Trying to spend about $3k on a new fence

[OriginalGeek]

why are fence installers making it so hard?


So here's the deal: My grandpa wants a new fence around his back yard. We looked around and found a website that deals with local tradesmen (a local Angie's List style site) and we invited about 5 different companies to give us estimates.

Well 3 were no-show, no call. 1 didn't show but called a week later and asked if they could come out now. (no.).

1 came out at the agreed time, did all the measurements and seemed like he had his shit together. He explained how his company operated, we liked his ideas and the price was right for what we want. His company has a nice little website with pictures of past work and he is licensed and insured and lived in the area so he knows how to deal with the HOA.

Great! Let's do this! I send the guy an email and say Grandpa liked his presentation, would he please call grandpa to set up a time to discuss particulars and Grandpa also had a few follow-up questions.

Hear nothing for over a week.

Send a gentle reminder email asking when we might hear from him. Finally get an email back saying he mailed the contracts and paperwork to grandpa but included PDFs in the email to me. Please sign and date and have one of them notarized and then he'd set up the install date.

First of all, I asked him specifically to call Grandpa - grandpa tried to call him and left messages but he never called back (he told me during the estimate they were very busy and I believe it as this was right after hurricane Matthew here in Central FL so he probably did have a lot of repairs going on and he also said email was best way to contact him. GRandpa is 95 and doesn;t do email but I told him he could go through me for that part)

Secondly, is that standard for me to have to pay a notary to get something signed? Shouldn't he be bringing that paperwork by the house and having his own notary?

I liked the guy. I want to give him the business and the benefit of the doubt as I certainly have no idea how fence installers work. But why do I gotta get a notary? He said he'd deal with the HOA and all that (pulling permits and such) and now it's a pain in my ass?

Here's a check, put up a fence please. Am I totally wrong here? (wouldn't be the first time lol).

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Go to your bank and they will notarize for free.

We have been trying to find someone to do work for us for over a year. Most of them disappear when we ask for a copy of their license. The guy you're working with sounds legit. He just wants to make sure he gets paid.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Also, Home Depot or Lowes has a service to get you in contact

with workers. If this guy falls through, I'll get the phone number to the service.

[trof]

4. I have never had to have a home fix up/repair contract notarized.

I'm in Alabama.
We just had a new roof put on a couple of porches.
It was a handshake deal.

Ask him why a notary?

[progressoid]

6. Notary? That's weird.

Never heard of that for a home improvement project.

On a similar note. I've been trying for three weeks to get our electrician to just call me back about finishing our bathroom. It's damn frustrating.

[onethatcares]

7. notary is necessary in Florida

due to some type of lien that can be levied if the contractor does not pay his suppliers. A notary should not be a member of the contractors work force, can you say "conflict of interest"?

Blame the b.s. on the republicans that run Orlando, Orange County and the State of Florida.

[Callmecrazy]

8. I've hired contractors here in Broward County...

I never needed to notarize anything.

[hunter]

12. One of the things I like about DU is reading about life in other parts of the U.S.A..

HOA's, car inspections, contractors requiring notaries, police who come when you call them...

I live in a place where HOA's have such a bad reputation they reduce property values.

You can drive any sort of wreck you like so long as it passes the smog test or it predates emissions testing. If the lights all work and your car isn't blowing smoke, carry on. I see patchwork old cars with bald tires that would look at home in Cuba.

Contractors are a mystery. Lots of work is done by somebody's brother. (My own brother is a licensed contractor who mostly works by himself, his wife keeping the books and answering the phone.) More work is done by crews of Spanish speaking immigrants, documented, not documented, who knows? They are often shielded behind a labyrinth of subcontractors, tricks a few of the larger contractors have learned from the agricultural industry, which is never held responsible for hiring undocumented workers because there's always a fall guy who will conveniently vanish if there's any trouble. Plausible deniability.

There are a few fully legit contractors around, fantastic people to work for, good union and union level wages, but they won't touch small jobs. Their minimum quote is $10,000 dollars for anything, even a job your brother could do on a weekend for beer and barbecue.

Good luck! I'd like to know how this turns out.