After a certain amount of time, your fence might get worn down. It may even suffer damage from weather, wildlife, or an accident.
Wood fences last for ten to fifteen years, and other kinds can last even longer. However, that involves getting repairs in the meantime to keep your fence looking its best (and secure, if necessary).
If you’ve found yourself hopping on Google to search “fence repair near me,” then here’s everything you need to know about how to find a fence repair service.
How to Find Fence Repair Near Me
The first thing you’ll have to do is find fence installation and repair companies. Here’s how to start curating a list.
Ask for Recommendations
The first thing you can do is ask for recommendations. Turn to friends and family members who have a yard and ask them if they’ve ever had to get their fence repaired, or if they used a fence builder to construct it in the first place.
This way, they can give you company names. They may be able to tell you about a great place or maybe even a place they had a bad experience with that they’d recommend you avoid!
Although you shouldn’t jump to trust anyone’s initial word on the matter, this will give you a great basis for looking into companies.
Do an Online Search
Once you have companies to look into, you can do an online search. Most companies will have a website available where you can get a look at their services and get a feel for the companies.
Remember, web design may be a far-off industry from fence building, but it’s usually still important for companies to have a clean and accessible website as it makes them seem professional. It also compiles all of their contact information in one handy place.
Read Reviews
Lastly, look up fence builder reviews in your area. Google, Yelp, and Facebook should all have plenty of reviews for a company you’re looking into.
79% of people say they trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, and they’re right to. Reviews are from neutral third parties and you can read through the highs and lows to make sure you’re satisfied with the company’s alleged pros and cons.
As well as this, people are more likely to both leave and heed negative reviews than positive. So if you’ve found a fence repair company with great reviews, they’ve really beat the odds!
They should have a good overall score in general though.
How to Choose the Best Fence Company
Once you’ve focused on hiring a fence company you trust, there are some other things you should check about them before you go ahead.
Make sure you have an answer you’re happy with to all of these questions.
Ask About Their Experience
When hiring any service, it’s vital you ask about their experience. Could a new fence builder do an amazing job on your fence? Sure, it’s possible!
However, it’s better to hire someone with experience as you’ll ensure they have the know-how. You don’t want to take any chances, as being part of someone’s learning curve is never fun.
You should also make sure they have experience with the type of fence that needs to be repaired. A wooden fence is quite different from, for example, a chain link fence, so make sure you specify what type of fence you have and make sure they can repair that.
It’s also a good idea to ask for pictures of fence repairs they’ve completed if you’re uncertain. Don’t ever be uncomfortable asking all of these questions when you’re entrusting your fence to someone!
Make Sure They’re Licensed and Insured
Before you go any further, ensure they have a license and insurance.
A license confirms they’ve worked hard in their field and are both qualified and experienced. While they can reassure you they’re good at what they do, a license is absolutely necessary to make sure this is true.
Insurance is also important for two reasons. The first is that if anything is damaged, you won’t be responsible for a bill that the company can’t pay. Although it’s likely nothing will go wrong, it’s better not to take chances in case the fence or anything around it gets caught up in an accident.
The second is that it covers the workers in case they get injured on the job. Workers without insurance will often try to place the financial responsibility of injuries on a homeowner since it happened on their property. You can imagine why you don’t want this to happen!
Consider Their Availability
How urgent is your fence repair, and when can the fence company get to you?
If the fence repair isn’t urgent, you may be able to wait a while. However, maybe you have a dog or small children and you need the fence to be completely secure as soon as possible.
Consider how soon the company can perform the repair and factor that into your decision. If you can wait forever, then you’re in a much better position in terms of not having to consider this too closely.
Consider the Quote
The big deal breaker for many people when hiring any home service is the quote, and this is no different with fence repair.
It’s okay to get quotes from a few different companies and compare them to make sure you’re paying what you should be. However, although you need to ensure the repair is within your budget, it’s important not to go with the cheapest company and call it a day.
