You probably want to know what’s involved in fencing and decking projects before you hire a contractor to start working on your own project. Whether building, installing, or repairing a fence, deck, or other outdoor living project, the factors that influence your decision-making are the same.
We hope that the answers we provide in our fencing and decking FAQ will meet your needs and concerns. If not, please contact us, and we’ll be happy to answer additional questions.
Text us at (971) 269-5060 for an appointment, and our experienced estimator will come to your project site to measure for an at-home quote.
Not long at all. During most seasons we can start the installation within 1-2 weeks. During the busy summer season, the wait can be 2-4 weeks.
Most of our installations and repair projects take a few days to a week. Many small projects can take as little as 1-2 days. For larger than average projects, the time frame will be longer.
Once we come out to measure and discuss the project with you, we usually take 1-3 working days to complete the quote and send it to you. If you’re undecided about the style you want, you can ask us questions or do your own research to help in your decision.
Think about style, materials, homeowner association (HOA) approval if applicable, and whether you want to completely replace or just repair an existing structure. Once you’ve decided, you can let us know exactly what you want, and pictures are great.
We prefer to work through text and emails as we try to be eco-friendly and reduce paper on our end. Once you receive the quote, if everything looks correct, just e-sign at the bottom and send it back to us with the downpayment.
Preferably when it’s not raining or snowing, but we work year-round and in all weather conditions. It’s the Northwest, after all—we’re known for the rain, and we’ll arrive wearing our rain and cold-weather gear, ready to work. And, if offered, on extra cold and wet days, we won’t refuse a hot, white chocolate mocha. During very bad weather and very short daylight hours, we estimate that projects will take 1-3 days longer than normal.
We like to come out to your project site and meet with you face-to-face. Not only do we get to shake your hand but we also talk with you person-to-person to better understand your vision for the project. We want you to know who we are so you’ll feel comfortable with who’ll be working on your project. We want you to feel good about your project with us from start to finish.
Also, we do a lot more when we come out beyond just measuring. We assess the terrain (e.g., are there lots of rocks we’ll have to dig through to put in the posts, are there trees or shrubs in the way of the fence line, is there a slope and if so, how steep, are there neighbors involved that need to give their permission).
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you’re unsure what you need or want, we can make better recommendations if we meet with you on site. By going to your location we can also see how near or far the project is and what the road conditions are like, which are important factors since we may need to haul a loaded truck and trailer or have our materials company deliver in a big truck.
We ask that the property owner is present at the time of the estimate unless we’ve previously completed a project for you.
Yay, thank you for hiring us! We’re excited to work with you and see your vision through to completion.
(1) Please sign your portion of the quote paper, which transforms it into a contract. In turn, we’ll sign it, assuring you that we won’t change the price on the quote unless you change something or add something extra.
(2) E-send the signed quote/contract back to us via text or email.
(3) Arrange payment with us: check, cash, credit card (note: the bank adds an extra fee for credit card use). 50% of the total payment is due before the start of the project. Final payment is due the day of completion. Once downpayment is received, we’ll contact you that day and give you the option of the first available start day and set you up in our schedule.
Note: Scheduling is reserved for those clients that are ready to move forward with us on their projects. Downpayment indicates that you’re ready and enables us to preorder materials to make sure they’re ready by the start date of your project.
(4) We’ll contact you 1-2 days before the start of your project to remind you that we’ll be starting work.
Please make any add-on or change requests during the quote review process. Once the quote is signed and sent and your project has been scheduled, we expect to move forward with that specific project.
Any add-ons or changes will require a new quote and possibly a new start and/or finish date because changes can cost more, take more time to build, and delay material arrival times among other items.
We like to be fair and efficient in what we quote you and keep our word. Therefore, once both you and we sign the quote/contract, our promise is to not change anything (i.e., add any more cost or days to your project)–as long as you also don’t change anything. We’re happy to do more projects for you and can give you a new, separate bid for them. But first let’s finish what we started, allow us to do it well with no added distractions or complications, and then we can move on to the next happy project.
Yes. we offer a 1-year limited warranty for most faults to the materials not seen during the construction period. Examples covered under warranty include: changing out boards that crack/split/warp from faulty board, releveling a gate that begins to sag (tighten the hardware), add more concrete if a post becomes loose, etc.
Not covered under warranty: client changes their mind about the style, client’s picky about natural discrepancies between wood boards and wants them replaced but didn’t mention it during the building timeline, acts of God or nature (i.e., tree falls on fence), damage done by people other than the builders (i.e., backing up into the fence with a car), fixing/replacing/changing preexisting materials and not built by us (i.e., coming back to fix the under-deck when we were hired to only replace the top deck boards).
Unfortunately, we cannot offer warranty on repairs since our new materials will get mixed up with your old materials, affecting each other. If you’re worried that the repair project won’t hold up due to its poor initial state, then we strongly recommend that you have us replace it completely. It can cost less in the long run to have it replaced completely in the first place rather than to keep having it repaired over and over again when another area fails.
Natural Wood Boards: Please remember that wood boards are supposed to look as such, meaning that each board differs slightly, which adds to the beauty of a natural wood look. Natural wood boards aren’t free of every kind of defect and shouldn’t be expected to be.
We’re very careful when we buy boards by selecting each piece by hand, and we leave out any boards that have major noticeable defects, often going to multiple suppliers to find enough boards that will look great for your project needs. There are different grades of wood, and the less defects and thicker the board can mean a higher cost per board.
Please keep this in mind when deciding on a natural wood look. You might want to consider using composite boards or vinyl instead if you prefer pieces looking almost exactly like each other and dislike even minor differences.
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Absolutely! You can call, email, or text us, and we’ll be happy to answer it. We might even add it to our fencing and decking FAQ.
Ready to Start?
When you’re ready to show us your project, we’ll meet you at the project location, discuss your vision with you, measure, take pictures, and give you a written quote—free of charge.
Contact us today for a FREE estimate and see what Eco Fencing and Decking LLC can do for you!