Fred's Fences

Poor quality workmanship and materials. Work was supposed to be completed in four week but took 3 months before I told him not to come back.
Had to hire another fencing company to finish and redo what Fred did.
Had to replace the deck railings and stairs (collapsed after two years) .

Total additional cost $5,000+.

I contracted Fred to build a 12x12 Pavilion off the back of my house this summer. Long story short is that Fred did not follow the approved drawings from the City of Kitchener and it the structure failed its first inspection. The City gave various corrections that had to be made and we also even got a second option from an engineer on what we could do to avoid having to take the whole thing down. After about three weeks Fred stopped responding to my emails and hasn't returned to fix what he started. I am now left with a structure that needs to be taken down and started over. Fred was paid for 2/3rds of the project and is now no where to be found. Would love to see his response to this one, but I'm sure he has nothing to say.

Fred completed a fence in our backyard at the end of April 2018. The job was done professionally and in a timely fashion without compromising the quality of the fence. He kept in touch during all stages of the project and ensured we were happy with the final outcome. Fred was great to work with and I would definitely contact him again for future projects.

This was the most frustrating project I've experienced in 30 years of dealing with contractors and trades people. The owner seems knowledgeable, confident and professional with a friendly demeanor and I believed I had chosen the right company for the job. This is a 43' L shaped fence.
The project did not start at the verbally agreed time. Many subsequent emails were sent to determine when the project would commence. One day, without notice, someone delivered the 4x4s and left them unstacked in the dirt. Another day, again without notice, someone showed up to start the project. I then received two emails explaining they couldn't start the project - one email stated the existing chain link would have to be removed before they could dig and set the posts. I had to remind them that the chain link fence removal was part of the scope of work. The second email advised they would require outside power for their equipment. I responded, Had I been informed they would be onsite the power would have been made available. I was advised they would arrive the next day.
About a week later I received a call from my neighbour that the crew was onsite, I was out of the city, and the posts were being set. Upon returning home the 4x4 posts were up. Not one of them was set at 4 feet, they varied from 16 to 32". Most of the posts had concrete on two sides and dirt on the other two. The concrete appeared lumpy and I could break it apart with my fingers - the concrete had been poured 6 hours prior. The old chain link fence was removed, rolled up and set on some plants.
The guys arrived around 10:30 the next morning. I explained the issue with the depth of the posts and the state of the concrete. As I applied a small push to one of the posts and it and the concrete mass moved in the dirt, the owner suggested he could add more concrete. I suggested the posts and existing concrete be removed, the holes dug to the appropriate depth and new concrete be poured around all four sides. I forgot to mention that I was able to insert my arm from fingertip to elbow down the side of one of the posts and feel only post and dirt.
With the concrete posts redug and reset the framing commenced. The top rails and channel boards were attached and I mentioned that one run was hung 3/4" lower and it would be prudent to use a line level to ensure the framing was square.
The workmanship continued on this way boards cut too short, angled cuts, cracked or gouged materials etc. Each item I pointed out was addressed and for that I give them credit. However, I would have preferred not to have supervised a project to this degree.
The fence was completed August 3rd. The contract for the fence was signed June 2nd. The two months in between were stressful and challenging and at times I considered giving up the non-refundable deposit and building the fence myself. I could not recommend this company

The deck is an average deck. It is sturdy, but the finish is a bit sloppy (ie: bottom steps slope down and are not fastened tightly for it just lays on ground). Floor boards aren't spaced consistently and cracked wood was used for some handrails. Contractor did come back to fix some stuff, but just didn't do it as if it was his own deck...stairs are sloppy.