The Fence Smith

A couple years ago, I wrote a raving review to express my happiness with Fence Smith’s service, quality in workmanship, and their integrity with the installation of my gate opener. Since then, I have hired them to install my fencing and various other projects. I am here to say how happy I continue to be with everything they’ve done for me and my property. They are truly the real deal — honest, efficient, and GOOD! Go nowhere else!

OUTSTANDING!!! First saw them working on a neighbors fence. That looked great, so I called. Originally, wait was approximately 6 weeks, but an opening came up, and they were available earlier. They tore down our old 180′ fence and built a beautiful wood fence in two days. Service was great. Quality of wood and workmanship was excellent. They even went above and beyond fixing a couple problems with another gate and fence that weren’t part of the job. I highly recommend Fence Smith. Thank you for the awesome job!!!

BEST fence company out there. Mike not only comes out to do the quote, but he is there in person to do the job as well. His workmanship and overall character is unlike any other. And yes, there is a bit of a wait for the job to get done, but that is an indication of how many people trust his work. We had Mike come out for 2 different jobs at 2 different times; and each time the work was impeccable. I would not hire any other company/​person other than Fence Smith to do my fencing. It’s well worth the wait for a job WELL DONE!

WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
I know what you’re thinking, 8 – 10 weeks!!! Well I can tell you it was well worth it after first passing up this company since I wanted my fencing done «sooner.»
Like many others (from talking with Mike the owner), they do lose some business because of the long lead time. So I called about 5 other places, got estimates and in the end no one was more cost effective and professional than Fence Smith. Mike explained they’re still a small company and trying to do things correctly without getting over their head, thus they aren’t hiring more workers and setting themselves up for disaster. Smart, I thought.
From other contractors showing up and quoting thousands more, for simply 22′ of fencing, to others being down right rude and ignorant, I can tell you Mike & Co. definitely offered a vibe that I was willing to wait for after the hassle of the other 5 contractors. I even had contractors attempt to talk me out of the color fencing I wanted and told me I was making a bad choice (it was evident to me they had product to move and simply wanted me to pay a premium for their overstock).
All the same, Mike showed up on time, gave a quick quote, answered my 20 questions and was on his way. About 3 days later I received the quote as promised and it was near the lower end of all of the quotes I had received. I waited my 9 weeks, confirmed he was showing and it was on.
I was surprised that Mike isn’t only the owner but also a laborer. Everything went smoothly and I checked in every few hours or so. Because it was a smaller job it was Mike and another gentleman (who went out of his way to thank me for using them). Within a day everything was removed and new posts set in concrete. They showed back up the next morning and were done within 8 hours total. Everything was neat as a pin (they had to do some jack hammering and other removal of dirt), properly swept with all other materials completely gone. Being a slight control freak, I tried not to bother them while they were working but had questions along the way — Mike would stop each and every time to answer exactly what needed to be answered. I’ve worked with other contractors that get snippy or make you feel stupid as though you should know what they are doing as well as they do — not the case here. Because he was so decent I stopped asking questions since they obviously had it under control and I didn’t want to slow their progress.
In the end I couldn’t be more happy. I had little items (1″ more up here, this goes there type stuff) and Mike had it all locked in and remembered everything I had said during the price estimate. No need for constant reminders.
Great experience overall and I definitely owe them a lengthy review for being so decent. Thanks!

I found The Fence Smith through Unilocal and decided to give them a call based on all the amazing reviews. Before Mike, the owner, came over to do an estimate, I got some prices from other companies to see how they compared. While their price was on the higher end of the other price ranges I had received, we decided to go with them anyways as Mike was so pleasant during the estimate and really seemed to know his stuff. It was a 10 week wait for the install but they let you know this upfront when you call and we weren’t in a hurry so it was a non-​issue for us. We just had the vinyl fence installation completed today and we are thrilled with the results. Mike, along with one helper, installed it and they were so nice, worked quickly, and got the job done on time. The fence looks amazing. We had one issue with one fence post being placed in the wrong place (partially due to lack of communication on our part) but Mike came over the same day after he had already finished for the day, fixed it, and made it seem like it wasn’t an inconvenience to him at all. We would definitely use this company again and couldn’t recommend them enough to others!

Our automated gate installation was completed today, and I am thrilled with the result and can’t recommend Mike enough for his manners, efficiency, and great work! The price was competitive and the quality of workmanship is superb. The installation took just two and a half days, and at the end of each day, the entire work site was cleaned, swept, and made presentable so that there was no unsightly mess to be endured. As I was looking through other reviews, this company has a perfect record except for the guy who gave one star because he didn’t want to wait the ten weeks to start his project. Let me say to that guy — -it would have been well worth the wait! I was given the same wait time, but when they saw they had a postponement on another project, they called and offered me the earlier install, so we’re enjoying our gate more than a month before we expected. I recommend The Fence Smith with no reservations, whatsoever!

They told us they had a 10 week backlog to look at new work. Too bad, too long for us to wait.

I moved into a new house last year and had an automatic gate opener installed. I would highly recommend these people. They seemed very knowledge able and treated me well. I would highly recommend.

Mike and Rebecca are wonderful to work with. I called several fence contractors– many who have 4 – 5 star ratings on Unilocal who never even had the decency to respond to my request. Mike responded right away and scheduled an estimate. While his prices are not the cheapest or the most expensive– the quality is worth it. He was detail-​oriented and spent time to understand exactly what I wanted. In the end, we had him install four different fences: 1. A 36 foot long, 4 foot high wrought iron fence with a gate, 2. A small dog eared wooden fence to hide my ugly propane tank, 3. A 6 ft tall kennel grade chain link fence and gate around my dogs’ double kennel, and a 5 ft tall, wrought iron perimeter fence and automatic driveway gate to enclose my yard. All the work was done with an eye for detail, quality and timeliness. More importantly, his communication (and his wife, Rebecca’s) was great. Responsive and thorough. I appreciate timely communication that makes me feel that there is follow through and commitment on the part of the contractor. I can’t say enough about the great work and fair prices. Definitely recommend!

Mike (& Jeff) did a great job installing my custom fence. Their estimate was fair (lower than most) and they were extra-​friendly to deal with in working out the details/​cost/​build. I will use Mike and the Fence Smith team again.
UPDATE: I did use them again, 2 for 2, great job!

I ended up building my own fence. However of the 4 estimates I received, this was the very best. Fence Smith came highly recommended and they couldn’t have been nicer.
When I need my fence rebuilt in 2 weeks, they’ll be the only place I call.

If you’re looking for someone to build a quality fence or gate, then give Mike at Fence Smith a call (and with a free estimate, you can’t go wrong). Mike has been in the fencing industry for over 20 years and you can tell that when you meet him, he loves his work. Fence Smith has an excellent reputation throughout San Diego County and has also built a couple fences and gates for me over the years, each one still looking as beautiful as the day they were built.