How to find qualified contractors for your residential project.....

This may be the most important post that the Fence Wizard will author. The following advice can be used for any project but seems to be absolutely crucial for fencing.

First off: How to find companies to bid on your project?
Be careful. Using the Internet can often generate paid lead finders that have connection with companies not close to your area. Also, running a simple search on yahoolocal.com or yellowpages.com will not actually categorize the companies in order of how close they are to you. They are organized based on their account status with marketing firms.
So what should you do? First and foremost ask around and get some word of mouth advice. Check the local phone book to see who offers the service you are looking for. Narrow your search down to 3 companies - usually the closest to your location. Make certain they are licensed and insured.

Second - call them up and describe your project the best you can and make sure the company is interested in providing a bid to you.

Third - Provide all bidders with the same information - footage/ height/ specs/ etc. If you are not familiar with fence specifications then ask each bidder to clearly define the spec and quality of each major component of the fence that they are proposing to use. Read those specs carefully and make sure you understand them. For example 9 Gauge tension wire is thicker than 10 gauge.

Forth- Pick the highest value bid not just the lowest price bid. By this point you should have also learned if the contractor is responsive to your questions and concerns.

Finally - Make sure you see a display or sample of the product and see an installed example nearby to your location. Only then should you ask for a contract from the company so that you can sign and approve the price they quoted. NEVER EVER EVER pay more than 10% deposit on any project. The Best companies rarely even ask for that.

As with all advice - use common sense and if you are unsure at all - blog to the FENCE WIZARD for some advice. Good luck.