Fences By Design

I made an appointment with the owner and he never showed up. We spoke on Friday and he said that he would come to my home at 10am Saturday morning. I waited until 11:30am Saturday and then finally gave up. This was surprising to me since he was so nice when we spoke on the phone. He seemed genuinely interested in helping me. I am giving this company one star because he never showed up and did not call to let me know he couldn’t make the appointment. I should have read the Unilocal reviews more closely since the EXACT same thing happened to someone else before (marjorie m, Daly City). I would not use this company, even if they did make the best fences.

I searched fence repair and found Michael in Unilocal by chance. After interviewing and receiving several quotes from different companies, he had the best deal and more importantly he was someone I felt I can trust to do the work. We communicated via phone and text. I did not meet him personally until he came that morning of repair. I did not even meet him when he came to asses the work since I was out of town. He came out and took pictures and took measurements and provided me w a quote immediately.
He is very professional and competed the work as he quoted. He was here by 8am as he said he would and completed the work by 4pm same day as he said he would. He reconstructed the fence w same appearance but stronger. I requested for a modification to his original scope of work and was not charged additional to his original quote. Completed repair Jan 9, 2015… and still standing even after our recent storm this past weekend)
He also provided a warranty of his work in writing.

I own property in SSF and one weekend my fence got blown down by the heavy winds early Spring. Since I have tenants in my property and I live all the way in the East Bay I was trying to find the best company to accomodate a request to fix my fence. Since I had to work it out with my neighbor I needed to speak with someone who was able to work with both of us. I communicated by phone and email with Michael since I couldn’t make it out to SSF and even if we didn’t meet he made sure and was detailed on how he would fix my fence. He met with my neighbor as well and sent both of us the proposal. The fence is now fixed and Michael also sent me photos and I am really happy with the results. I would recommend his company to friends and family in the area. Great job Michael and super service as well!

I called Fences By Design for a bid to overlay our ugly, stained 80’s style concrete deck pad with composite decking.
Michael was friendly and communicative, and promptly arranged to come to our home for measurements, etc. While there, he offered several solutions to our needs, including some newer products that would eliminate the need for a step to be created due to the minimal elevation between the patio slider and the concrete slab.
His bid was thorough and professional, inclusive of the different options we discussed. He even included a link to a more stylish product he would use if it were his home.
Ultimately, we are having another contractor do this work as we happened to call the same company that does work for our entire neighborhood of townhomes (a complete coincidence). However, Michael’s bid was extremely competitive and I appreciated his communication and follow up, so I would not hesitate to call him for our next project or to recommend him to others.

I spoke on the phone with the owner of this business and had thorough conversation about what I needed. He (and other fence companies) want to put a fence in all in one day. That means pour concrete, set posts and put up all fencing in one shot. I told him that I’d rather pay extra have him come out in stages so that I know the concrete is mixed in a trough and then poured into the holes instead of dumping dry concrete mix into the holes, packing in the dry mix, and then adding water later. I need the fence installed in an area where we have extremely high winds from the ocean and the fence will be like a sail in the whipping wind. Plus, I have dogs that might be jump on the fence to chase feral cats.
He scheduled an appointment to meet me at my home and he never showed up or call to let me know he either couldn’t make the appointment or simply that he didn’t want/​need the job. I don’t care if you don’t want to work for me, I won’t take it personally, but to not have the common courtesy to call and let me know is rude. Maybe this is a reflection of how busy some of these fence companies are that they can toss away potential work at a whim. Or maybe he wants simple jobs that he can slap together? I guess it’s a blessing in disguise. If you have poor service before the job starts, imagine trying to get a response if you have problems with his work!

Finally, Michael finished the yard in November, and it looks good, but the path to getting to this point has not been fun. He only FINALLY got to finishing the yard after leaving it mud for over a month and being completely out of touch. Because we were switching to a more expensive stone, he wanted additional money for the job and after I hadn’t heard from him for quite a while, I told him I wouldn’t pay if he didn’t get it done that weekend. All of a sudden work got done. That’s how he works. Kind of all or nothing. When he’s working, it’s fine, but when he was off doing whatever, wherever and not filling me in, I had no idea what was going on and a yard of pure mud. (He commented in passing AFTER I got him back to work that something had happened in his family, which I’m VERY sorry about, but a professional has someone contact WAITING CUSTOMERS to let them know there will be a delay out of courtesy.
What really upset me in the end after it was done was how he hassled me daily to pay up and even though he had been lax and let the yard lay mud for so long disrespecting my time and the job, the second he was done, it felt like he had all the time in the world to dedicate to getting the money from me and I felt like I was being extorted, particularly considering he had made promises and then dropped out of touch during the 3 months from which he said he would get it fixed to when he finished. Of course I was going to pay — I stand by my agreements — but I was disgusted at the way he had totally disrespected me and my time by dropping out of touch and not finishing the yard (when it really took just 2 days to do the work after I put my foot down), but then he had no problem hassling me daily to pay him.
I know he wants me to raise his rating to more than 3 stars because he got the yard done, and I’d like to because I like Michael and am glad this is finally over, but 3 stars says «A-​OK» and it was really not «A-​OK» to leave me in the lurch for months as if time was nothing but then, when the tables turned, to hassle me daily for money. I’m giving the 3 stars because it’s done and I really don’t want to hear about or thing about this whole thing ever again. We haven’t had a functional yard for 2 full summers now and it has been awful. This was a business transaction which ended with a satisfactory yard, but not one I’d like to repeat and not one I’d like to recommend to anyone else.

