We had a great experience with Woody from Appleseed LLC installing our SimTek composite fence and…read morewould absolutely hire him again.
When Woody first came out, he walked the property with us and went over the scope of the project. My husband and I had estimated that we had approximately 210 feet of fencing to install. We had already purchased all of the SimTek fencing materials ourselves, so Woody's quote was for labor only.
Woody explained from the beginning that he does not charge by the foot. His labor rate is $1,000 per day. Based on what he saw and the approximately 210 feet we told him we had, he estimated the job would take about four days. He also explained that he generally gives himself a fifth day just in case something unexpected comes up, but his original quote to us was $4,000.
It is also worth mentioning that Woody completed this project entirely by himself. There was not a crew working alongside him. Most days he worked around eight hours or more and was consistently working while he was here. There was one day when he had a prior appointment and needed to work only a half day, which was completely fine with us.
We also supplied Woody with our own gas-powered auger to use for the new post holes. He had handheld equipment of his own, but since we already owned the larger gas-powered auger, we offered it to him in hopes of making the digging easier and helping the project move along. At one point my husband also helped Woody with our jack hammer and with sliding in the fence panels.
On the very first day, Woody completed an entire fence line by himself, which was impressive! Another section ended up giving him significantly more trouble and took longer, and the remaining section also took additional time.
As the project progressed, we all realized that our original footage estimate was off. The total project ended up being closer to approximately 240 feet rather than the 210 feet we had originally estimated. We also realized we were about 18 feet short on fencing material.
We ordered and purchased the additional SimTek materials ourselves and were able to get them before Woody completely ran out of what we originally had. Woody communicated with us during the project that because there was more fencing than originally estimated and the job was taking additional time, the final labor cost would likely be higher than the original $4,000 quote. We completely understood that and agreed to continue. He also purchased additional concrete for us as we ran short.
The final labor cost was $5,240, which we paid upon completion. Considering the additional footage, additional time, and the fact that Woody completed the installation by himself, we felt the change was communicated fairly.
For full transparency, we supplied all of the fencing materials, purchased the additional materials when needed, supplied the gas-powered auger, and chose to handle all disposal of the old fencing ourselves. Woody did take down our existing wood fence as part of the job, but we did not have him haul away the old fencing, so there were no haul-away charges. I believe the only additional material-related trip he needed to make was to pick up more concrete.
Most importantly, the finished fence looks BEAUTIFUL. We are extremely happy with the installation and how everything turned out.
Woody was also incredibly respectful throughout the entire project. He was considerate not only of us but of our neighbors as well. Before playing music while he worked, he actually asked us if it was okay first, and he never played anything loudly or disrespectfully. I also noticed that during the entire time he worked at our home, I never heard him use a single curse word. That may seem like a small detail, but I think it says a lot about how respectfully and professionally he carries himself while working around someone's home and neighborhood.
Woody worked hard, communicated with us when the scope of the project changed, treated us and our neighbors respectfully, and ultimately gave us a fence that we are extremely happy with.
Our original labor estimate was $4,000 based on approximately 210 feet, and our final labor cost was $5,240 after discovering the project was closer to 240 feet and required additional time. We appreciated the communication throughout the process and felt Woody was an honest and hardworking contractor.
We would absolutely recommend Woody and Appleseed Construction and would happily hire him again for another project.