To what standard of work should be expected from a fencing contractor?

[stugordon321]

Agree with mf6260 I've been there with customers wanting me to use old posts, made the mistake of doing the job & regretted it. Within a month two of the old rotten post had snapped. I explained to the tight customer in the beginning it was false economy but they new best. I ended up putting new post up where they snapped. I won't be doing about her job like that, way I see it if someone asked who did the fence & then they see it blown down in a month or two they don't think it was due to using scabby old rotten posts, ow no they automatically think f:ck getting him to do my fence. Not worh it long term. Not only that I like to take pride in my work so at the end of a job I can look back at the new fence & think that's a decent fence put up well. Not trying to say I'm the best fencer out there, just I believe in doing the job to the best I can.
Thanks Stu

 

[Mf6260]

Agree with mf6260 I've been there with customers wanting me to use old posts, made the mistake of doing the job & regretted it. Within a month two of the old rotten post had snapped. I explained to the tight customer in the beginning it was false economy but they new best. I ended up putting new post up where they snapped. I won't be doing about her job like that, way I see it if someone asked who did the fence & then they see it blown down in a month or two they don't think it was due to using scabby old rotten posts, ow no they automatically think f:ck getting him to do my fence. Not worh it long term. Not only that I like to take pride in my work so at the end of a job I can look back at the new fence & think that's a decent fence put up well. Not trying to say I'm the best fencer out there, just I believe in doing the job to the best I can.
Thanks Stu

Totally agree as a rule I don't use second hand materials or repair boge fences and try my best not to use materials bought by the customer that aren't up to standard I find I don't enjoy a job if I have to use stuff I'm not keen on. I want to do the best job I can and try and show my work at its best.

 

[stugordon321]

Fully agree, made the mistake when I first went on my own thinking it's work but learnt fast NEVER to do another like it. I intend building a good name for myself & using old/sh:t materials is not the way to go.
Repairing post & rail is the same, it's not worth the hassle as it will always look sh:it & cost nearly the price as it would to replace it with new. People seem to think post & rail is easy to erect but I would disagree, if it's not right you can't hide it,
If the jobs worth doing then it should be done right, if for no other reason than your own satisfaction.
Stu

 

[Mf6260]

Fully agree, made the mistake when I first went on my own thinking it's work but learnt fast NEVER to do another like it. I intend building a good name for myself & using old/sh:t materials is not the way to go.
Repairing post & rail is the same, it's not worth the hassle as it will always look sh:it & cost nearly the price as it would to replace it with new. People seem to think post & rail is easy to erect but I would disagree, if it's not right you can't hide it,
If the jobs worth doing then it should be done right, if for no other reason than your own satisfaction.
Stu

We were asked to replace rails on a fence that had been chewed by donkeys and when I say chewed I mean chewed!when we started out we weren't very happy about it son realised it wasn't worth messing with told the customer and luckily saw sense and we replaced the fence.

 

[stugordon321]

Some people just don't want to listen. They think they can save a few £s but it false economy the fence looks sh:t, it starts leaning over & falling down. There's no job satisfaction doing jobs like that,
Even without the latest machinery there's no excuse for shoddy workmanship
Stu

 

[brynseiri]

Fence n forget would be closer, pointed utility poles or creo strainers

Is that who you use? Just sussed who you are, good Facebook page by the way!

 

[brynseiri]

I also hate when people say I've got my own post or can u use these old ones. Thats about the time I walk away from the job and say sorry it's not for me

This customer is a good mate of mine, I do all sorts of work for him, and fair play he's fecked up his own chainsaw cutting and pointing the telegraph posts. I wouldn't have bothered my self, but to be fair we got a fair few good strainers out of a pile. If the customer says do it a certain way, then that's how I do it, but my old (as in 80 years old) neighbour is too tight for his own good, he won't buy strainers. So I just knock the posts in and leave him do the rest himself.

 

[tepapa]

Is that who you use? Just sussed who you are, good Facebook page by the way!

I use them for creo strainers some utility poles if I have a delivery coming up, tend to mostly get utility poles delivered as an when from merchant to save having too much stuff in stock and point them myself (for which I charge £4 stripped and pointed) or get customer to do it.

 

[Mf6260]

This customer is a good mate of mine, I do all sorts of work for him, and fair play he's fecked up his own chainsaw cutting and pointing the telegraph posts. I wouldn't have bothered my self, but to be fair we got a fair few good strainers out of a pile. If the customer says do it a certain way, then that's how I do it, but my old (as in 80 years old) neighbour is too tight for his own good, he won't buy strainers. So I just knock the posts in and leave him do the rest himself.

It is funny what you let your mates get away with its normally someone I know that u talks me into using telegraph poles. Sometimes it can be easier to say OK and get on with it

 

[brynseiri]

It is funny what you let your mates get away with its normally someone I know that u talks me into using telegraph poles. Sometimes it can be easier to say OK and get on with it

He spends a fair few £k a year with me, if he wants telegraph posts, he gets them! But as I said, he saw what a PITA the job of stripping and pointing them was, so cracked on and did them for me. I can't argue with that.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

He spends a fair few £k a year with me, if he wants telegraph posts, he gets them! But as I said, he saw what a PITA the job of stripping and pointing them was, so cracked on and did them for me. I can't argue with that.

The quality of used telegraph poles has gone down. We had power lines replaced many years ago and the lads left us the poles. They were all fabulous and most are still in use as strainer and gate posts now, 30+ years later.

Most new ones though, just are not pickled enough. That's why the middles rot out. If you can see untreated wood in the centre when you cut through one then don't bother using it.

 

[brynseiri]

The quality of used telegraph poles has gone down. We had power lines replaced many years ago and the lads left us the poles. They were all fabulous and most are still in use as strainer and gate posts now, 30+ years later.

Most new ones though, just are not pickled enough. That's why the middles rot out. If you can see untreated wood in the centre when you cut through one then don't bother using it.

I'm sure in days of old, they were boiled in creosote in a big sort of steel lagoon?

 

[stugordon321]

I can understand where brynseiri is coming from when he says the bloke spends a fair bit if dollar with him but from my way of looking at it, these days I would be worried if I used old/sh:t materials etc "if" the fence blows down or looks sh:t the bloke who's fence it is knows the score about the old scabby posts, but Unfortunately other poeple that see your work doesn't know that so they go away thinking f:ck getting him to do my fence his work is sh:t as it blew over after a couple months. Don't get me wrong I have & proberbly will do again used materials I'm not happy with but make it clear I take no responsibility if the fence doesn't stay up. So long as there happy when I've finished the work I get paid but it's not the same as doing the job using good quality materials where at the end you look back & can say that's a good fence that's there to last. We all have to earn money to pay bills etc so have to do what we need to, so long as it's not ripping the customer off or doing a below standard job then sometimes we have to do things we're not to happy about.
Stu