Twelve Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Fence Contractor

Hiring a fence contractor is hard because the fences all look the same on install day. The difference shows up in the third wet winter, when one fence is still plumb and the other is leaning toward the neighbor's yard.

A short conversation tells you most of what you need to know. Not because a contractor will admit to cutting corners, but because somebody who builds fences for a living answers these questions instantly and specifically, and somebody who does not gets vague.

Ask these of everybody who bids your job, including me. If two answers differ, that is usually where the price difference lives. Here they are in twelve, grouped the way they come up.

Before the Quote: Will You Walk It, and What Am I Buying?

1. Will you walk my property before quoting?

A bid made from an aerial photo cannot see the slope, the access gate, the tree roots, the low wet corner, or where you actually want the gates. Those are the things that move the number. A good answer is yes, and here is when I can be there. Be careful with anyone who gives you a firm total over the phone without seeing the yard, because that number will change in one direction.

2. What exactly is the material specification?

"Wood fence" and "vinyl fence" are categories, not specs, and most of the gap between a cheap bid and a fair one is lighter material described with the same two words. A good answer names species or grade, board dimensions, post dimensions, rail count, and fastener type. Get that in writing and you can finally compare two quotes. The cost guide covers the rest of what moves a price.

The Ground: Posts, Locates, and Surprises

3. How deep are the posts going, and is every post in concrete?

This is the single biggest predictor of whether the fence is standing straight years from now. Posts are the fence, and everything else is a replaceable part. A good answer is a specific depth for your fence height and a clear yes or no on concrete for every post, not just corners and gates. Corners and gates only is a legitimate way to build some fences, and you should know that is what you are buying.

4. Who calls 811, and when?

Tennessee law requires notifying Tennessee 811 at least three full business days before any excavation, including hand-digging. Locators get seventy-two hours, excluding weekends and holidays, to mark lines, and a ticket is good for fifteen calendar days. A good answer is we call it in, and here is how that affects the schedule. A contractor who says a fence does not need a locate has told you how they handle rules in general.

5. What happens if you hit something underground?

Most Jackson yards dig clean, since West Tennessee sits on loess silt rather than the rock of Middle Tennessee. Old fill, buried construction debris, a forgotten gravel drive, and mature tree roots still show up, and roots are the common one here. What you want is a plan with a cost impact you will hear about in advance, not a shrug on the day it happens.

Paperwork: Permits, License, and Insurance

6. Who pulls the permit?

Inside the City of Jackson, a fence permit is required for fence installation, and the application asks for a certified boundary survey or a signed agreement with the affected neighbor. In unincorporated Madison County, a standard residential fence seven feet or under does not need a building permit. Every surrounding town has its own code. A good answer shows the contractor knows which jurisdiction you are in and says plainly who is filing and whether the fee is in the bid. See the permits guide.

7. Can you show me your license and proof of insurance?

Tennessee requires a contractor license for any project, labor and materials combined, at or above a twenty-five thousand dollar threshold, and the state's home improvement contractor registration rules can apply below that. Ask any contractor to show the actual documents rather than accepting a claim on a website or a truck door, then verify the license with the state yourself. Insurance is a separate document worth asking to see.

The Crew and the Build

8. Are you doing the work, or subcontracting it?

Not because subs are bad, but because you should know who will be in your yard and who answers the phone if something is wrong. A chain of three companies makes accountability disappear. A good answer is direct either way and names who supervises the crew and who your point of contact is start to finish.

9. How will you handle the slope and the drainage?

Almost no yard is dead level, and a solid fence on sloped ground either gets stepped down in sections or racked to follow the grade. Each looks different and each leaves different gaps at the bottom. We get real rainfall here, so where the water goes matters to the posts. A good answer describes the approach for your yard and mentions the low spot you already know about. If they have not noticed it, they did not walk the line carefully.

10. Which way will the finished side face?

Inside the City of Jackson, the finished side of privacy fencing, including vinyl and wood stockade, must face adjacent neighboring properties and the public right-of-way. Homeowners who find that out afterward are unhappy about it. A good answer states the rule and offers the fix, since board on board and shadowbox look finished from both sides. The privacy fence guide covers those styles.

After the Handshake

11. What is included, and what is not?

The surprises on a fence bill are almost always things that were never in the bid. Old fence removal and disposal, stain or sealer, gate hardware upgrades, extra corner posts, survey, and cleanup are the usual suspects. Ask specifically about hauling the old fence off, because that is labor plus a dump fee and it gets assumed more often than it gets quoted.

12. What do I do if something goes wrong later?

A gate will need adjustment. Wood will move. You want to know who to call and how they handle it before you need to know. A good answer is a plain description of how callbacks work and what is covered, written on the contract. Be skeptical of grand promises with no specifics. A written scope with a real person's name on it is worth more than a slogan.

The Short List to Take With You

If you only remember six things from this page, make it these:

• Get every bidder on the property before anybody quotes a number.
• Make them write down the material spec, not the material category.
• Ask for post depth and whether every post is set in concrete.
• Confirm who is calling 811 and who is pulling the permit.
• Ask to see the license and the insurance certificate, and verify the license yourself.
• Read the exclusions, especially old fence removal and stain.

Common Questions About Hiring a Fence Contractor

The Honest Bottom Line

The contractor you want is the one who walks your line, gives the material spec without being pushed, has a number for post depth, knows which jurisdiction you are in, and writes down what is not included. That person may not be the cheapest bid, and they will usually be the cheapest fence over time.

Ask me all twelve. I would rather answer them up front than have the conversation later. Serving Jackson and Madison County, with fence installation and fence repair. Still deciding what to build? The materials guide is a good next read.