Our fence blew down in a terrible storm one night and left our home exposed in an alley way making me incredibly nervous. I called Michael and he was able to come out right away and give me a quote which was extremely competitive to the other quotes we obtained. He was willing to come out the very next day (a Sunday!) to prop up the fence temporarily until he could get his guys out to put up the new fence. He was very professional and nice as can be. Definitely call him if you have any fence problems! He’s really great to deal with.

We had Fences By Design replace our old, falling-​apart wood retaining walls (very extensive, as we live on a steep hillside), install new ones, and put in a chain link fence (in the back lot, in our attempt to prevent deer from visiting and using our garden as a dessert tray). The price was extremely competitive, and the work, excellent. Retaining wall work is very hard labor, but they did not hedge away from it unlike some larger companies who gave us estimates.
We had some weather (lots and lots of rain) and material supplier delays, but that wasn’t their fault, and such delays were communicated promptly so we won’t be left hanging wondering what happened. They even offered to install a new mailbox for us using the scrap wood that was available (the old, crushed one was on the retaining wall that got replaced, and we had planned on putting on a new one ourselves and had the new one lying around). That really made our day. Such simple thoughtful gestures really shows their work ethics, which I think, is superb.
Michael, who worked the estimates and oversaw the work, was extremely professional, prompt, courteous and very friendly. He seemed very knowledgeable about the trade, offered some ideas and alternatives, and I very much enjoyed working with him.
THe only reason they aren’t getting a 5-​star is sometimes it’s a bit difficult to get a response from him, especially when they are not actively working on your project. That proved to be a bit frustrating at times.

When it came time to tear down our old delapidated [+1 word usage] fence, i had several contractors come in for the bid. One contractor came in, took measurements and then somehow disappeared into thin air. Another guy gave me an estimate that was way out there. Finally Michael came in to give me an estimate. His pricing was very competitive and fair. The project was underway, and after a month we had a new fence, a new patio deck and even replaced our old deck. It’s beautiful! We couldn’t be more pleased.
I was really happy with Michael’s professionalism, and he’s also very easy to work with. He even went the extra distance to help out with other tasks he didn’t need to help out with, because in the end it helps with the bigger picture.
I without a doubt would use Michael again if we had fencing needs. Thanks Michael!

They just installed a fence in SSF for me. Service was fast, efficient, and quality was great. Pricing was very competitive, too. Michael was on top of it all the way. No hassles. Will definitely recommend and also use again.- Captain Gort

Thankfully, I’ve known Michael for several years and so when it came time to replace my old rotten fence, I told my landlord to give Fences By Design a call.
My fence required working with another party and as it turns out, Michael’s bid was more competitive than my neighbors. The landlords worked it out and I was given notice of when the construction would begin, only a few days later…
Unbelievably, the fence and new gates were completed in one day and it looks wonderful! The neighbor and I are very happy with the way it looks and now functions. They cleaned everything up and left my shrubs and flowers unscathed.
I highly recommend Fences By Design and appreciate the great work!

Michael and his crew did a great job! it was just a small job but it came out great. i only replaced one side of my fence and added two fence doors! they came out gave me an estimate that was very competitive. it took them a few days and it was done! The even put on new latches on my old fence door on the other side of my house! great communication would recommend to anyone!

This is a specialty company that does unique, superior quality workmanship in custom-​made fences, gates, posts and retaining walls, even decks.
I’ve known Michael, the owner, for over 2−½ years when he custom-​designed a fence and deck for myself, a driveway access gate for my brother’s rental property, and just recently a yard/​garden access gate for a close friend’s property. After attempting a ‘do-​it-​yourself’ project from home improvement store pre-fab’d fencing, I realized I just couldn’t ‘do-​it-​myself.’ I found Michael’s company via referral from a co-​worker after getting bids from the Diamond Certified Directory, Good Service Guide for Consumers, and Service Magic. I did my homework, compared bids, pricing, and hands-​down went with Fences By Design/​Michael. He is a true professional beginning with a consultation, presentation of options and designs, samples of jobs, and very competitive bid pricing. Not only does he look at the structural requirements for certain terrain, such as post requirements and retaining walls, but the options and final results are selected in the most aesthetically pleasing and compatible to the existing landscaping and home’s architecture. I was very impressed by the samples of his work on other properties. In my case, I re-​landscaped my yard based on my fence selection, the final design, and installation by Michael’s company. Your neighbors will be pleased, as well! Fences By Design earns a personal, well-​deserved high 5-​star Unilocal rating from myself!
Michael is a true professional who is an expertise in his business, very honest, competitive, very accommodating to his clients, expedient, and warranty’s each job. I highly recommend Fences By Design to any property owner or homeowners association looking to replace fencing, gates, repairs, even new decking. The quality and appeal of this company’s work will truly increase the value of your home. A must to check out the website with pic samples!