Is Your Contractor Insured?

By Linda | Published: September 28, 2009

With all the law suits that hit our courts this question should be the first one to ask when you hire someone to work on your property.  You can pick any newspaper across the country and find at least on article dealing with someone suing for damages.  Criminals have sued homeowners for damages caused during robberies and winning their cases.  Little Billy playing football with your son falls and hurts himself and his parents want you to pay for damages.  How can you protect yourself?

In the construction industry many of the fields require licensing through the state, such as, plumbers, electricians, irrigation specialist.  In the fencing industry there is no such requirement. Anyone can decide to start installing fences who has the equipment to do the work.  That may not seem to scary until you start to really look at the homeowners liability. 

There are several things that can and do go wrong.  Any time a person digs a hole, even if it is just to bury Fido, the pet hamster, they run the risk of hitting any number of underground cables and pipes.  The State of Texas has very strict rules governing digging and the reporting of hitting pipes that come with steep financial penalties if not reported appropriately.  If the fence company is just a guy working out of the back of his truck the state and/or the provider of the service that is interupted will hold the homeowner liable for the expense of any damages and penalties incurred.  In addition, if the contracted worker or his helper gets injured while on your property and doesn’t have insurance as the homeowner, you are liable. 

Asking to verify that your contracter is insured is the best way to protect your self from the risk of lawsuits and penalties.  When you begin to understand why the price of one fence may be more than the next, it is VERY important to that reputable companies are going to practice responsible business practices to protect not only themselves but you the homeowner as well.   So remember to ask “Are you insured?”

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Government Tax Credits

By Linda | Published: September 14, 2009

I wrote in my last post about Solar Powered Gate Operators and how they can help us help the planet.  Well, it has come to my attention that the U.S. Federal Government is offering financial incentives to homeowners for the use of solar powered systems at their homes.  Homeowners may be able to apply for a Federal Tax Credit equal to 30% off the installed cost of certain Solar Powered Gate Operator Systems.

What is Covered:  The solar system Tax Credit applies to the total installed cost of a solar gate opener system.  This includes the related solar panel, opener, access control device, remote controls, obstruction detection device(s), etc.

What is Not Covered:  The cost of the gate itself, or wok required to place the physical gate into proper working order (leveling the gate, replacing hinges, etc.)

Qualifications:

  • Effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2008.
  • You will need to use The Federal Tax Credit form 5695, Residential Energy Efficiency Property Credit.
  • You will need to provide a copy of the “Manufacture’s Certification for Credit”
  • The dwelling must be located in the United States and be used as a residence by the taxpayer.
  • This offer is only available in the United States

This could mean money in your pocket so ask your sales representative to look for Qualified Solar Powered Gate Operators and to get you a copy of the “Manufacturer Certification for Credit” form.  Lastly, make sure you discuss all of this with your Tax Professional to make sure that you and your gate operator qualify for the tax credit.

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Green Gate Operators

By Linda | Published: August 27, 2009

Do you hate to open your driveway gate in the rain?  Have you ever wished you could have a gate operator but were concerned that the cost would be to prohibitive?  Have you decided that because the location would require an electrician to run power to your gate that the cost would be to high?  Are you trying to live “greener”?

Well, after months of opening the gate at my office, it dawned me that the funny looking panel at the top of our unit was a solar panel.  We have a solar powered gate opener.  Feeling a little dense that it took me several months to realize this and discover it’s just like the one at home, I decided to find out more about them and the right places to use them.  I was surprised at how they work and the size of gates they can be used on. 

Our general manager very patiently explained to me that their are some drawbacks to the units.  The first is that they are sun driven so if there are several days of rain and the units are used a lot (over 80 cycles) then you could be stuck either in our outside the gate.  In the case of our office, we open the gate in the morning and close it at night.  The one at home is opened by the first person to leave and closed by the last and repeated as we all trek home at night.  This works fine even if we have a week of rain which in Houston is rare. 

The size of the gate can also cause problems but as long as the gate is 25′ or shorter there shouldn’t be a problem.  If you get any larger, the operators won’t generate enough power to open the gate but we don’t usually see gates longer than this unless we are installing a commercial fence. 

Lastly, they make the solar operators with battery back ups for the boy scouts who always like to be prepared.  Or if you have higher volume of usage. 

So, if you want to go green, not have to get out of your car in the rain and don’t want to hire an electician, a Solar Powered Gate Operator is right for you.

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Quality at an Affordable Price

By Linda | Published: August 25, 2009

What does ”Quality at an Affordable Price” really mean?  I ask this because recently, after the hurricane last year, our area was innudated with individuals wanting to provide clean up services for pay.  The United States government recognizies the hazards during these times and has plenty resources to protect consumers after disasters.  There are regulators galore for plumbers, builders, irrigators and the like but there are none for the fencing industry.  So how, as consumers, are we supposed to protect ourselves from shady individuals selling to us during a time of limited resources? 

