We promised to give you transparent pricing and that's what we do.
We want you to have all the information you need to make the best decisions for you and your budget. See our other blog posts for some good info on options.
Here's some things to look out for and consider:
1. We are insured.
This is extremely important!
Construction is dangerous, and if there's an injury we are protected.
If your property is damaged, it is protected by our insurance.
Don't set yourself up for being financially liable for an injury on your property or having to pay yourself to fix something that was broken by a contractor.
See the proof!
I can't tell you how many offers I got for low cost estimates, but when I asked if they were insured, they weren't. Worse yet, some told me they were but wouldn't provide the proof.
We will happily show you proof of our coverage.
2. Most companies charge by the linear foot with materials included.
Here's why we don't:
Prices fluctuate, but our overhead costs don't.
We pay our crew members by the hour, and our bills are fixed. Plus, maybe you know how to get a discount on materials and you can get them for less than what we pay? We'll tell you what you need and you can price it yourself if you wish. (We're adding a free estimator calculator soon.)
We use quality materials.
If the rate by the foot includes materials, it benefits the company to use the cheapest materials they can find. We hand pick the materials to make sure they aren't warped, discolored, dry-rotted or just plain ugly. We don't order ahead because the warehouse workers aren't picky when it comes to material selection.
We use screws instead of nails, at no additional cost. This leads to a sturdier product, and increases the life of your fence.
We don't profit on your material preference. If you want cedar, most companies will charge you a much higher price per foot, inflating the price of the labor and marking up the materials. We don't; we charge the same labor rate and the cost of the materials, no matter what you choose. It doesn't take any extra work to use a different type of wood!
Sometimes, your existing material is still good.
In that case, we'll tell you and you won't have to replace that item (if you choose), and you save the cost of that item. Even if it's just a couple of pickets it saves you money!
3. Tear down and disposal costs are additional.
This is typically a hidden cost.
The estimates we got didn't include this, and I was shocked to hear that it would add $8 to $10 per foot to tear down and haul away my old fence! We charge $3 per foot to tear down, $3 to haul it off, because, honestly, it's not that big of a deal. This basically only covers the wages we pay and the fuel and cost for us to dispose of it.
We charge tear down and disposal separately.
Maybe you want to take it apart yourself or you have a use for the old materials. Maybe one or the other. Either way, it's another way to save.
4. The nightmare stories. We hear horror stories all the time!
Taking forever to do the work.
Contractors are notorious for taking 2, 3, 4 times as long as they said they would or sometimes never finishing the job at all! We'll tell you how long we think it will take, and we keep our promises. We can't control the weather, and sometimes there's unexpected issues like roots, underground cables or pipes, but we'll keep you informed at every step. (Murphy's Law, you know!) Issues aren't your problem and you don't want excuses. You just want your fence finished! We've got you.
Stealing your money.
Not often, but it has happened. You pay and your materials are delivered, and then nobody ever shows up to do the work. They ghost you and now you're stuck. This is why we don't expect payment until the job is done, to your satisfaction.
Shoddy work.
Many companies are trying to make a quick buck. You pay, they slap the fence together and call it a day. And then it falls apart or your dog busts right through it. You'll be satisfied with our work before you pay. We use screws for added durability, at no extra charge, and we give you free warranty so if something loosens or your dog busts out, we'll come fix it.
5. We are regular people, and we understand you.
You don't want to spend a ton of money!
We get that. Times are tough, and we will be completely honest with you from the start. If you don't need something, we'll tell you. We're here to do what you need and what you want, and we'll work together to find solutions to help you as best we can.
We provide a living for our team.
We pay our workers well; they deserve a wage that they can live on. It's hot out there and they work hard! They deserve to be paid accordingly. We know that every penny counts because it counts for us too! We hope to grow so we can hire some more folks that need a livable wage.
We aren't trying to get rich.
We're a normal family trying to make a living. Get to know us and you'll see. You will deal with us directly because we operate our own business. Bryan and Jonathan, the owners (brothers), will be on site helping. You can talk to them anytime.
There's no stupid questions.
Most people don't know anything at all about fencing, but it's our specialty. Ask your questions. Share your ideas. We're here for you!
We won't bug you.
If you want an estimate but you don't want a sales pitch and a ton of calls and emails, we're your people! Personally, I'm reluctant to put my phone or email on anything because I think they'll drive me crazy. We'll give you an estimate and leave you alone. We might reach out once to follow up but we're not going to make you regret contacting us. Trust me, we don't have time for that and neither do you!
We care.
We want to help our neighbors and community. We want you to be happy. We like to sleep peacefully. To do that, we have to make sure that every client is satisfied before they pay.
By now, I hope that you've learned some things to look out for while you're shopping around. I know that you have many choices, and of course, I hope that you give us a chance to give you an estimate. But... if you still don't feel comfortable requesting an estimate, please let me know why. We can't improve without feedback, and your opinion will help us be better. Email me at Beth@MurphyBrosFencing.com and let me know how you think we can improve.
Thank you for reading all this and supporting our small business!
-Momma Beth