with the Responsiveness and Punctuality is because I purchased Angies List Big Deal, called him to set up an appointment, and he wasn't able to schedule me at that time. No problem. He said he'd call me back to schedule a time. Well he never called, but showed up at my doorstep unannounced a couple weeks later. Fortunately I was home and it was a good time. Nevertheless, he did a great job and I will definitely use him again if I have any fencing projects.

The owner, Brent, provided the original estimate and explained the work to be done. He was very informative, pleasant, helpful, and gave me the confidence to hire Fence Specialists. He was very flexible with designing around some existing trees and shrubs and adding copper post tops after the fence was completed. He also worked with me to build the fence in two stages, since one side was to be shared with a neighbor and they needed to approve the cost we were splitting plus a design for their additional fence gate. Brent even figured the cost of just that side and allowed the payment to be split between two parties. The first stage was completed very late in the fall, and the second stage the following summer/fall. The actual fence work was done by an installer, who was very competent, neat, and pleasant. Brent came out personally to install the copper post tops and make corrections with a few pieces of wood. I recall deciding on pressure treated posts, partly because of cost and partly because it seemed to me they would be okay over time. I don't recall being told they would warp excessively enough to cause problems with the gates, or I likely would have chosen cedar posts. Over the course of 2 years, the gates have proven to have problems sagging and closing. Brent came out to adjust them twice, but the fixes didn't hold. In the winter of 2010 (2 years after installation), they were not closing at all. This Spring (2011) Brent came back and adjusted them more completely. I would recommend Fence Specialists for quality work and willingness to repair problems. I would also note that there response time has been slow, which was frustrating over time. I am happy to say that Brent has acknowledged this, which I much appreciate. He has also acknowledged that treated posts prove to be a problem and decided that the company will not use them anymore, which should take care of gate problems. It is encouraging to hear an owner have the character to accept feedback and make changes, so I expect Fence Specialists to continue to be a strongly recommended company you can have confidence in hiring.

It was a wonderful experience. Since I had just found out that I needed knee surgery and had just purchased a puppy a few weeks before, I immediately started looking at fence companies. I had four proposals and chose Fence Specialists. This company understood my situation and did everything to accommodate me. I was so pleased with my fence that several months later I had this company put in a fence at my daughter's house. She and her family are also extremely pleased.