I have a few suggestions that may help you make smarter choices.  Before any project decide what your priorities are and make a list.   Here are a few things that might end up on your list:

  • Really nice looking fence
  • My neighbors to share the cost
  • No hassle
  • Dependable company
  • Fast work
  • Resonable cost

These things seem fairly simple requests but if all of these are important to you.   I’m going to define for you below each of the bullets to help you better understand what  each of the things on your list mean and apply them in a practical way.

  1. A really nice looking fence.   Well just about anyone can install a fence that looks nice for the first few days after it is installed.  The key to a fence that will look nice for years is the quality of the materials.  You want to find a company that only uses quality materials and can clearly explain the differences between all the options available.
  2. Getting your neighbors to share in the cost of your fence is a tough one.  I have been asked who is responsible for the cost of the fence.  The answer is not as easy as you might think.  The real question is who owns the fence.  This is determined by whose property the fence is on and who paid for it last time it was build.  Because fences usually run along property lines it is often assumed that the fence is shared and for the most part neighbors do share the benefits.  The decision to install a new fence doesn’t obligate a neighbor to share the cost even if they will share the pleasure of the new fence.  There is a problem if one neighbor installed the fence and the other neighbor decides to replace it without permission.  The bottom line is, whoever decides to replace the fence, signs the contract and oversees installation is the person financial responsible for the fence.  However, many neighbors do share in the costs and decision making of the fence.  The key is to be flexible because what one neighbor may be willing to pay may based on type of fence or finances may not be as much as the other.   Decide before hand how you will split the costs and get it in writing.
  3. The best way to make sure that your experience is hassle free is to work with a company with good reputation in your community and many years experience so that you can be sure that they will know what to do to avoid problems or at least solve problems quickly and seamlessly so that you the consumer won’t be stress.  Often our impressions of what makes a good or bad company is simply that the good company handled problems without you being aware there even was a problem and the bad company told you the problem was yours.  Ask questions like, how do you avoid power lines, telephone, cable lines when you dig?  Who is responsible if you hit my sprinklers or plumbing?  If the answer to who is responsible is you, understand the risks and extra cost you will entail if something is damaged.
  4. A dependable company is not the company that tells you there are dependable.  No, a dependable company is a company that freely give you references so that you can ask the end user how their experience was.  Don’t take a companies word for it.  Also, in the fencing industry, find out the company address and do a drive by.  If you drive by an empty lot, be wary.  A reputable company will have a business location that you can visit. 
  5. Wanting your fence to be installed quickly is important however, let me ask you this:  If you needed to have surgery, would you rather go to the doctor with few patients who can perform surgery anytime or the doctor whose office is full and is in high demand?  Now installing a fence may not seem in the same league as these doctors but a quality fence should last at least 10-15 years.  That’s a long time to look at a crummy fence or worse to find out you need to replace it sooner which ends up being more costly.
  6. Lastly, a reasonable cost is more than just the bottom line.  It is what your getting for your dollars.  If you can get a fence installed for a lower price from one company with no insurance, no real place of business and no warranties you may or may not get what you pay for.  You could pay more for the same fence from a company that keeps insurance, has a business office, gives a warranty on the finished product, answers all your questions, freely gives you references, explains your fence to you clearly and answers all your questions and which gives you all the things on your list of wishes and not have to worry about whether or not the end result will be what you want.  Sometimes purchasing a product is more than the end result but a sum of all the pieces you are paying for and the surity at the start that when all is said in done you will be happy. 

By making a wish list before you shop around, you will be sure to compare an apple to an apple and not a bottom line dollar.  Remember do your homework first and you really will get what you pay for.

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Fences for Dummies

By Linda | Published: August 14, 2009

When the hurricane hit our city in September of ‘08 I was dragged into the family business to help handle the over 2,500 phone calls we received in the first month.  I soon became the poster child of “fences for dummies”.  My goal with this blog is to share with you what I’m learning everyday.  My background is in finance, so I tend to look all things in the terms of money.  One recurring question that consistently came up in those first few weeks was why we wouldn’t use pine pickets on our fences.  As things began to settle down and we had time to breath, I asked this of our general manager.  His response really surprised me.

He explained that pine is a dense moist wood and though it initially looks fine, as it ages it will begin to shrink, warp and split.  The cedar pickets maintain their appearance much longer.  Since the hurricane, I have had pine fences pointed out to me that aren’t even a year old and it is truly amazing how warped they look today. 

My conclusion:  You may pay more up front for a fence made with cedar pickets, but amortized over the life of the fence a well made cedar fence will look better, stand longer and improve your landscaping for far more years and less money.

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Welcome to the Newly Designed SummitFenceSouth.com

By Linda | Published: August 6, 2009

Hi there and welcome to the new SummitFenceSouth.com. Ask the Experts is our new blog dedicated to bringing you the community helpful tips and ideas for how to make your property more pleasant with the help of customized, properly installed, and well-maintained fence products. We plan to publish posts on a regular basis so check back regularly.

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