There are many reasons the quote from one company may be absurdly lower than the rest, and very few of them are good:
- They might have bad reviews and be struggling for business
- They may not be legitimate and have no license or insurance
- They may be doing a much more minimal repair than other companies
Make sure you understand as much as you can about why a quote is as much as it is and then consider it along with all of the other factors that are important when hiring a fencing company.
Look for a Guarantee
One other important thing to think about when getting fence repair done is a guarantee. It’s good for a company to give you a period of time that they’re confident their repair will last, and they’ll be responsible for redoing the job if the repair doesn’t last for this time.
If a company doesn’t offer a guarantee, ask yourself why. Are they not confident in their work?
Make sure you get this in writing!
Ask for References
The last thing you can do if you want extra reassurance is to ask for references. Fencing companies should be happy to provide the names of happy customers who’ve had a successful fence repair done.
This is especially important for companies that don’t have much of an online presence. If they rely more on word-of-mouth advertising, they may not have a lot of online reviews, and references can help in place of them.
Consider Their Communication
The last thing you should do is consider their communication and if it feels right for you.
If they turn up hours late to a consultation appointment with no notice, that’s a red flag for their communication in the future.
Any fence repair company should strike a balance between warm and professional and you should feel as if they’re genuinely invested in doing a good job for you. If they don’t seem to take pride in their work, then why hire them?
They should also be able to return any calls or messages in a timely manner. While the best companies have a lot of customers and are busy, they shouldn’t leave you hanging for weeks at a time and if they do, it might be a sign they’re not the place for you.
Mistakes to Avoid
Lastly, you should make sure to consider these mistakes people often make when hiring a fencing company.
Don’t do these things!
Believing Everything You Hear
Believing everything you hear without conducting your own research can be a huge mistake.
For example, if someone recommends a company because their brother’s friend is the owner, don’t go ahead and schedule the service without researching them. There are, unfortunately, plenty of individuals working without licenses and insurance because those are expensive to get.
That means they don’t have the training necessary to do a good job.
While you absolutely should take recommendations, they’re to help kick off your own research on a fence company — not to slip it altogether.
Trusting Someone’s Word Too Much
On that same token, don’t trust someone implicitly and let yourself be pressured into hiring a company. It doesn’t matter if their best friend works for them or they claim they had the best experience.
The best company for someone else isn’t necessarily the best company for you.
Rushing the Search
Rushing the search is another huge mistake and it can be an easy thing to do. If your fence has been blown over by weather or damaged through another circumstance, you might want to grab the first fence installation and repair company on Google and invite them over immediately to do the job.
Try to at least take a day to do your research and ask the fence company questions that aren’t answered on their website. It may be agonizing to slow down when you just want the repair done, but at least that means it’ll be done right.
The last thing you want is a non-guaranteed repair that fails a month later.
DIYing the Repair
You might be tempted to DIY the repair. How hard can it be?
If it’s a tiny bit of the fence that’s been damaged or it simply needs a quick paint job, you might be able to do the repair yourself just fine. However, if there’s significant damage to a fence then don’t try to DIY the repair.
You may have to buy equipment and supplies, which means you won’t be able to get out of avoiding the cost of a fence repair anyway. Plus you may simply not do a good job or even make the situation worse and, worst-case scenario, you could hurt yourself.
It’s essential to leave it to the professionals.
Not Trusting Yourself
You should, when hiring any service, trust your gut. Does something seem off about the company’s reviews? Is the fence builder not particularly transparent when answering questions, or difficult to get ahold of?
If any of these things ring true to you when talking to a fence company, remember you have plenty of options. A good fence repair company should give you complete confidence they can get the job done and they should be happy to answer any questions you might have.
This Is Everything You Need to Know to Find Good Fence Repair
Finding good “fence repair near me” can be somewhat daunting. There’s a lot you need to remember and some mistakes you shouldn’t make in your search, as they may result in you hiring the wrong company.
However, as long as you take your time and do your research, you’ll find the right company for you. Ask for recommendations from friends and families, read all of the reviews you can find, and make sure you ask them all of the questions you have. In no time, you’ll have a beautiful fence again.
Looking for trustworthy fence repair in Idaho? Contact us today for a free quote and let’s see what we can do for you.